Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (January 24, 1732 – May 18, 1799) is a French polymath.

At various times in his life, he is a watchmaker, inventor, playwright, musician, diplomat, spy, publisher, horticulturist, arms dealer, satirist, financier, and revolutionary (both French and American).

Born a provincial watchmaker's son, Beaumarchais rises in French society and becomes influential in the court of Louis XV as an inventor and music teacher.

He makes a number of important business and social contacts, plays various roles as a diplomat and spy, and earns a considerable fortune before a series of costly court battles jeopardizes his reputation.

An early French supporter of American independence, Beaumarchais lobbies the French government on behalf of the American rebels during the American War of Independence.

Beaumarchais oversees covert aid from the French and Spanish governments to supply arms and financial assistance to the rebels in the years before France's formal entry into the war in 1778.

He later struggles to recover money he had personally invested in the scheme.

Beaumarchais is also a participant in the early stages of the French Revolution.

He is probably best known, however, for his theatrical works, especially the three Figaro plays.