Reinhardt, Max (1873-1943), innovative Austrian-American theatrical director. Originally named Max Goldmann, he was born in Baden, near Vienna. Before Reinhardt's time, theatrical direction was usually the function of the play's leading actor. His reputation is based on his vivid theatrical imagination, his sumptuous settings and costumes (often in outdoor productions), and his use of many highly disciplined actors.

In Berlin Reinhardt worked as a director at the Deutsches Theater, but left in 1903 to found the Neues Theater. His famous production of The Miracle, an inspirational pageant based on the Bible, appeared in London in 1911. In 1919 Reinhardt founded the Grosses Schauspielhaus in Berlin. He directed in Austria from 1920 to 1929, during which time he founded the music and drama festival in Salzburg. His production of the medieval morality play Everyman, as adapted by the Austrian playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal, was seen for the first time at Salzburg in 1920. Reinhardt was forced to leave Germany in 1933, and in 1940 he became a citizen of the United States. He produced a well-received film version of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream in 1935 and directed the pageant The Eternal Road on the New York stage in 1937.