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Richard Burton as Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, 1965Paramount Pictures
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Anthony Hopkins as John Avery in The Looking Glass War, 1969Archive Photos/Getty Images
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Alec Guinness as George Smiley/"Beggarman" in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 1979Courtesy Everett Collection
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Diane Keaton as Charlie in The Little Drummer Girl, 1984Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Sean Connery as Bartholomew "Barley" Scott Blair in The Russia House, 1990Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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Pierce Brosnan as Andrew "Andy" Osnard in The Tailor of Panama, 2001Columbia Pictures
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Ralph Fiennes as Justin Quayle in The Constant Gardener, 2005Focus Features
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Gary Oldman as George Smiley/"Beggarman" in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 2011Focus Features
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Philip Seymour Hoffman as Günther Bachmann in A Most Wanted Man, 2014Lionsgate
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Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine and Hugh Laurie as Richard Roper in The Night Manager, 2016Mitch Jenkins—AMC
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Ewan McGregor as Peregrine "Perry" Makepeace in Our Kind of Traitor, 2016Lionsgate
Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers) and Hugh Laurie (House) are joining some of the most prestigious actors in Hollywood by starring in an adaptation of John Le Carré’s The Night Manager. Filled with political commentary and plenty of intrigue, Le Carré’s spy novels have been fodder for films and television series since the Cold War. His most famous series, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was turned into a TV shows, radio show and film.
And his projects have courted some of the world’s best actors and even two veterans of another famous spy series, James Bond. Here are some of the most memorable actors who brought Le Carré’s words to the screen.
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