Franz von Defregger (30 April 1835 – 2 January 1921) was an Austrian artist. He learned to play the flugelhorn and he was a member of a local band in Dolsach. He studied woodcarving with the sculptor Michael Stolz and he continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and the École des beaux-arts in Paris.

He was professor of history painting from 1878 to 1910 at the Munich Art Academy. He preferred portraits, rustic motifs from the everyday life, and dramatic scenes from the Tyrolean national uprising of 1809.

He received numerous prizes and awards, including the Prussian Order of Merit for Science and the Arts.