Nathaniel Harrington Bannister (January 13, 1813 – November 2, 1847) was an American actor and playwright. Bannister wrote over 40 plays, including Putnam, the Iron Son of '76 (1844) about the American Revolutionary War hero Israel Putnam which played for 78 consecutive nights in New York at the Bowery Theatre (produced by Thomas S. Hamblin), unusually successful for its time. The bulk of Bannister's many works, only some of which were published, are historical dramas. Bannister was married to actress Amelia Greene, who was previously married to John Augustus Stone.