Gary Oldman’s character George Smiley uses the codename “Beggarman” in the 2011 film Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
The codename comes from a list used by British intelligence officers to identify senior members of the Circus, the film’s fictional British intelligence agency. The other names—Tinker, Tailor, Soldier and Poorman—refer to Percy Alleline, Bill Haydon, Roy Bland and Toby Esterhase. Smiley is the Beggarman.
The story is adapted from John le Carré’s 1974 espionage novel and was directed by Tomas Alfredson. It follows Smiley’s attempt to uncover a Soviet mole hidden within the upper ranks of the Circus during the Cold War. Oldman’s restrained performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
A common mix-up is treating “Beggarman” as Smiley’s ordinary nickname or personal alias. It is specifically a code label in the intelligence investigation, and the spelling is often written as one word in references to the film.