Jim Prideaux

This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "Jim Prideaux" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Jim Prideaux is a fictional character created by John le Carré. He appears in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, with the book's events alternating between his point of view and that of George Smiley, and a minor character in A Legacy of Spies. He is the head of the "scalphunters", a division of MI6 (called "The Circus" in le Carre's books) dedicated to especially dangerous counterintelligence missions often involving violence or assassinations. The betrayal of Prideaux and his subsequent capture, following a botched mission in Czechoslovakia, is the jumping off point for the events of the book. The character has been featured in both cinematic adaptations of the book, with each presenting a markedly different portrayal of the character.