Book cover showing Sir Alec Guiness as George Smiley.

George Smiley is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Image File history File links Book_cover_Alec_Guinness_as_George_Smiley. ... Image File history File links Book_cover_Alec_Guinness_as_George_Smiley. ... Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (April 2, 1914 – August 5, 2000) was an Academy Award and Tony Award-winning English actor who became one of the most versatile and best-loved performers of his generation. ... Alice, a fictional character based on a real character from the work of Lewis Carroll. ... John le Carré is the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (born October 19, 1931 in Poole, Dorset, England), an English writer of espionage novels. ...

Smiley is an intelligence officer working for MI6 (often referred to as "the Circus" in the novels and films), the British overseas intelligence agency. He is the 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 minor character in a number of others. An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organisation to collect, compile and analyse information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organisation. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ... An intelligence agency is a governmental organization devoted to gathering of information by means of espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public sources. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Call for the Dead is John le Carrés first novel. ... A Murder of Quality is the second novel by John le Carré. It follows George Smiley, the most famous of le Carrés recurring characters. ... Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a spy novel by John le Carré, first published in 1974. ... The Honourable Schoolboy, published in 1977, is the second novel of the Karla Trilogy, written by spy author John Le Carré. Although George Smiley has a major role, the eponymous protagonist is the Honourable Jerry Westerby, Esq. ... Smileys People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979, by Random House (ISBN 0394508432). ...

His address is 9 Bywater Street in Chelsea, London, and he is roughly fifty-six years old. Statue of Thomas More on Cheyne Walk. ...

Early Life

Although Smiley has no concrete biography beyond that offered briefly at the beginning of Call for the Dead, Le Carré does leave clues in his novels.

Smiley was probably born around 1906 to middle-middle class parents in the South of England, and attended a minor public school and an antiquated Oxford college of no real distinction (in the adaptation of Smiley's People, he refers to himself as a fellow of Lincoln College), studying modern languages with a particular focus on Baroque German literature. In July 1928, while considering post-graduate study in that field, he was recruited into the Secret Intelligence Service by his tutor Jebedee. 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A public school, in current English, Welsh and Northern Ireland usage, is a (usually) prestigious independent school, for children usually between the ages of 11 or 13 and 18, which charges fees and is not financed by the state. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... College name Lincoln College Named after Richard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln Established 1427 Sister college Downing College, Cambridge Rector Prof. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6, is the United Kingdoms external intelligence agency. ...

He underwent training and probation in Central Europe and South America, and spent the period from 1935 until approximately 1938 in Germany recruiting networks under cover as a lecturer. In 1939, with the commencement of World War II, he saw service not only in Germany, but also in Switzerland and Sweden. Smiley's wartime superiors described him as having 'the cunning of satan and the conscience of a virgin.' ^[1] South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lecturer is a term of academic rank. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In 1943, he was recalled to England to work at MI6 headquarters, and in 1945 successfully proposed marriage to Lady Ann Sercombe, a beautiful, aristocratic, and libidinous young lady working as a secretary there. Ann would prove a most unfaithful and rather condescending wife. In the same year, Smiley left the Service and returned to Oxford. However, in 1947, with the onset of the Cold War, Smiley was asked to return to the Service, and in early 1951 moved into counter-intelligence work, where he would remain for the next decade. During that period, Smiley first met his Soviet nemesis, Karla, in a Delhi prison. Karla proved impossible to crack and managed to filch Smiley's lighter, a gift from his wife. Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Soviet redirects here. ...

In the Novels

Smiley first appeared in Call for the Dead, Le Carré's debut novel. At the start of the novel, set in the very early 1960s, Smiley has fallen from grace and is working in a relatively menial intelligence job, security-clearing civil servants. At the conclusion of this book, he retired from the "Circus". He was pursuing a sedate life of scholastic research in German literature at a university in the West Country (probably Exeter) when he investigated a murder at a famous public school (Carne, based closely on Sherborne school) in Le Carré's next novel, A Murder of Quality. Call for the Dead is John le Carrés first novel. ... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in the southwest of England, also known as the West Country. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold propelled Le Carré to international renown. In this, his third novel, Smiley is back in the "Circus" and may already have become one of top aides of "Control", the mysterious head of the organisation . His role was a very minor one however. The events in this book probably took place in 1962, although during this period Smiley's timeline became a little tangled. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is an espionage novel by John le Carré, which tells the story of Alec Lemas, a British spy, who resigns from the Circus (as the British Secret Service is known in John le Carrés books) and defects to East Germany. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Smiley appeared again in The Looking-Glass War, but only in a peripheral role, occupying the "North European desk". He subsequently rose up the ranks of MI6 in the late 1960s and early 1970s until he was the right-hand man of "Control", only to be eased out in November or December 1972 after the Prideaux fiasco in Czechoslovakia and "Control"'s death. The Circus was then run by Percy Alleline with Bill Haydon running 'London Station'. The Looking Glass War is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1965. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Percy Alleline is a fictional character in British novelist John Le Carrés work. ... Bill Haydon is a fictional character created by John Le Carré. He was played in the television version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by Ian Richardson. ...

When Le Carré wrote Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, he drastically revised the timeline of Smiley's early life. According to this new account, Smiley was recruited into MI6 in 1937, not 1928. This was probably done so that Smiley's advancing age would not become an issue in the subsequent novels Le Carré was planning for his protagonist. His colleague Peter Guillam also had his personal history revised, from being a near-contemporary of Smiley's who had trained with the Circus during World War II in the early novels to being his younger protégé and trusted deputy. (Ironically in the television adaptations of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Guillam, played by Michael Jayston, is portrayed as a relatively young character; but in Smiley's People Michael Byrne has him nearer to being a contemporary of Smiley). Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a spy novel by John le Carré, first published in 1974. ... Peter Guillam is a fictional character in John le Carrés series of espionage novels. ... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a spy novel by John le Carré, first published in 1974. ... Michael Jayston (born 29th October, 1935 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire) is a British actor. ... Smileys People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979, by Random House (ISBN 0394508432). ... Michael Byrne (born 7 November 1943 in London, England) is an actor noted for his roles on film and television. ...

In September or October 1973, the events of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy take place, with Smiley successfully managing to expose the long-term Soviet agent, or, as the books have it, "mole", codenamed "Gerald". The investigation revealed that Gerald, who was actually a senior member of the anti-Control faction which took over the Service the previous year, passed an enormous quantity of high-grade intelligence to the USSR. The anti-Control faction was discredited and Smiley became interim Chief of the Service in late November 1974 to clean up the resultant mess, rebuilding the organisation's headquarters by use of trusted old-timers like Guillam, Doc de Salis and Connie Sachs. Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a spy novel by John le Carré, first published in 1974. ... A blonde haired, very skilled worker with a 70s look. ... Peter Guillam is a fictional character in John le Carrés series of espionage novels. ...

In 1975 or 1976, after the conclusion of "Operation Dolphin", which was described lengthily in The Honourable Schoolboy, Smiley retired again from the Service. In Smiley's People he was brought back in late 1977 to investigate the death of an elderly Estonian general, nationalist activist and erstwhile MI6 agent. A convoluted trail led Smiley to discover a human weakness in his nemesis Karla, whom he persuaded to defect to the West in Berlin in December 1977. This triumph is the highlight of his career. Parenthetically, the fictional Karla is based on the real-life long-time head of KGB counterintelligence, Rem Krassilnikov. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Honourable Schoolboy, published in 1977, is the second novel of the Karla Trilogy, written by spy author John Le Carré. Although George Smiley has a major role, the eponymous protagonist is the Honourable Jerry Westerby, Esq. ... Smileys People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979, by Random House (ISBN 0394508432). ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Major General Rem Krassilnikov, (1927 - 2003) was a counter-intelligence officer of the Soviet Unions State Security Committee (KGB). ...

Smiley popped up in various Le Carré novels as a bit player throughout the 1980s, lastly in 1989 when he appeared in The Secret Pilgrim chairing the "Fishing Rights Committee," a body set up to explore possible areas of cooperation between British and Soviet intelligence services. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... The Secret Pilgrim is the 1990 novel, told as a series of memoirs about the career of John le Carrés George Smiley, famous only within the Circus. The memoirs, narrated by Ned, a former pupil of Smileys, are retrospective accounts of Smileys greatest untold cases. ...

Analysis

Le Carré introduced Smiley at about the same time as Len Deighton's unnamed anti-hero (Harry Palmer in the movie versions). This was a time when the critics and the public were welcoming more realistic versions of espionage fiction, in contrast to the glamorous world of Ian Fleming's James Bond. Len Deighton (left) teaches Michael Caine how to break an egg on the set of The IPCRESS File. ... Harry Palmer is a fictional secret agent who is the central character in a number of films based on the three of the first four spy novels by Len Deighton. ... Spy and Secret agent redirect here. ... Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was a British author, journalist and Second World War Naval Officer. ... Flemings image of James Bond; commissioned to aid the Daily Express comic strip artists. ...

Smiley is sometimes considered the anti-Bond in the sense that Bond is an unrealistic figure who relies on gadgets and is more a portrayal of a male fantasy than a realistic government agent. George Smiley, on the other hand, is quiet, mild-mannered and middle-aged. He lives by his wits and, unlike Bond, is a master of bureaucratic manoeuvring rather than gunplay. Also unlike Bond he is not a bed-hopper; in fact it is Smiley's wife Ann who is notorious for her affairs.

When Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was published, the reviewer of the Spectator described Smiley as a "brilliant spy and totally inadequate man". The Spectator is a British conservative political magazine, established 1828, published weekly. ...

Smiley is depicted as an exceptionally skilled spymaster gifted with a prodigious memory, a student of espionage with a profound insight into the weaknesses and fallibilities of humans. Though he has a strong moral conscience, he also understands the grisly and unethical aspects of his profession.

Despite his series of retirements, Smiley maintains an extensive range of aides and support-staff, both inside and outside the Service, extending even to "retired" police officers and former Service members. His fidelity to them and his strong character appears to promote genuine respect and loyalty to him.

Le Carré describes him as a somewhat short and fat man, who always wears expensive but badly fitting clothes (he "dressed like a bookie"). He also has a peculiar habit of cleaning his glasses on his necktie.

It is reported that Le Carré based the character George Smiley on his one-time Lincoln College, Oxford professor, the former Rev. Vivian Green - a renowned historian and author with an encyclopaedic knowledge. College name Lincoln College Named after Richard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln Established 1427 Sister college Downing College, Cambridge Rector Prof. ... Richard Harrison Vivian Hubert Howard Green (18 November 1915–18 January 2005) was a Fellow and Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford, a priest, author, teacher, and historian. ...

In other media

Rupert Davies, of Maigret fame, played Smiley as a minor although important character in the film version of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, made in 1965, and which starred Richard Burton. This article is about the British actor. ... Maigret featured on a postage stamp Jules Maigret, known as (Commissaire) Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a fictional police detective, created by writer Georges Simenon. ... The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by John Le Carre. ... Richard Burton CBE (November 10, 1925 – August 5, 1984) was a Welsh actor. ...

To all intents and purposes James Mason appeared as Smiley in The Deadly Affair, a film version of Call for the Dead, made in 1966 and directed by Sidney Lumet. For some reason the character was renamed Charles Dobbs. James Neville Mason (May 15, 1909 – July 27, 1984) was a three-time Academy Award nominated English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. ... The Deadly Affair is a 1966 film, based on the story Call for the Dead, by John le Carre. ... Call for the Dead is John le Carrés first novel. ... Portrait of Sidney Lumet, May 7, 1939. ...

Smiley's most famous portrayal, however, must be that made by Sir Alec Guinness in two highly successful TV series: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, made in 1979, and Smiley's People, made in 1982. The Swan Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (April 2, 1914 - August 5, 2000) was a British actor who became one of the most versatile and best loved performers of his generation. ... Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a spy novel by John le Carré, first published in 1974. ... Smileys People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979, by Random House (ISBN 0394508432). ...

Denholm Elliott took the part in a less successful 1991 version of A Murder of Quality. Elliott in The Signal-Man Denholm Mitchell Elliott (May 31, 1922 – October 6, 1992) was a distinguished British actor, well known for his appearances on stage, film and television. ... A Murder of Quality is the second novel by John le Carré. It follows George Smiley, the most famous of le Carrés recurring characters. ...

Bernard Hepton, who played the part of Toby Esterhase in the BBC television series, played Smiley in the BBC Radio series of both Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People, with Charles Kay taking the part of Esterhase. Bernard Hepton (born October 19, 1925 in Bradford, England) is a British actor. ... Toby Esterhase is a character in John Le Carres George Smiley novels. ... Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a spy novel by John le Carré, first published in 1974. ... Smileys People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979, by Random House (ISBN 0394508432). ... Charles Kay, born Charles Piff (31 August 1930 - ) in Coventry, West Midlands, is an English actor. ...

Parody

In the popular TV comedy series The Two Ronnies, Ronnie Barker played Smiley along the lines of Alec Guinness' portrayal in a sketch called Tinker Tailor Smiley Doyle. This was a joint send-up of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Professionals TV show, with Ronnie Corbett playing a bungling version of Martin Shaw's Doyle. Barker's Smiley provides the brains to the brawn of Corbett's Doyle and actually comes out the better. He is shown as something of an obsessive tea drinker. The sketch guest-starred Nicholas Smith from Are You Being Served?. The name of Smiley's enemy Karla can be seen on a secretary's computer screen. The Two Ronnies was a British sketch show that aired on BBC One from 1971 to 1987. ... Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker OBE (September 25, 1929 – October 3, 2005), popularly known as Ronnie Barker and (as a writer) Gerald Wiley , was an English comic actor and writer. ... From Left : Martin Shaw as Ray Doyle, Gordon Jackson as George Cowley, and Lewis Collins as William Bodie. ... Ronnie Corbett in Extras Ronald Balfour Corbett, OBE (born 4 December 1930 in Edinburgh, commonly credited as Ronnie Corbett) is a British comedian and actor, best known as one of The Two Ronnies. ... Martin Shaw (born January 21, 1945 in Birmingham, England) is an English actor. ... From Left : Martin Shaw as Ray Doyle, Gordon Jackson as George Cowley, and Lewis Collins as William Bodie. ... Nicholas Smith being interviewed in 2003. ... Are You Being Served? was a long-running British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. ...

References