Tony MendezFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaTony Mendez

Tony Mendez (left) withJimmy Carter(right) afterCanadian Caper.

Birth nameAntonio Joseph Mendez

BornNovember 15, 1940(age74)Eureka, Nevada[1]

AllegianceUnited States of America

Service/branchCentral Intelligence Agency

Yearsof service1963-1990

RankSIS-2

UnitGraphics and Authentication Division

Battles/warsIran hostage crisis,Cold War

AwardsIntelligence Star(1980)CIA Trailblazer Award (1997)Order of the Sphinx (2000)

Antonio Joseph "Tony" Mendez(born 1940) is anAmericanCIAtechnical operations officer, now retired, who specialized in support ofclandestineandcovertCIA operations. He has written three memoirs about his CIA experiences.Mendez was decorated, and is now widely known, for his on-the-scene management of the "Canadian Caper" during theIran hostage crisis, in which heexfiltratedsix American diplomats fromIranin January 1980. They posed as a Canadian film crew, and as part of their cover, the diplomats carried passports issued by theCanadian governmentto document them as Canadian citizens.After declassification of records, the full details of the operation were reported in a 2007 article byJoshuah BearmaninWiredmagazine.[2]This was loosely adapted for the screenplay and development of the 2012Academy Award-winning filmArgo, directed byBen Affleck, who also starred as Mendez. Mendez also attended the70th Golden Globe Awardsto give a speech about the film, where it was nominated (and later won) forBest Motion Picture Drama.[3]Contents[hide] 1Early life and education 2Career 3Marriage and family 4Later years 5References 6External linksEarly life and education[edit]Mendez is ofMexicandescent, and hasItalian,FrenchandIrishancestry from his mother's side.[4][5][6][7][8]He was born inEureka, Nevada, in 1940, where he attended local schools. Mendez was interviewed inOpen Your Eyesmagazine, and he explained that he never learned to speak Spanish, since his father died when he was quite young.[9]"I think of myself as a person who grew up in the desert" he claimed, and saw no problem withBen Affleckportraying him on screen.[4][5]He moved with his family toColoradoas a teen. After graduating from high school, he went on to study at theUniversity of Colorado.[10]Career[edit]Mendez continued to work as an artist after college. He supported himself by working as an illustrator and tool designer forMartin Marietta.[10]In 1965 Mendez answered a blind advertisement for a graphic artist. He was hired by theCentral Intelligence Agencyin 1965, becoming anespionageartist for theTechnical Services Division.[8][10]Mendez worked as a CIA officer inSouth Asia,Southeast Asiaand theMiddle East. His work in the agency frequently dealt with forging documents, creating disguises, and handling other graphical work related to espionage. He served in the CIA for 25years. He was awarded theIntelligence Staron 12March 1980.[8][10]Marriage and family[edit]Mendez and his first wife, Karen, had three children, including a son Ian who died in 2010, and sculptorAntonio Tobias Mendez. Karen Mendez died of cancer in 1986.[11]In the mid-1980s, Mendez worked with Jonna Goeser, also aCIAofficer, on rebuilding the US security organization in theSoviet Unionand laterRussia. They married following Mendez's retirement in 1990, and had a son together.[11]Later years[edit]Since retiring from the CIA in 1990, Mendez and his wife Jonna, herself a 27-year veteran of the CIA,[10]have served on the Board of Directors for theInternational Spy Museum. He works full-time as an artist.Mendez has written three non-fiction books: Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA(1999), memoir of his CIA experiences[12] Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold War(2003), with Jonna Mendez andBruce B. Henderson. Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History(2012), with Matt Baglio, a more lengthy account of the Canadian Caper.His first work was lauded in 2002 as one of three "landmark memoirs"[12]by John Hollister Hedley, former Chairman of the CIA's Publications Review Board.[13]Some photos of his works as a CIA chief of disguises were featured in the January 2005 issue ofFHMmagazine. Mendez was interviewed byErrol Morrisin theFirst PersonTV series in the season one episode "The Little Gray Man."He is played byBen Affleckin the filmArgo.References[edit]1. Jump up^"Antonio J. Mendez". The Best Reviews. 2002-09-17. Retrieved2012-10-06.2. Jump up^Bearman, Joshuah (24 April 2007)."How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans From Tehran". Retrieved26 February2013.3. Jump up^Rosenwald, Michael S. (January 14, 2013)."Golden Globes: A big night for the real Tony Mendez".Washington Post. RetrievedFebruary 25,2013.4. ^Jump up to:abRico, Jack."Exclusive! Argo's real Tony Mendez: "I'm not Hispanic"".ShowBizCafe.com. Retrieved15 March2013.5. ^Jump up to:abRico, Jack."Argos real Tony Mendez: Im not Hispanic".ShowBizCafe.com. NBC Latino. Retrieved15 March2013.6. Jump up^Esparza, Moctesuma."Ben Afflecks Argo and the whitewashing of the Mexican-American". Al Da (Philadelphia). Retrieved15 March2013.7. Jump up^Esparza, Moctezuma."Ben Afflecks Argo and Whitewashing Mexican-Americans".Al Da (Philadelphia). News Taco. Retrieved26 February2013.8. ^Jump up to:abcCarswell, Simon."The agent behind the 'Argo' mask".The Irish Times. Retrieved15 March2013.9. Jump up^Melendez, Victor."Tony Mendez: The Real Life James Bond".Open Your Eyes (magazine). Retrieved15 March2013.10. ^Jump up to:abcde"Antonio Mendez: Author of the Master of Disguise and Spy Dust". Themasterofdisguise.com. Retrieved2012-10-06.11. ^Jump up to:abGardner, Karen (December 11, 2011)."Undercover no more".Frederick News-Post. Retrieved5 December2012.12. ^Jump up to:ab"Three Memoirs from Former CIA Officers". CIA. Retrieved2012-10-06.13. Jump up^"John Hollister Hedley". Missouri Southern State University. Retrieved2012-10-06.External links[edit]Wikisourcehas original works written by or about:Antonio Joseph Mendez

"Review ofMaster of Disguise",Studies in Intelligencev. 46 #1 (2002) A Classic Case of DeceptionMenedez on the background of theCanadian Caper,Studies in IntelligenceWinter 1999-2000 "Tony Mendez, clandestine CIA hero of Ben Afflecks Argo, reveals the real story behind film smash". The Washington Times. October 10, 2012.