Petter Næss (born 14 March 1960, Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian actor, screenwriter, instructor, and film director.

Since 1996, he has worked as a director at Oslo Nye Teater, including for Elling's stage version.

[3][4] After the success of Elling,[5] he directed Mozart and the Whale (2005) in Hollywood, starring Josh Hartnett.

[6] In 2007, he released Tatt Av Kvinnen and appeared in Max Manus (2008) as Kaptein Martin Linge.

[7][8] Næss's Elling was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002.