Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English writer, filmmaker, and visual artist. He gained prominence in the 1980s with a series of short stories collectively named the Books of Blood, which established him as a leading horror author. His work has been adapted into films, most notably the Hellraiser series (the first installment of which he also wrote and directed) and the Candyman series.

Barker's paintings and illustrations have been exhibited in galleries across the United States, and have appeared in his books. He has also been involved in creating characters and series for comic books, and several of his popular horror stories have been featured in ongoing comic series.

Clive Barker was born in Liverpool, England, the son of Joan Rubie (née Revill), a painter and school welfare officer, and Leonard Barker, a personnel director for an industrial relations firm. Educated at Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School, he studied English and Philosophy at Liverpool University, where his picture now hangs in the entrance hallway to the Philosophy Department.

In 1975, he met his first partner, John Gregson, with whom he lived until 1986. Barker's second long-term relationship, with photographer David Armstrong, ended in 2009. In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards, an honor presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individual in the media.