Ralph Leighton is an American biographer, film producer, and a renowned friend of the late physicist Richard Feynman. He recorded Feynman telling stories about his life, which have been released as The Feynman Tapes. These interviews, available on audio, laid the foundation for the books, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think?, which were later combined into the hardcover anniversary edition, Classic Feynman: All the Adventures of a Curious Character.

Besides his literary contributions, Leighton is also an amateur drummer and the founder of the group Friends of Tuva. In 1990, he wrote Tuva or Bust! Richard Feynman's Last Journey.

He is credited as the associate producer and originator of the concept for the Academy Award–nominated documentary film Genghis Blues (2000), which emerged through the nexus established by Friends of Tuva.