The Man Called X is an American syndicated television spy drama adapted from the radio series of the same name. Debuting in 1956, it was also broadcast in Australia, Mexico, and Venezuela.
As with the radio version, The Man Called X related the adventures of secret agent Ken Thurston. Barry Sullivan portrayed Thurston, who regularly used disguises and was inclined to action. Settings varied from episode to episode. Sullivan said, "One week we're in Vienna, another in Honduras. The whole wide world is our background." Stories depicted in the series were taken from "the formerly closest guarded secrets of the world's most famous international intelligence agents". Actresses who appeared on The Man Called X included Joan Vohs.
The Ziv Company produced The Man Called X on film. Ladislas Farago, a former intelligence officer, was the technical adviser. Eddie Davis was the director. Producers included Davis, Herbert L. Strock, Maurice Unger, and Frederick W. Ziv. Writers included Les Crutchfield. Production began in November 1955.
The major regional sponsor for The Man Called X was Ohio Oil, which sponsored it in 13 Midwestern markets. In many other markets the program was sponsored by breweries, with beer brands accounting for about 25 percent of overall sponsorship. Among those was Blatz Beer, with sponsorship in eight markets.
Although the series was sold in more than 100 TV markets and made a profit for Ziv, increasing costs of production led the company to end the series after 39 episodes.
The Man Called X was one of six programs that Ziv sold to Amalgamated Television Services for broadcast in Australia. Procter & Gamble sponsored broadcasts of the series in Venezuela and Mexico.