Paul Hecht (born August 16, 1941) is a Canadian stage, film, and television actor.

Born in London, England, Hecht graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1963. He made his Broadway debut in 1968 in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. Additional Broadway credits include 1776, The Rothschilds, The Great God Brown, Caesar and Cleopatra, Noises Off, and The Invention of Love. He received the Obie Award for his performance in the off-Broadway production of Enrico IV in 1989.

He performed the role of Emperor Palpatine in the NPR radio dramatizations of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.