Paul François Pierre Bocuse (French pronunciation: [pɔl bɔkyz]; 11 February 1926 – 20 January 2018) was a French chef based in Lyon known for the quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine. Dubbed "the pope of gastronomy", he was affectionately nicknamed Monsieur Paul (Mister Paul). The Bocuse d'Or, a biennial world chef championship, bears his name.

After completing his formal education and fighting to liberate France, Bocuse enrolled in a culinary apprenticeship in Pollionnay with chef Eugénie Brazier. Under the guidance of some of the most skilled and experienced Mères from the Lyon area, he honed his skills in French cuisine. He then took over the family restaurant, L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, to turn it into one of the most renowned restaurants in the world; from 1965, it held its 3-star rating in the Michelin Guide for a record 55 years.

Bocuse was one of the most prominent chefs associated with the then-emerging nouvelle cuisine, which is less opulent and calorific than the traditional cuisine classique and stresses the importance of fresh ingredients of the highest quality. However, Bocuse also criticised some nouvelle cuisine tendencies, stating "nouvelle cuisine was nothing on the plate, everything on the bill". Bocuse claimed that Henri Gault first used the term to describe food prepared by Bocuse and other top chefs for the maiden flight of the Concorde airliner in 1969.

Bocuse inspired the character of chef Auguste Gusteau in the 2007 animated film Ratatouille, directed by Brad Bird, the plot line of which was also influenced by fellow chef Bernard Loiseau's life story.

A turbulent student at school, Bocuse was put into an apprenticeship by his father Georges Bocuse with chef Claude Maret in Lyon at age 16, at his Restaurant de la Soierie. At 18, Bocuse joined the French Liberation Army as a volunteer. Severely wounded after being struck by an enemy bullet in fights with the German occupier in Alsace, he was taken in at an American infirmary, where American soldiers tattooed him a Gallic rooster on his left shoulder. He was decorated with the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945.

After the war, he joined Eugénie Brazier as one of her students. From the war, he said: "Life can end at any second. So you have to work as if you were going to die at 100 and live as if you were going to die tomorrow."

Although associated with nouvelle cuisine, Bocuse would later say not seeing the point of "peas cut into quarters", adding: "For me, good cooking is when you lift the lid, it steams, it smells good and you can help yourself to seconds."

Bocuse made many contributions to French gastronomy both directly and indirectly, because he had numerous students, many of whom have become notable chefs themselves. One of his students was Austrian Eckart Witzigmann, one of four Chefs of the Century and chef at the first German restaurant to receive three Michelin stars. Since 1987, the Bocuse d'Or has been regarded as the most prestigious award for chefs in the world (at least when French food is considered), and is sometimes seen as the unofficial world championship for chefs. Bocuse received numerous awards throughout his career, including the medal of commandeur of the Légion d'honneur.