Freiherr (Baron) Samuel von Brukenthal (26 July 1721, in Leschkirch – 9 April 1803, in Hermannstadt), better known as Samuel Thelaus, was the Habsburg governor of the Grand Principality of Transylvania between 6 July 1774 and 9 January 1787.
He was a personal advisor of Empress Maria Theresa.
His home, a large palace in Hermannstadt (Romanian: (Sibiu)), is currently home to the Brukenthal National Museum (formed around the collections he gathered, and expanded from a public exhibit first opened in 1817).