Dorothy Gladys Smith, later known as Dodie Smith, was born in Lancashire, England, and spent her early years in Manchester, where she was raised after her father's untimely death.
She was just an infant when her father passed away, and she grew up without a father until the age of 14, when her mother remarried and the family relocated to London.
At the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, she studied and attempted a career as an actress, but with little success.
Eventually, she took a job as a toy buyer for a furniture store to make ends meet, and she eventually gave up her acting career to pursue writing plays.
In 1931, her first play, "Autumn Crocus", was published under the pseudonym "C.L. Anthony", and it was a huge success, capturing the imagination of the public and earning her widespread recognition.
Although she could now afford to move to a luxurious London townhouse, she didn't get caught up in the "literary" scene, and instead married a man who was a fellow employee at the furniture store.
During World War II, she and her husband moved to the US, primarily due to his stand as a conscientious objector and the social and legal difficulties that entailed.
She was still homesick for England, though, as reflected in her first novel, "I Capture the Castle" (1948),and she formed close friendships with notable authors such as Christopher Isherwood and John Van Druten, and was aided in her literary endeavors by writer A.J. Cronin.
She is perhaps best known for her novel "The Hundred and One Dalmatians", a hugely popular children's book that has been adapted into a string of very successful animated films by Walt Disney.
Dodie Smith passed away in 1990, leaving behind a legacy as a talented writer and a testament to her remarkable life journey.
