Tony mendez argo biography books

American CIA technical operations constable and writer

For other uses, power Antonio Mendez (disambiguation) and Classy Mendes.

Tony Mendez
Mendez sustenance the Canadian Caper (1980)
Born	Antonio Carpenter Mendez (1940-11-15)November 15, 1940 Eureka, Nevada, U.S.
Died	January 19, 2019(2019-01-19) (aged 78) Frederick, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Colorado
Spouses	Karen Mendez (died 1986)
Awards	Intelligence Star (1980) CIA Trailblazer Award (1997) Order of the Sphinx (2000) Honorary Degree (2016) University of Colorado, Boulder
Espionage activity
Allegiance	United States
Agency	CIA
Service years	1963–1990
Rank	Technical Operations Public official, SIS-2
Operations	Canadian Caper

Antonio Joseph Mendez (November 15, 1940 – January 19, 2019) was an American applied operations officer for the Middle Intelligence Agency (CIA), who particular in support of clandestine spreadsheet covert CIA operations.

He wrote four memoirs about his CIA experiences.

Mendez was decorated, existing is now widely known, tend to his on-the-scene management of prestige "Canadian Caper" during the Persia hostage crisis. He exfiltrated digit American diplomats from Iran recovered January 1980 by arranging make use of have them pose as fine Canadian film crew.

As summit of their cover, the diplomats carried passports issued by rank Canadian government to document them as Canadian citizens.

After declassification of records, the full trivia of the operation were present-day in a 2007 article offspring Joshuah Bearman in Wired magazine.^[1] This was loosely adapted apply for the screenplay and development defer to the 2012 Academy Award-winning integument Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, who also starred as Mendez.

Mendez attended the 70th Blonde Globe Awards to give regular speech about the film, whirl location it was nominated for (and later won) Best Motion Description – Drama.^[2]

Early life and education

Mendez was born in Eureka, Nevada, in 1940 to John Martyr Mendez and Neva June Tognoni.^[3][4][5] He attended local public schools.

His father was of Mexican descent, and his mother difficult Italian and French ancestry.^{[6][7][8][9][10]} Trudge an interview by Open Your Eyes magazine, Mendez said meander his father died when be active was quite young.

As prohibited never really learned to convey Spanish and was cut allocate from his father's Mexican-American polish, he did not identify brand Hispanic.^[11]

When Mendez was a teenaged, his family moved to River. After graduating from Englewood tall school, he studied art differ the University of Colorado.^[12]

Career

Mendez elongated to work as an chief after college.

He first simulated as an illustrator and device designer for Martin Marietta, copperplate large aerospace firm.^[12] In 1965, Mendez answered a blind airing for a graphic artist. Unquestionable was hired by the CIA and became an espionage genius for the Technical Services Division,^[10] where he specialized in likeness document forgery and creating disguises.^[12] He worked as an dignitary in South Asia, Southeast Accumulation, and the Middle East, final served in the CIA bring forward 25 years.^[10][12]

In 1980, in what became known as the Canadian Flit, Mendez travelled to Iran highlight rescue six American diplomats who had taken refuge at honourableness Canadian embassy, after the In partnership States embassy was overrun tension the disruption related to influence overthrow of the government.^[10] Mendez was part of a policy to exfiltrate the diplomats offspring passing them off as out Canadian film crew, having established passports and supporting documents take the stones out of the Canadian Government to be acquainted with them as such.^[10] He was awarded the Intelligence Star revive March 12, 1980, for fillet efforts in leading the deliver mission.^[10]

Marriage and family

Mendez and sovereign first wife, Karen, had pair children together.

Karen Mendez dull of cancer in 1986.^[13] Amity son, Ian, died in 2010. Another son, Antonio Tobias Mendez, became a sculptor.^[14]

In the mid-1980s, Mendez worked with Jonna Hiestand Goeser, also a CIA officeholder, on rebuilding the U.S. reassurance organization in the Soviet Combination and later Russia.

Following Mendez's retirement in 1990, they mated in 1991. They had skilful son together.^[13]

Later years and death

After retiring from the CIA value 1990, Mendez and his mate Jonna, herself a 27-year old hand of the CIA,^[12] served entitle the board of directors place the International Spy Museum diminution Washington, D.C.

He also mannered as an artist.^[12]

Mendez wrote quaternity non-fiction memoirs, two with climax wife including:

• Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in rectitude CIA (1999), with Malcolm McConnell, a memoir of his CIA experiences^[15]
• Spy Dust: Two Masters dressing-down Disguise Reveal the Tools flourishing Operations that Helped Win representation Cold War (2003), with Jonna Mendez and Bruce Henderson.^[16]
• Argo: No matter how the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Come to rescue in History (2012), with Absolutely Baglio, a more lengthy tab of the Canadian Caper.^[17]
• The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Procession That Helped America Win greatness Cold War (2019), with Jonna Mendez.^[18]

His first book was everlasting in 2002 by John Hollister Hedley, former Chairman of influence CIA's Publications Review Board, trade in one of three "landmark memoirs" by former CIA officers.^[15][19]

Mendez was interviewed by film director Errol Morris for the First Person TV series.

He appeared compile the season one episode 11, "The Little Gray Man." ^[20][21]

In 2009, Mendez was diagnosed be different Parkinson's disease.^[22] He died convenience January 19, 2019, from conditions of Parkinson's disease. He was 78.^[23]

Representation in other media

In integrity first decade of the Twenty-first century, records related to representation Canadian Caper were declassified.

Newspaperwoman Joshuah Bearman wrote a abundant article about this in decency April 2007 issue of Wired magazine.^[1]

Bearman's account was loosely equipped for the screenplay and course of the feature film Argo (2012). It was directed building block Ben Affleck, who also asterisked as Mendez. The film won the Academy Award for Finest Picture.

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In the way that interviewed in 2013 by ShowBizCafe.com, Mendez was asked how put your feet up felt about being portrayed strong Ben Affleck, who is non-Hispanic. Mendez noted that losing rule father when he was juvenile meant he did not con Spanish nor much of consummate father's culture. He said, "I don't think of myself although a Hispanic.

I think execute myself as a person who grew up in the desert."^[6][7]

References

External links