Peter Carl Goldmark (December 2, 1906 – December 7, 1977) was a Hungarian-American audio engineer and inventor, renowned for his pivotal contributions to audio and video technology. Born in Budapest, Hungary, Goldmark later moved to the United States, where he held the position of Vice President at Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (CBS) and co-founded CBS Laboratories, serving as its Director of Research.

Goldmark is best known for his instrumental role in the development of the 33⅓ RPM long-playing record and made significant advancements in early color television technology. He was recognized as a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society in 1959 and later became an Honorary Member. He was also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, and several other professional organizations. Over his career, Goldmark received more than 20 prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Science, which he was awarded by President Jimmy Carter in November 1977.

Goldmark pursued his engineering studies in Germany before transferring to the University of Vienna, where he earned both his Bachelor's degree and Ph.D. in physics in 1931. He then relocated to Great Britain, where he worked on television projects at Pye Radio, Ltd. in Cambridge from 1931 to 1933. In 1933, he immigrated to the United States and joined CBS in 1936, starting his career in a small room alongside two technicians.

His first major invention was a field-sequential color television system, which he presented in August 1940. This system utilized a rapidly rotating wheel and three separate RGB beams, making it incompatible with standard television sets unless a custom adapter was used. Although CBS broadcasted using Goldmark's color system during 1950–51, it was ultimately RCA/NBC's "compatible color" technology that became the industry standard, receiving FCC approval in late 1953.

During World War II, Goldmark contributed to the war effort at Harvard's Radiation Laboratory, after which he returned to CBS. He assembled a team to develop the long-playing phonograph disc format, which included Howard H. Scott, William A. Savory, and engineer William S. Bachman, whom Goldmark recruited from General Electric. The LP record was unveiled to the press by Columbia's president, Goddard Lieberson, in June 1948 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan. Goldmark detailed the technical aspects of this innovation in the article "Columbia Long-Playing Microgroove Recording System," which was published in the Proceedings of the IRE in August 1949 and co-authored with his assistant, René Snepvangers, and William Bachman.

Goldmark continued to innovate in video technology at CBS, notably developing the Electronic Video Recorder (EVR), which used twin-track 8.75 mm film spooled in a plastic cartridge, with video signals captured by an electron beam. CBS showcased early prototypes of the EVR in August 1967. Although the format did not achieve commercial success, it inspired subsequent developments in magnetic tape and video disc standards.

In December 1971, Goldmark retired from CBS and founded Goldmark Communications Corporation in Stamford, Connecticut, where he continued his research in cable television, satellite communications, and electronic publishing. Peter Goldmark passed away in a car accident at the age of 71.