Eric Russell Bentley (September 14, 1916 – August 5, 2020) was a British-born American theater critic, playwright, singer, editor, and translator. In 1998, he was added into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. He was born in Bolton, Lancashire. Beginning in 1953, he taught at Columbia University and was a theatre critic for "The New Republic". He was sued by Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller because he gave them negative reviews on their plays.