People

Famous Female Spies

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6columns
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Source:Community curated
Updated:4/9/2026
16/16
Name
Nationality
Era
Agency / Side
Famous For
Fate
Mata Hari
DutchWWIAccused of spying for GermanyExotic dancer and courtesan tried as a double agent in ParisExecuted by firing squad in France, 1917
Virginia Hall
AmericanWWIISOE (UK) and OSS (US)Organized French Resistance networks with a wooden leg she named CuthbertSurvived; awarded Distinguished Service Cross; died 1982
Nancy Wake
New Zealander / AustralianWWIISOE (UK) / French ResistanceThe Gestapo called her The White Mouse; led 7,000 maquisards against the GermansSurvived; highly decorated; died 2011
Noor Inayat Khan
Indian / BritishWWIISOE (UK)First female wireless operator sent into occupied FranceCaptured, tortured and executed at Dachau, 1944; George Cross posthumously
Belle Boyd
Confederate AmericanUS Civil WarConfederate StatesPassed Union troop movements to Stonewall Jackson at age 17Arrested several times; later became an actress; died 1900
Harriet Tubman
AmericanUS Civil WarUnion ArmyLed the Combahee Ferry Raid, freeing 700+ enslaved people as a Union scoutDied of pneumonia, 1913; honored on proposed US currency
Violette Szabo
British / FrenchWWIISOE (UK)Sabotage missions in occupied France as a 23-year-old widowCaptured and executed at Ravensbruck, 1945; George Cross posthumously
Krystyna Skarbek (Christine Granville)
Polish / BritishWWIISOE (UK)Longest-serving female SOE agent; talked her way out of Gestapo custodyMurdered by a stalker in London, 1952
Melita Norwood
BritishCold WarKGB / Soviet UnionLongest-serving British spy for the USSR; passed atomic secrets for 40 yearsExposed 1999; never prosecuted; died 2005
Ethel Rosenberg
AmericanCold WarKGB (alleged)Convicted with husband Julius of passing US nuclear secrets to the SovietsExecuted at Sing Sing, 1953
Stephanie Rader
AmericanWWII / early Cold WarOSSOperated undercover in post-war Poland collecting intelligence on SovietsSurvived; Legion of Merit in 2016 at age 100
Odette Sansom
French / BritishWWIISOE (UK)First woman awarded the George Cross while still livingSurvived Ravensbruck; died 1995
Sarah Aaronsohn
Jewish PalestinianWWINILI network (pro-British)Led NILI spy ring against the Ottoman Empire in PalestineCaptured and tortured; took her own life 1917 at age 27
Anna Chapman
Russian2000sSVR (Russia)Member of the 2010 Russian illegals ring exposed in the United StatesDeported to Russia in spy swap 2010; became a media personality
Jeannie Rousseau (Vicomtesse de Clarens)
FrenchWWIIFrench ResistanceObtained intelligence on V-1 and V-2 rockets from German officersSurvived Ravensbruck; CIA Seal Medallion; died 2017
Julia Child
AmericanWWIIOSSBefore becoming a TV chef, helped develop shark repellent for US Navy diversBecame iconic television chef; died 2004

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This dataset contains 16 entries, each with multiple sortable, filterable columns. The full table is visible on this page and can be downloaded as a CSV, JSON, or Excel file.

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