Rudolph Maté, born as Rudolf Matheh or Mayer, (21 January 1898 – 27 October 1964) was an accomplished cinematographer and film director.

Born in Kraków, Austria-Hungary, Maté started in the film business after graduating from the University of Budapest. He went on to work as an assistant cameraman in Hungary and later throughout Europe, sometimes with noted lensman Karl Freund. Maté worked on Carl Theodor Dreyer's film The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) which led to his being hired as director of photography on a number of prominent films.

Maté worked as cinematographer on Hollywood films from the mid 1930s, including Dodsworth (1936) and Stella Dallas (1937). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in five consecutive years, for Foreign Correspondent (1940), That Hamilton Woman (1941), To Be or Not to Be (1942), Sahara (1943), Cover Girl (1944), and Gilda (1946).

In 1947, he turned to directing films, including When Worlds Collide (1951), the film noir classic D.O.A., and No Sad Songs for Me (both 1950).

Directed by Rudolph Maté, The 300 Spartans is a 1962 film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. Made with the cooperation of the Greek government, it was shot in the village of Perachora in the Peloponnese.

He died from a heart attack in Hollywood on 27 October 1964, age 66.

One of the most respected cinematographers in the industry, Polish-born Rudolph Mate entered the film business after his graduation from the University of Budapest. He worked in Hungary as an assistant cameraman for Alexander Korda and later worked throughout Europe with noted cameraman Karl Freund. Mate was hired to shoot some second-unit footage for Carl Theodor Dreyer and Erich Pommer, and they were so impressed with his work that they hired him as cinematographer on Dreyer's Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, La (1928) (US title: "The Passion of Joan of Arc"). Mate was soon working on some of Europe's most prestigious films, cementing his reputation as one of the continent's premier cinematographers. Hollywood came calling in 1935, and Mate shot films there for the next 12 years before turning to directing in 1947. Unfortunately, while many of his directorial efforts were visually impressive (especially his sci-fi epic When Worlds Collide (1951)), the films themselves were for the most part undistinguished, with his best work probably being the film-noir classic D.O.A. (1950).