Charles Wisner Barrell (6 July 1885 – 20 June 1974) was an American writer. He first became significant as an art critic, promoting realism. He later built a career as an early exponent of public relations and as a documentary film maker. In his later life he became a prominent supporter of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, making significant contributions to the theory. His claims for the Ashbourne portrait were particularly influential.