Tony Mendez, the CIA disguise expert whose daring rescue of six Americans from Iran was immortalized in Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning movie “Argo,” has died. He was 78.
Mendez passed away Saturday at an assisted living center in Frederick, Marylanᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚd, his wife and fellow CIA veteran, .
The cause was Parkinson’s disease, according to a .
Mendez was working as a draftsman when he was recruited by th🅷e CIA in 1965 to work as a technical operations officerไ.
He served as a spy in Laos, India and the Soviet Union before masterminding the undercover scheme that liberated six State Depart🌄ment workers from Tehran following the 1979 revolution that led to the infamous seizure of the US Embassy and the ensuing hostage crisis.
The elaborate operation involved creating a fictiti🐟ous Hollywood production company so the diplomats could be passed off as a film crew that had been working on a sci-fi movie in Iran.
It was dubbed the “Canadian Caper” because the Americans were hiding out inside the homes of two Canadian diplomats.
Mendez’s memoir about the mission inspired the 2012 movie “Argo,” in which he was portrayed by Affleck, who also directed.
“Argo” raked in more than $232 million at the box office and won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
“Tony Mendez was a true American hero,” .
“He was a man of extraordinary grace, decency, humility and kindness. He never sought the spotlight for his actions, he merely sought to serve his country. I’m so proud to have worked for him and to have told one of his stories. #RIPTonyMendez”
Mendez received the Intelligence Star, one of the CIA’s highest honors, following the mission, but his crucial role, and that of the CIA, remained secret until 1997, when he was named one of 50 “trailblazers” from the spy agency’s first 50 years.
In addition to his book “,” Mendez was the author of “” and “,” which he co-wrote with his wife.
Their latest book, “,” is set to be released in May.
“The last thing he and his wife Jonna did was get their new book to the publisher and he died feeling he had completed writing the stories that he wanted to be told,” his family said in a statement.
In addition to his wife, Mendez is survived by two children fܫrom his first marriage; a son f🎐rom his second marriage; several sisters; and two grandchildren. Another son died earlier.