Ronald F. Maxwell is an independent film director and writer from Clifton, New Jersey. He is most famous for writing and directing the American Civil War epics Gettysburg, 1993, Gods and Generals, 2003 and Copperhead, 2013.

In 2007, Maxwell optioned the film rights to novelist Speer Morgan's 1979 book Belle Starr about the legendary female outlaw of the Old West.

A native of New Jersey, Maxwell attended Clifton High School. He graduated from New York University (NYU) Institute of Film 1970. Maxwell is a member of the Writers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In May 2011, Warner Bros. released director's cuts of Gods and Generals and Gettysburg.

In 2012, Maxwell produced and directed his third Civil War feature, Copperhead, with a screenplay by Bill Kauffman. Filming was completed in New Brunswick, Canada in June, 2012.