Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire Lestat. He is a vampire and the main character in the majority of The Vampire Chronicles, narrated in first person. Lestat de Lioncourt is the narrator and main character of the majority of the novels in Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series.

The Vampire Lestat, the second book in the series, is presented as Lestat's autobiography, and follows his exploits from his youth in Paris, France and cities surrounding to his early years as a vampire fledgling. Many of the other books in the series also follow his story, such as The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil, and also Blood Canticle. According to Rice, the character of Lestat was largely inspired by her husband, the poet and artist Stan Rice, and shared his blond hair and birth date of November 7.

In a 2003 interview, Rice noted that the character had also taken on some of her own attributes, stating "Stan was Lestat; he was the inspiration. Perhaps it is best to say Lestat was Stan and me. He was Stan and what Stan taught me.

Lestat was inspired by Stan, and then I became Lestat." The name 'Lestat' was a misspelling of "Lestan," which Rice believed to be an old French name. According to the characters themselves, who discuss the issue in Blackwood Farm, Blood Canticle and Memnoch the Devil, the name is pronounced "les-taht" "with a rather French flair."

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