Earle R. Gister (March 30, 1934 – January 22, 2012) was an American acting teacher and was a pioneer in professional theatre training from the mid-1960s. Earle Gister was renowned for his specialty and passion for the plays of Anton Chekhov.

Gister (Carleton College ’56 with a B.A. in history) of New Haven, Connecticut, spent more than 30 years training professional actors. After earning his B.A. at Carleton, he "traveled with Corrigan to Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, and earned an MFA in drama." He credited the foundation of his acting technique to his studies with such people as Robert Corrigan, "the drama professor who would serve as his mentor," and Paul Mann, his acting coach in New York City.

Reported by the Yale Daily News: “Earle had a very large educational impact on the country,” said J. Michael Miller, director of The Actors’ Center in New York and co-founder of the League, which disbanded in 1987. “If there was one man who made a significant difference in professional theater training, it was him.”