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 Carré's books) and defects to East Germany. Lemas is actually being manipulated by George Smiley, as part of an elaborate plot to discredit an effective East German spymaster and help a British agent gain power in the East German Secret Service.

The novel received good reviews and was a best seller. It was adapted by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper into a 1965 film, starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck , Sam Wanamaker, Rupert Davies and Cyril Cusack and directed by Martin Ritt.

The movie was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Richard Burton) and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White.