Best Fictional Lady Spies of All Time

The silver-screen espionage game isn’t just for men. Since the 60s, we’ve seen badass lady spies in movies and TV shows, brought to life by actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, and many more.

Whether they’re helping James Bond, saving the world, or just trying to kill their husband, we’re always entertained.

Read on for the very best fictional female spies of all time. And see how you can stream the films that made them famous.

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1. Sydney Bristow

Alias’ Sydney Bristow is hard not to like. She’s tough, emotionally strong, and wears plenty of great wigs.

Bristow’s magnetism is mostly due to a consistently high-quality performance from Jennifer Garner, whose career became what it is today after her role as Bristow in Alias.

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2. Wonder Woman

She might be a full-time Amazon warrior, but Wonder Woman is a pretty great part-time spy. In Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman we got a welcome taste of Diana’s no-nonsense espionage skills, and we’re hoping we’ll get some more in movies to come.

Photo by Clay Enos/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

3. Susan Cooper

Susan Cooper (hilariously played by Melissa McCarthy) might not be the best spy on paper, but she’s certainly the most lovable.

After spending years as a CIA desk jockey, Cooper finally gets her chance to earn her stripes as a field agent in Spy. The comedy was both a fan – and critical – favorite.

Photo by Larry D Horricks/20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

4. Carrie Mathison

Homeland’s Carrie Mathison has tackled a slew of challenging tasks ranging from catching suspected terrorists, to security detail in Berlin, to providing aid for Muslims in the US.

Although she works for the CIA for most of the show, she always follows her instincts.

The only problem? Mathison suffers from bipolar disorder, which is made painfully real by Claire Danes’ Emmy-winning performance.

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5. Bridget Von Hammersmark

Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) is a world famous actress turned british informant in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. She contributes her acting skills and movie-star charm in the Basterds’ effort to bring down the Third Reich, but *spoiler alert* things don’t go as planned.

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6. Pussy Galore

The James Bond movies have featured many female spies over the years, but Pussy Galore was the original. She’s played by Honor Blackman alongside Sean Connery’s Bond in the 1964 film

We first meet Pussy when Bond wakes up in Goldfinger’s jet after being tranquilized, leading to some iconic James Bond dialogue:

James Bond: Who are you?
Pussy Galore: My name is Pussy Galore.
James Bond: I must be dreaming.

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7. Giacinta ‘Jinx’ Johnson

Another iconic female spy in the Bond franchise is Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson, played by Halle Berry in

She was such a hit with audiences that MGM even considered a Jinx spin-off, but sadly it never happened.

Photo by Keith Hamshere/MGM/EON/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

8. Evelyn Salt

Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) gets put through the wringer as she evades the FBI in

Nevertheless Salt remains poised and extremely deadly throughout the action-packed film.

Fun fact: the role of Salt was originally written for Tom Cruise, but we can all agree that switching to Angelina Jolie was a smart choice by the filmmakers.

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9. Jane Smith

Before Angelina Jolie played Evelyn Salt, she was Jane Smith in the 2005 film

As you might already know, this was the film that introduced Jolie and Pitt, sparked their romance, and lead to a two year marriage that ended in a devastating split…for us.

Photo by Stephen Vaughan/20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

10. Foxxy Cleopatra

Sure, Elizabeth Hurley was fantastic as Vanessa Kensington in the first Austin Powers, but she’s just not Beyonce’s Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Austin gets help from the stylish, streetwise secret agent when he travels back in time to 1975 on a mission to catch the eccentric swedish terrorist Goldmember.

Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/New Line/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

11. Lana Kane

Lana Kane is the top agent at ISIS (International Secret Intelligence Service) in FX’s hit comedy Archer. Her effective no-nonsense approach to espionage always clashes with Archer, the show’s main character (and occasional romantic partner to Lana), which makes for consistently hilarious interactions.

Image courtesy of FX

12. Lorraine Broughton

Broughton’s captivating energy on screen is all thanks to Charlize Theron, who did most of her own stunts in the movie and got quite beat-up in the process.

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