Sumner Locke Elliott (17 October 1917 – 24 June 1991) was an Australian (later American) novelist and playwright. Soon after he was born, Sumner's mother died and he was taken to stay with his childless aunt, Lilian. Custody of the boy was then contested by another aunt, Jessie, granted by the Supreme Court of NSW in 1927. Custody reverted to Lillian on Jessie's death in 1929. Sumner Locke Elliot left Australia in 1948 to live in the United States. He became an American citizen in 1955 after he had established himself as a leading scriptwriter. He Elliot began writing novels during the 1960s. In Australia he won the 1963 Miles Franklin Award for Careful, He Might Hear You and in 1977 he received the Patrick White Award for his services to Australian Literature.