A stereoscopic display apparatus includes a liquid-crystal display device that has display pixels arranged in a matrix and displays an elemental image array formed from a plurality of field images on the display pixels to render stereoscopic display, a parallax creating unit provided on the front surface or the rear surface of the liquid-crystal display device, and a directional backlight that emits light through the liquid-crystal display device then through the parallax creating unit and switches directions of the thus-emitted light among a plurality of directions according to a display of the field image is disclosed.