Daniel Smart Fante (February 19, 1944 – November 23, 2015) was an American author and playwright.

Chump Change, Mooch, 86'd and Spitting Off Tall Buildings comprise a tetralogy about Fante's hard living alter-ego Bruno Dante.

Chump Change found publication in France originally, before being published in the US by Sun Dog Press.

All four of the books were eventually republished in America by Harper Perennial and by United Kingdom publisher Canongate.

Besides novels and short stories, Fante also wrote plays – "The Closer / The Boiler Room" described by the Los Angeles Times as "ferociously profane",[1] and "Don Giovanni", about which 3:AM Magazine said: "For those who want to know what is REALLY going on in post-modern American literature right now, Don Giovanni should be essential reading".