Richard Owen Fleischer (December 8, 1916 — March 25, 2006) was an American film director.

Fleischer was born in Brooklyn, the son of Essie (née Goldstein) and animator/producer Max Fleischer. After graduating from Brown University, he entered the Yale School of Drama, where he met his future wife Mary Dickson.

His film career began in 1942 at RKO, where he made short subjects, documentaries, and compilations of forgotten silent feature films.

Fleischer moved to Los Angeles, and he was assigned his first feature film, Child of Divorce (1946). In 1954 he was chosen by Walt Disney (a former rival of his father as a cartoon producer) to direct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, starring Kirk Douglas. In 1955 Fox signed Fleischer to a long-term contract. He worked at that studio for the next fifteen years. His first film under the new Fox contract was The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955). Kirk Douglas hired Fleischer to make The Vikings (1958), which became another big hit. He then moved to Paris, where he shot two stories for Darryl F. Zanuck starring Greco. Fleischer then signed a contract with Dino De Laurentiis to make Barabbas (1962). Returning to Hollywood, Richard Zanuck became head of production at Fox and offered Fleischer Fantastic Voyage (1966). It was a success and revived his Hollywood career. Che! (1969), a biographical film about Che Guevara starring Omar Sharif, was an expensive failure, as was the account of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). It was his last film for 20th Century Fox.