David Benioff (born David Friedman on September 25, 1970) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer. He is renowned for co-creating the critically acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), an adaptation of George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, alongside collaborator D. B. Weiss.

Benioff's literary and screenwriting career includes the novel The 25th Hour and its subsequent film adaptation by Spike Lee, featuring Edward Norton and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. His other notable screenwriting credits include 25th Hour (2002), Troy (2004), The Kite Runner (2007), City of Thieves (2008), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and Gemini Man (2019).

Before his rise to fame, Benioff worked in various roles such as a nightclub bouncer in San Francisco, a radio DJ in Wyoming, and an English teacher and wrestling coach in Brooklyn.