A cathode for an electron tube including a base body having nickel as a major component and including at least one kind of reducing agents, a metal member in a layer-like shape, which has as a major component a metal provided with a reducing power equivalent to or smaller than a reducing power of the at least one kind of reducing agents included in the base body and larger than a reducing power of nickel and which is formed on faces of the base body, an electron emitting substance layer formed by depositing alkaline earth metal oxides including barium on the metal member, wherein the metal member is formed on the faces of the base body such that the base body is restrained from deforming by thermal stresses of intermetallic compounds formed at portions of the base body bounded with the metal member.