William Gillette (1855 - 1937) was an American actor and dramatist. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut.

Gillette starred in Sherlock Holmes (1916) as Sherlock Holmes.

Some of his plays included Held by the Enemy (1886) and Secret Service (1896), the latter becoming a movie in 1931.

He also wrote the 1883 play Esmeralda together with Frances Hodgson Burnett.