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, Maryland, his wife and fellow CIA veteran, Jonna Mendez, told the Washington Post.
The cause was Parkinson’s disease, according to a tweet from his literary agent, Christy Fletcher.
Mendez was working as a draftsman when he was recruited by the CIA in 1965 to work as a technical operations officer.
He served as a spy in Laos, India and the Soviet Union before masterminding the undercover scheme that liberated six State Department 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 fictitious 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’ 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,” Affleck wrote on Twitter.
“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, “Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History,” Mendez was the author of “The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA” and “Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations That Helped Win the Cold War,” which he co-wrote with his wife.
Their latest book, “The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War,” 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 stores that he wanted to be told,” his family said in a statement.
In addition to his wife, Mendez is survived by two children from his first marriage; a son from his second marriage; several sisters; and two grandchildren. Another son died earlier.
Former United States Central Intelligence Agency agent  died Saturday, aged 78, at a , Maryland assisted living facility.  Mendez is known for organizing the safe return in 1980 of several U.S. nationals who had  during the .
Tony Mendez, left, with then-President Jimmy Carter in 1980. 
Former CIA deputy director  praised Mendez on Twitter: "Tony was one of the best officers to ever serve at CIA. His work was unique, and it help to protect our nation in significant ways. He will be missed. May he Rest In Peace."

Mendez once told ''The Washington Post'' he considered himself "an artist first."  He worked as a draftsman before applying for a graphic artist job in 1965 that turned out to be at the CIA.  Mendez spent most of his 25-year career at posts outside the U.S., many in Asia.  He specialized in removing people from areas that had become dangerous for them, a process called "exfiltration." He studied  makeup and special effects for use in his work, later titling his memoir ''The Master of Disguise''.

Mendez's wife Jonna Mendez, also CIA, said, "He could be Pakistani, he could be Mexican, he could be from a lot of different countries... It was incredible to work with my husband."

In 1979,  and captured the U.S. embassy, taking dozens of people there hostage. They would be held for 444 days.  Six other U.S. diplomats fled to the Canadian embassy and hid until Mendez and another agent successfully smuggled them out of the country disguised as a Canadian film crew working on a supposed movie called ''Argo''.  The events were nicknamed "the Canadian Caper" and later made into an -winning film of the same name — '''' — in 2012, with  directing and playing Mendez.

For his work, Mendez was awarded the  by then-U.S.-president Jimmy Carter, though the CIA's involvement in the Argo rescue remained a secret until 1997.

Affleck tweeted, "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."

According to his publicist, Mendez died of .  He is survived by his wife, Jonna, three children from two marriages, two grandchildren, and his sisters.  Another son has predeceased him. He has authored three books, one with his wife.  A fourth, also co-written with Jonna Mendez, is due out in May.



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