Betty Smith (December 15, 1896 – January 17, 1972) was an American author. She is best known for her 1943 novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which became a immediate bestseller and is now considered one of the great American novels of the 20th century. The book was later adapted to the screen in the movie of the same title, directed by Elia Kazan, and starring Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell and Peggy Ann Garner.
