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Lists about real and fictional spies, agents, operatives, and the very exciting, deceitful, and dangerous lives they lead.

Spies

Hollywood loves a spy movie, and always has. Throughout TV and movie history there have been plenty of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-cia-movies?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">good spy movies</a> and the fictional spies leading the espionage and intrigue are easily some of the most memorable characters in all of film and TV. So who's the best spy character to ever grace the big screen or go undercover on your television? It's time to vote!These days there's a whole new type of spy action comedy, with spy films like&nbsp;Kingsman: The Secret Service and&nbsp;Paul Feig's Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy. Then there are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-60s-spy-movies/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">classic spy movies</a> and TV shows, many of which are still popular spy franchises today. You've got&nbsp;Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation&nbsp;(the 2015 installment starring, as usual, Tom Cruise), a reinterpretation of the classic TV series&nbsp;The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and new James Bond films seemingly every year. In modern entertainment, spies are bigger, cooler, and better than ever!Fictional spies have been all the rage for decades and with technology catching up, and in many cases surpassing, the super spy tech of old, they're only getting more awesome! Plus, we live in a world where spies are more and more relevant to real life - if not of the Jason Bourne variety, then certainly of the Edward Snowden variety.So let's take a look at all of the best movie and TV spy characters from over the years and today. Who do YOU think is the very best fictional spy? Vote up the best and most kickass spy characters below and add any of your favorite fictional spies that aren't already listed.

World History

It is not surprising that a global conflict like World War II generated so many amazing spy stories. Espionage has always been a business marked by deceit, betrayal, and frequently, death. The fate of a captured spy is usually brutal, and even relatively benign entities like the Allies dealt harshly with such individuals. Still, their treatment was relatively kind compared to the Nazis.

The remarkable World War II&nbsp;spy stories&nbsp;include <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ww2-figures-tombstones/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">heroes and villains</a>, loyalists and traitors, and the greatest World War II spies that were motivated by duty, principle,&nbsp;or just plain money.

The spy movie and film genre has included some of Hollywood's greatest films of all time. Classics like Dr. No, the first James Bond film and many others have been found on lists of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/spy-movies-and-films/reference" target="_blank">best spy films of all time</a>. While there are some newer Bond films out there, they don't make up the bulk of recent&nbsp;spy shows and movies available today. Don't worry, there's definitely some Bond found here, but this list explores some of the newer fare in the spy genre, which can be about anything from CIA operatives to small organizations of spooks working behind the scenes to make the world safe from tyranny.Some recent inclusions into the spy genre include Matt Damon's breakout performance as Jason Bourne in the original&nbsp;Bourne Identity&nbsp;and its sequels. If you're more interested in a comedic take on the genre for the small screen, shows like FX's&nbsp;Archer&nbsp;will definitely scratch that comedic/spy itch in a brilliantly-animated style. Whatever your preference, there are some <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/spy-tv-shows-and-series/reference" target="_blank">amazing spy TV shows</a> and films to watch while waiting for the next installment in the James Bond franchise.Which spy movies and shows deserve&nbsp;the top spots on this list? Help&nbsp;decide by giving your favorites a thumbs up and adding any good movies or shows missing from the list.

Adaptations

From secret agents risking their lives to CIA operatives investigating global conspiracies, this list includes information about the best spy <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-movies-based-on-books?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">movies based on books</a>. Some spy movies based on novels stay true to the source material while other spy films adapted from books create new storylines. Some of the best spy movies based on books have at award-winning directors at the helm.

What sagas will you find on this best spy movies based on books list? Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy has to be near the top. This 2011 Cold War spy thriller was based on John le Carre&#39;s novel of the same name. Double agent drama and spies investigating spies are at the heart of the film&#39;s mysterious story. Argo is another good spy movie based on a book.

CIA secrets worth killing for are found in The Bourne Identity. Other good spy movies based on books include The Third Man, The Lady Vanishes,&nbsp;The Constant Gardener, and of course, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-james-bond-movies" target="_blank">Bond films</a>.

Do you have a favorite spy movie based on a book? Vote the best films up to the top of this list and please add any good options we may have missed.

Patriot Games

These are films that focus on the United States Central Intelligence Agency, or its CIA agents, as ranked by spy-obsessed fans. We&#39;ve tried to include all of the best CIA movies on this list, but if you believe we missed one, please feel free to add to the list yourself. If you want more awesome movie list ideas that you can watch right now on Netflix, then be sure to check out our lists of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-action-movies-on-netflix-instant/polkadotking">best action movies on Netflix</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-movies-on-netflix-instant/polkadotking">best movies on Netflix</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-comedies-on-netflix-instant/polkadotking">comedies on Netflix</a>.

With its intrigue, espionage, and cloak and dagger politics, the CIA and its spies and operatives are a perfect setting and cast of characters for film making and storytelling. Spy dramas have been a favorite among moviegoers for decades. Let&#39;s face it, spies make great characters.&nbsp;

Sure, FBI movies are also full of awesome action too, but there&#39;s just something totally riveting about watching the drama unfold against the backdrop of world politics, so give us a Matt Damon <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/spy-movies-and-films/reference" target="_blank">spy movie</a> over those FBI dramas any day.&nbsp;

Whether you prefer watching spy movies on Netflix or grabbing a CIA film from from Redbox, you&#39;re guaranteed to find something that&#39;ll give you your secret agent fix. This list includes all genres, although most are action, drama, or thrillers. If you enjoy good spy thrillers, then you&#39;re bound to enjoy many of the secret agent&nbsp;movies on this list.

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The Saint

The very <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/spy-movies-and-films/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best spy</a> shows on television, ranked from best to worst, including British spy TV shows and series. This list of the greatest spy TV shows also includes pictures from the shows when available. Popular spy TV shows have been a staple of television for years, so there&#39;s often debate about what the most entertaining spy show of all time is. Do you prefer newer American spy shows, or classic British spy series? Don&#39;t let your favorite spy television programs in history fall to the bottom of the list - be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot. The list of spy television shows below includes information like the program&#39;s cast, creator, and premiere date when available.

The shows on this list range from Chuck to The Avengers, plus many more TV series about spies and spy characters. Whether you are fascinated by the world of espionage or just enjoy secret agent TV shows every now and again, the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-espionage-tv-shows/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best spy TV shows</a> are listed here for your perusal. From dramas to comedies, this list of the top spy TV series&nbsp;has them all!&nbsp;

What is the best spy show of all time? What are the greatest spy shows? From old spy TV shows to recent spy series, and even a spy <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-british-sitcoms-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">British comedy</a> or two, now&#39;s your chance to upvote the best spy TV series you&#39;ve ever seen!

Best Movies

Who Am I?

When highly trained spies set out to complete secret missions it's hard to know who to trust. The <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/spy-movies-and-films/reference">best movies about agents and operatives</a> are action-packed thrillers that bring movie-goers on the edge of their seats. This is a list of the best special agent movies including everything from Point Break to The Bourne Identity to Burn After Reading.What films will you find on this list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-cia-movies">best movies about agents</a>? The big-screen adaptation of Mission: Impossible helped bring this genre back in the 1990s.&nbsp;Tom Cruise – who has been known to do his own stunts – stars as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the first exciting film of the ongoing series. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is more of a cerebral thriller full of interest and intrigue. For his The Expendables series, Sylvester Stallone recruited an all-star cast of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-action-stars?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best action actors</a> in the business, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Jet Li, and more. Other good films featured on this best spy and secret agent movies list include RED, Spy Game, and The International.Do you have a favorite spy thriller? Give your favorite movies a thumbs up and please add any exciting films that are missing.

US History

CIA code names for operations, people, and facilities range from informal nicknames to a complex series of cryptonyms. Many of their major headquarters, training areas, intelligence gathering facilities, and other buildings have no official names, but have nicknames that stuck over time. They often give their operations creative and colorful designations that mean nothing to anyone but insiders - and those are just the ones that aren't classified.Intelligence jargon is designed to be easily understood by those who need to understand it, and nearly incomprehensible to outsiders or snoops listening in. Hence the series of two-letter codes used to identify countries, or the innocuous all-caps names given to new NSA surveillance initiatives. If you know what they are, then you know what they are. And if not, then you're not supposed to.Here are some of the best, most creative, and all around weirdest nicknames given by the CIA, NSA, and other intelligence agencies in the US to all manner of buildings, people, and even missions. Vote up the craziest CIA nicknames below!

Land of the Free, home of the spied upon. US citizens can't catch a break when it comes to creeps looking in their windows and pilfering data from their phone, email accounts, and personal computers. But Uncle Sam isn't the only one keeping a watchful eye on America. Throughout history, a number of foreign agents have graciously alleviated the government of the burden of spying on its people, none with more relish, mustard, and pickles than those sneaky Russian spies in the US.&nbsp;Maybe you <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/spy-tv-shows-and-series/reference">watch The Americans</a>. Guess what? That sh*t went down IRL. Yes, indeed, Directorate S in real life is not just some whacked out crap you can read about on Reddit. It's real af. Even rampant paranoia about sneaky Soviets eating microwave dinners, awaiting their orders to annihilate the engorged&nbsp;swine babies of capitalism is rooted in real fears, which go <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ww2-european-theater-stories/philgibbons">all the way back to the 1940s</a>, to&nbsp;the inception of the ideological&nbsp;battle between&nbsp;rank consumers and dirty commies.&nbsp;During the Cold War, there was widespread fear about communist spies&nbsp;living in&nbsp;the US, fear that&nbsp;wasn't unfounded. There were Russian spies, part of the illegals program, who lived in America. Some of these spies were high-ranking members of the CIA and FBI, collecting and reporting sensitive data back to their KGB handlers. Others were cokeheads who were&nbsp;ill-advisedly given access to sensitive information. Be forewarned: after digesting tales of Russian spies who lived in the United States, you're&nbsp;gonna&nbsp;wanna set up, at the very least, audio recording equipment in your neighbor's house.&nbsp;

Clark Kent / Superman

Are you looking for a new book or movie where the fictional character is leading a double life? Browse through this list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-female-characters-in-literature?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest fictional characters</a> leading double lives to find exactly what you are looking for. Ranked in order from most popular to least, there are many fictional characters to choose from. If you don’t agree with the ranking, place your votes for your <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-your-favorite-fictional-character-says-about-you/nathan-gibson?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">favorite fictional character</a> leading a double life. If you don’t see a particular favorite listed, add it to the list so that others can enjoy it as well.Featuring Buffy Summers, Peter Parker, Don Draper, and more, this list has all of the best fictional characters leading a double life.&nbsp;Some of the most exciting books and movies have a fictional character who is leading a double life. From romances to <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/spy-movies-and-films/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">spy movies</a>, characters with double lives provide an exciting and suspenseful story to enjoy.Look through this list to spot a great fictional character who leads a double life and vote up your favorite secretive character.

Russian History

There are countless debates out there <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/times-ernest-hemingway-was-a-jerk/katia-kleyman" target="_blank">surrounding Ernest Hemingway</a>, including whether or not he’s the greatest American novelist of all-time, as well as&nbsp;about the themes of misogyny in his writing (and his life). But, there’s another, less literature-based question lingering about the author – was Ernest Hemingway a spy? Specifically, was there a direct connection between Hemingway and the KGB?&nbsp;The notion might seen ridiculous, but enough evidence has come to light in recent years that it’s now a historical certainty – Hemingway: a Soviet spy. One <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/people-j-edgar-hoover-hated/philgibbons" target="_blank">J. Edgar Hoover</a> and his CIA were on to, at that.Hemingway, who was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on July 21, 1899, lived in the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/tags/united-states?ref=internalCrossLinking_tag">United States</a> for much of his 61 year, but&nbsp;it was his international cavorting that got him involved in the whole clandestine-operative&nbsp;thing. Hemingway is most famous for his great works like A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea, and for his winning of a Nobel Prize. Unfortunately, Hemingway was never really able to say farewell to his time as a spy, something that led directly to the final bell tolling on this particular tale of an old man and the KGB.

Government

Are you just being paranoid, or is that white van parked outside your house one of many&nbsp;signs that you're being watched by <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-cia-nicknames/mike-rothschild" target="_blank">the CIA</a>?&nbsp;And if you're almost certain that you're under surveillance, how do you know if&nbsp;you're on a watch list?Glad you asked! <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/declassified-cia-maps/kellen-perry" target="_blank">The CIA</a> might indeed&nbsp;be watching&nbsp;if they deem you&nbsp;important and powerful enough, or if you pose some sort of perceived threat to society. Sure, that white van could just be the next door neighbor's maintenance man, but it could also&nbsp;be a&nbsp;sign of clandestine government operations against you.&nbsp;This list is dedicated to the surveillance state we gladly surrender our personal information&nbsp;to each time we share our location on <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/komando/2016/03/18/facebook-watching-and-tracking-you-more-than-you-realize/81803796/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, or use <a href="https://www.wired.com/2015/07/every-move-make-google-maps-will-watching/" target="_blank">Google Maps</a> to find our way around town.&nbsp;Oh yes, Big Brother is watching, because frankly, we relish in the convenience&nbsp;he offers, so indulge your paranoid tendencies and read on.&nbsp;

What It's Like

Thanks to the movies, the CIA can seem like it's full of badass international agents capable of killing a room full of people with a magazine. There are probably a ton of people who want CIA jobs just so they can learn to do that, but the truth is operatives are only a small part of the organization. CIA agent training isn't just about learning to be Jason Bourne. It's also about studying the world. There are a ton of jobs at the CIA. Analysts, teachers, and investigators all play important&nbsp;roles at the agency and all require specialized training to make effective contributions. More than anything, the CIA is looking for smart, competent people who have an eye for detail and aren't afraid to work long hours to get the job done. If you think you have that within you, be prepared for a rigorous CIA training program that'll prepare you to defend the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/tags/united-states?ref=internalCrossLinking_tag">United States</a>. Do you have what it takes to join the CIA? Read this list and decide for yourself.

Comedy

Spies Like Us

From the over-the-top gadgets to the super-fast cars, the spy genre is full of clich&eacute;s&nbsp;just waiting to be spoofed. The best comedy movies about spies feature hilarious heroes getting into jams and tangling with supervillains all over the world. This is a list of the top espionage comedy movies including everything from Get Smart to This Means War to The Man Who Knew Too Little.

What films will you find on this list of the best comedy movies about spies? 1997&#39;s&nbsp;Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery&nbsp;brought new life to this comedic genre. Mike Myers does double duty in the film, playing both the swingin&#39; &#39;60s title character and his nemesis, Dr. Evil. True Lies is another good film that combines espionage and humor, while&nbsp;Kingsman: The Secret Service adds a heady dose of action to the equation.&nbsp;Other good moves on this&nbsp;list of spy comedies include Agent Cody Banks, Knight and Day, and Undercover Brother.

It&#39;s up to you to decide which funny <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/spy-movies-and-films/reference" target="_blank">spy movies</a> deserve the tops spots on the list. Give your favorites a thumbs up, and add any titles that are missing.

&nbsp;

These are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/spy-movies-and-films/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best spy movies</a> streaming on Hulu and Hulu Plus, ranked by espionage film fans just like you. So prepare you code names and gadgets, then vote up your favorites on this list of Hulu spy movies.Among the best spy movies on Hulu are the classics The Osterman Weekend and Secret Agent. If you're in a blockbuster mood, there's Mission: Impossible III starring Tom Cruise as the iconic spy Ethan Hunt. For something smaller, try The Windsor Protocol starring Kyle Maclachlan as a British agent attempting to thwart a plot to take over the presidency of the United States. And if you’d like something on the lighter side, check out OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies and its sequel OSS 117: Lost in Rio, two outrageous French parodies of the spy genre.So let the world know which of these spy movies on Hulu are the best by voting them up or down. If you're a spy master, then rerank the list to create your own version of the greatest spy films streaming on Hulu.

If we had to guess, the split between serious spy movies and <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-spy-comedies/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">funny spy movies</a> (or flat-out dumb spy movies) has to be pretty equal. That&#39;s probably because the most famous spy franchise of all time, James Bond, likely has as many spoofs as it does sequels!

That&#39;s why we&#39;ve decided to make a definitive list of all the funniest spy movie characters. Whether it&#39;s Johnny English (played by Rowan Atkinson) fumbling about town or Detective Frank Drebin (played by the late, great Leslie Nielsen) who somehow always seems to solve the case even though he can&rsquo;t solve where he last parked the car, these spy characters are known for making audiences laugh. Which spy characters do you think are the funniest?

Vote up the funniest spy characters and add your own if they&rsquo;re missing.

Espionage is sometimes&nbsp;known as&nbsp;the world's second oldest profession (after prostitution, of course).&nbsp;An account&nbsp;of spies hiding on a prostitute's roof can&nbsp;be found in the Book of Joshua, and Sun Tzu's The Art of War, from&nbsp;500&nbsp;BCE, explored&nbsp;advanced methods of espionage at a time when there were only 100,000,000 people to spy on worldwide (for reference, about the population of Ethiopia in 2016). Famous and notable spies from history aren't limited to black-suited secret agents&nbsp;sprung from paranoia in the Cold War.There were, in fact,&nbsp;sophisticated spies sneaking letters across enemy lines&nbsp;in the Roman Empire and&nbsp;cryptographic pioneers employing invisible ink during the Revolutionary War. The historical spies on this list run a wide gamut, from Ancient Chinese spies to English spies, American spies, and even spies in the Bible. Read on for fascinating espionage facts from throughout history.

Military

<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-seasons-of-homeland/ranker-tv">Homeland</a>, the award-winning Showtime series that centers on the post-9/11 Central Intelligence Agency, has been the topic of intense debate in CIA circles since its first season aired in 2012, primarily because of its sensational bipolar protagonist, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-homeland-characters/reference">Carrie Mathison</a>, played by Claire Danes. Critics wonder: is Homeland accurate? Does it realistically portray what it’s like to be a CIA analyst and operative in the wake of September 11, 2001?&nbsp;While most former CIA employees who have been interviewed about the show agree&nbsp;it does a remarkable job capturing many of the tensions, complexities, and emotional realities of what it’s like to be in international intelligence&nbsp;today, they also have some pretty serious criticisms of the veracity of certain aspects of the show. For example, if you’ve ever found yourself shouting at the TV during one of Carrie’s breakdowns that she should DEFINITELY be fired for this one, you’re probably not&nbsp;wrong. For the most part, real members of the intelligence community agree; some of Carrie’s most rogue moments probably are, in reality, fireable offenses.&nbsp;Certainly, drama is drama, and must take liberties with the truth in order to be true to its characters and tell the best, most impactful story possible, while servicing its themes. That said, it's still interesting to know what Homeland gets wrong about the intelligence community. Also worth considering: all of the information contained herein comes from the lips of current or former CIA agents, who may have some stock in presenting a respectable image for the agency.&nbsp;

The Lives of Others

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not watching you. The <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/tags/best-movies?ref=internalCrossLinking_tag">best movies</a> about surveillance and hidden cameras feature characters&nbsp;who see something before anyone else does, and try to warn others about a devious plot. This is a list of the top secret camera&nbsp;movies&nbsp;including everything from Demolition Man to Rear Window to The Lives of Others.What films will you find on this list of the best security footage movies? Surveillance is taken to new heights in the 2002 sci-fi thriller&nbsp;Minority Report. The film stars Tom Cruise as a rogue police officer running from the law in a world where cameras are everywhere. The Conversation is another good movie about using surveillance techniques&nbsp;to investigate a murder.&nbsp;Snowden examines the United States government's role in surveying the world through digital data. Other good surveillance movies include Disturbia, The Forgotten, and Vacancy.Which of these <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/full-cast-of-teesri-aankh-the-hidden-camera-actors-and-actresses/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">hidden camera movies</a> is&nbsp;your favorite? Give the best films a thumbs up and get in on the conversation in the comments section.

Spy craft is awesome, but there’s something about old spy technology that really captures the imagination. Spy technology from before the Internet just seems rougher and more dangerous, requiring an agent to put their life in harm’s way behind enemy lines. Microfilm, listening devices, and special smuggling procedures were just some of the tricks of the trade that made up the old spy gadgets&nbsp;employed by intelligence services across the globe.Before the age of computers and hacking, organizations such as the CIA had to be very clever with how their agents operated. Movements, dead drops, and devices had to be concealed perfectly or they would be discovered, and in the intelligence business the last thing you want is for your rivals to know your movements. In fact, the CIA was so dedicated to developing new methods of espionage they tried to develop robotic animals that could be controlled wirelessly. What kinds of spy tech were used before computers and the Internet changed the game? Read below to see all kinds of cool historical spy technology.&nbsp;

I Spy

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Best Characters

A list of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-spy-characters/totesmagotes?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">famous spy characters</a> from spy novels with pictures where possible. Spy books have been popular for ages. A spy is a master of infiltration. The great clandestine operations involved in spying are the thing of legends, black ops by secret agents you wouldn't believe. Small wonder then that the best spy books are so popular, with their gadgets, subversion, and dual identities. Today, they can be found in movies, tv, books, comics, and games. This list of spy characters from top spy novels contains many of them.

Spy Characters from Spy Novels

Famous Spies from Novels

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Comics

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Kenny Miller

Millenials

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Agent of Byzantium

Carl Hamilton

The Carl Hamilton novels are a series of novels by Swedish author Jan Guillou centered on the fictional spy Carl Hamilton. In Sweden and other countries it is a best-selling series. Carl Hamilton has been called "Sweden's James Bond". One commentator said the books "... place [Guillou] besides John le Carre and Len Deighton".
The first novel Coq Rouge was published in 1986, it was Guillou's first significant work of fiction.

Emily Pollifax

Mrs. Emily Pollifax is the heroine of a series of spy-mystery novels by Dorothy Gilman. Mrs. Pollifax is a widow and senior citizen who decides one day to leave her comfortable apartment in New Brunswick, New Jersey and join the CIA. Through an initial misunderstanding, Mrs. Pollifax is given a simple courier assignment by Operations Chief, Mr. Carstairs, and her ensuing adventure leads her to a career in espionage.
The Emily Pollifax novels frequently employ comic relief and suspense. A consistent theme throughout the series is Mrs. Pollifax' tendency to take an interest in people who seem disconnected with her mission, but who either become part of the investigation and/or who prove to be of invaluable assistance to resolving the case. Recurring characters include Bishop, Carstairs' assistant; John Sebastian Farrell, an agent turned art dealer; and in later books, Cyrus Reed, a man with whom Mrs. Pollifax finds romance in the book Mrs. Pollifax on Safari. Most of the novels take place in existing countries and include authentic details; however, characters in the stories sometimes originate from fictional places that resemble groups of non-fiction countries.

Felix Leiter

Felix Leiter is a fictional character created by Ian Fleming in the James Bond series. The character is an operative for the CIA and Bond's friend. After losing a leg and his hand to a shark attack, Leiter joined the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The name "Felix" comes from the middle name of Fleming's friend Ivor Bryce, while the name "Leiter" was the surname of Fleming's friend Marion Oates Leiter Charles, then wife of Thomas Leiter.
Leiter also appeared in novels by continuation authors, as well as ten films and one television programme, Casino Royale, where the character became a British agent, Clarence Leiter, played by Michael Pate. In the Eon Productions series of films, Leiter has been portrayed by Jack Lord, Cec Linder, Rik Van Nutter, Norman Burton, David Hedison, John Terry and Jeffrey Wright; in the independent production Never Say Never Again, the part was played by Bernie Casey. Leiter has also appeared in the video game 007 Legends.

George Smiley

George Smiley is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is an intelligence officer working for "the Circus", the British overseas intelligence agency. He is a central character in the novels Call for the Dead, A Murder of Quality, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People, and a supporting character in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Looking Glass War and The Secret Pilgrim.

Hal Ambler

Jack Ryan

John Patrick Ryan, Sr.  is a fictional character created by author Tom Clancy and featured in his Ryanverse novels, which have consistently topped the New York Times bestseller list over 30 years. Since Clancy’s death in 2013, four other authors have continued the Ryan franchise and its other connecting series with the approval of the Clancy family estate: Mark Greaney, Grant Blackwood, Mike Maden, and Marc Cameron.The son of a Baltimore police detective and a nurse, Jack Ryan is a former U.S. Marine and stockbroker who becomes a civilian history professor at the United States Naval Academy. Ryan later joins the Central Intelligence Agency as an analyst and occasional field officer, eventually leaving it as Deputy Director. He later served as National Security Advisor and Vice President before suddenly becoming President of the United States following a terrorist attack on the United States Capitol. Ryan went on to serve two non-consecutive terms and mostly dealt with international crises in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Jack Ryan has been portrayed in Clancy’s film adaptations of four of his novels by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck. In 2014, a reboot of the film series, titled Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, starred Chris Pine. The Jack Ryan film series have an unadjusted worldwide gross revenue of $788.4 million to date, making it the 57th highest-grossing film series. John Krasinski is the latest actor to play Ryan, in the Amazon Prime web television series of the same name, which premiered on August 30, 2018.

James Bond

Commander James Bond RN—code number 007—is a fictional character created by the British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1952. The character appeared in a series of 12 novels and two short story collections written by Fleming and a number of continuation novels and spin-off works after Fleming's death in 1964, and he has been portrayed by 7 actors in 27 films. Fleming portrayed Bond as a tall, athletic, handsome secret agent in his 30s or 40s; he has several vices including drinking, smoking, gambling, cars, and womanizing. While Bond kills without hesitation or regret, he usually kills only when carrying out orders, while acting in self-defense, and occasionally as revenge.

Jason Bourne

Jason Charles Bourne is a fictional character and the protagonist of a series of novels by Robert Ludlum and subsequent film adaptations. He first appeared in the novel The Bourne Identity, which was adapted for television in 1988. The novel was very loosely adapted in 2002 into a feature film under the same name and starred Matt Damon in the lead role.
The character has appeared in twelve sequel novels; the most recent were written by Eric Van Lustbader, with the latest published in 2014. Along with the first feature film, The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne also appears in two sequel movies The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, both with Damon again in the lead role. Jeremy Renner stars in the fourth film of the franchise, The Bourne Legacy, released in August 2012. Damon stated in interviews that he would not do another Bourne film without Paul Greengrass, who had directed the second and third installments.

Jerry Cornelius

Jerry Cornelius is a fictional secret agent and adventurer created by science fiction and fantasy author Michael Moorcock. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous sexuality. Many of the same characters feature in each of several Cornelius books, though the individual books have little connection with one another, having a more metafictional than causal relationship. The first Jerry Cornelius book, The Final Programme, was made into a 1973 film starring Jon Finch and Jenny Runacre. Notting Hill in London features prominently in the stories.
The series draws plot elements from Moorcock's Elric series, as well as the Commedia dell'Arte. Moorcock hints in many places that Cornelius may be an aspect of the Eternal Champion.

John Craig

John Morpurgo

Johnny Fedora

Johnny Fedora is a fictional British secret agent who was the protagonist of 16 novels published between 1951 and 1984. Written by Shaun Lloyd McCarthy, under the pseudonym of Desmond Cory, Fedora was dubbed by literary critics as the 'thinking man's James Bond'. Preceding Bond, Fedora was also a hired assassin, but for many the Fedora plots were more complex and intellectual. The son of a Spanish father and Irish mother, Fedora was driven as much by a need to avenge the death of his parents as by patriotism or loyalty to British Intelligence. The debonair Fedora was always a tough and competent agent, and his first adventures were written in a more light-hearted manner than the latter ones. The final books in the series featured his nemesis, Feramontov, a deadly and highly skilled Russian agent, whose ruthlessness went as far as trying to detonate a nuclear bomb.

Lemmy Caution

Michael Jagger

Mitch Rapp

Mitch Rapp is a fictional character in a series of novels by Vince Flynn and in the planned film adaptation of American Assassin.
The character first appeared in Transfer of Power.

Modesty Blaise

Modesty Blaise is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by author Peter O'Donnell and illustrator Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin. It was adapted into films in 1966, 1982, and 2003, and from 1965 onwards eleven novels and two short story collections were written.

Nick Carter-Killmaster

Philip McAlpine

Philip Quest

Sam Durell

Sam Fisher

Samuel "Sam" Fisher is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series of video games developed by Ubisoft as well as a series of tie-in novels endorsed by Tom Clancy. His full name is first seen in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, the first game of the series, when he was using the computer in the V-22 Osprey to encrypt his home call. Fisher was originally voiced by veteran actor Michael Ironside in the first five installments of the series. Eric Johnson assumed the voice role in 2013 with the release of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

Mac Gargan

MacDonald "Mac" Gargan is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. During his career as a supervillain of Spider-Man, the character originally appeared as the most well-known incarnation of Scorpion, and later becomes the third host of the Venom symbiote. The character has been depicted in numerous Spider-Man cartoons and video games, and made his cinematic debut in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, portrayed by Michael Mando.

Sean Ryan

Sean Ryan is a fictional character from the 2009 film April Showers.

A list of famous spy characters from spy novels with pictures where possible. Spy books have been popular for ages. A spy is a master of infiltration. The ...