Pankaj Tripathi (পঙ্কজ ত্রিপাঠী), born as Pankaj Tiwari, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi films and series. He is the recipient of two National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. After studying acting at the National School of Drama, Tripathi had minor roles in such films as Omkara (2006) and Agneepath (2012), and had a supporting role in the television series Powder (2010).

Tripathi gained recognition for his role in Anurag Kashyap's crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), after which he had several notable supporting roles. These include Fukrey (2013), Masaan (2015), Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi, Fukrey Returns (both 2017), Stree (2018), Ludo, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (both 2020), and 83 (2021). Tripathi has also had leading roles in several streaming series, including Mirzapur (2018–present) and Criminal Justice (2019–2022), and in the streaming film Kaagaz (2021). He has also appeared in the Tamil film Kaala (2018) and the English film Extraction (2020).

Tripathi won a National Film Award – Special Mention for his performance in Newton (2017). His performance in Mimi (2021) won him the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has since starred in the social satire OMG 2 (2023) and the comedy horror sequel Stree 2 (2024).

Tripathi was born on 5 September in either 1975 or 1976 in Belsand village of Barauli in the Gopalganj District of the Indian state of Bihar to Pandit Benares Tiwari and Hemwanti Tiwari as the youngest of their four children.

His father worked as a farmer and Hindu priest. Tripathi's original last name was Tiwari, which he changed legally to Tripathi in school as a 9th grader. Tripathi also worked as a farmer with his father until he was in the 11th standard at school. During the festive seasons, he used to play the role of a girl in his village's local play (natak).

Tripathi moved to Patna after high school where he studied at Institute of Hotel Management, Hajipur. After his seven-year stay in Patna, he moved to Delhi to enroll in the National School of Drama, from where he graduated in 2004.

Tripathi met his wife Mridula during a wedding ceremony in 1993 when they were both in college and then got married on 15 January 2004. They moved to Mumbai after their marriage, and in 2006, had a daughter named Aashi Tripathi and a son named Aarav Tripathi in 2010.

Tripathi is known as a method actor and is widely recognised for his unconventional choices. Namrata Joshi of The Wire termed him a "natural actor" and said, "Give Tripathi any role and he will make it his own with his signature style – minimalistic, effortless, unhurried." The Hindu noted, "We have been encountering him more often on screen than for real, in one power-packed performance after another." On his rise to success, A. Kameshwari of The Indian Express stated, "The actor, whose early roles are mostly credited as ‘unnamed character’, now has roles written specifically for him."

Tripathi is known for his experimental roles, Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times feels he is not among those actors who'd get stuck in one type of role. She further added, "Tripathi's subtle portrayal of even the most dramatic character distinguishes him from many others in the business." While he had his breakthrough with Gangs of Wasseypur, Tripathi is popular for his portrayal of Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur, which according to The Statesman, has been an inspiration for many aspiring actors.

His directors and producers, find him to be a natural and grounded actor. Raj Nidimoru said, "Given a specific or banal set of instructions, Tripathi would interpret it in a slightly different way and most of the times it would put a smile on your face." Karan Anshuman, who directed him in Mirzapur, says, "I know he’s got this mimetic ability to be who he needs to be once the camera rolls. When he finds that perfect note, when he knows he’s got it (and the director knows he’s got it), he holds on to it with such fierce consistency that the slightest shifts only serve to elevate his performance."