Horst Rainer Erler (26 August 1933 – 8 November 2023) was a German director, screenwriter, writer and producer.

Born in Munich, Erler grew up in Solln and entered the film industry as the assistant director of Rudolf Jugert, a role he fulfilled for eight years.

[1] During his career he directed over 40 feature films and five stage works, and wrote 14 novels and more than two dozen short stories.

[1] He had his international breakout in 1979 with the television thriller film Fleisch, which launched the career of Jutta Speidel, was sold in over 120 countries and even released theatrically in a large number of them.

[2] Active until 2000, during his career Erler received numerous awards and honours, notably the Deutscher Science Fiction Preis and the Federal Cross of Merit.