Elke Heidenreich (née Riegert; born 15 February 1943) is a German author, TV presenter, literary critic, and journalist. She has an extensive body of work including audio plays, magazine columns, scripts for television plays, and books.

Heidenreich created the character Else Stratmann and has been a prominent literary critic on the Swiss television program Literaturclub. Her commitment to literature was recognized with the Goldene Kamera award in 1981 and the Bambi award in 2003 for her series Lesen!, which aimed to popularize reading. In 2006, she was honored with the Grimme Award for her contributions to television.

Her children's book, Nero Corleone, translated into multiple languages, earned her several international prizes. She co-authored Alte Liebe with Bernd Schroeder, to whom she was married from 1972 until their separation in the 1990s.

Passionate about opera, Heidenreich dedicated 12 years to working on children's operas at the Cologne Opera, writing librettos and books to bring opera culture to a wider audience.