George Smiley book 3 · 1963
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Alec Leamas, a burnt-out British agent in Berlin, agrees to one last operation: to pretend to defect, in order to bring down the head of East German intelligence.
Spoiler-free summary written for The Recurring Cast.
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Book facts
- Author
- John le Carré
- Series
- George Smiley, book 3 of 6
- Published
- 1963
- Setting
- Set in London
- Characters charted
- 6
- Chart confidence
- High
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold on screen
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965, film, Cinema). Richard Burton plays Alec Leamas, a burnt-out British agent sent on one last mission into East Germany.
Who is in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
6 recurring or key characters from John le Carré’s chart. Introduces Control, Alec Leamas and Liz Gold.
Lead 1
- Alec LeamasFirst appearanceCircus field agent
Major 4
- George SmileyIntelligence officer of the Circus
- ControlFirst appearanceHead of the Circus
- Hans-Dieter MundtEast German security officer
- Liz GoldFirst appearanceYoung Communist librarian who loves Leamas
Minor and cameo 1
- Peter GuillamSmiley’s loyal lieutenant
Also featuring these characters
Other John le Carré books that share the most characters with The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
- A Legacy of Spies2017 · George Smiley · 4 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- Call for the Dead1961 · George Smiley · 3 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy1974 · Karla trilogy · 3 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- The Honourable Schoolboy1977 · Karla trilogy · 2 shared charactersBuy on Amazon