Barrie Stavis (June 16, 1906 – February 2, 2007) was an American playwright. He wrote several plays about men struggling in the vortex of history. His subjects include scientist Galileo, abolitionist John Brown, and labor leader Joe Hill. His play, Lamp at Midnight, about Galileo's struggle with the Catholic Church to get his ideas accepted, was performed and televised on the Hallmark Hall of Fame in 1966. Melvyn Douglas starred as Galileo. Stavis was actively working until his death on February 2, 2007, at the age of 100.