--- description: Former CIA officer Tony Mendez, whose 1980 rescue operation saved six Americans trapped in Iran during the revolution, died at 78 title: Tony Mendez, Ex-CIA Spy Who Inspired 'Argo', Dies at 78 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d85cbce62e3c790/698943af8fd2ee9f8e35da0f/gettyimages-526535528.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [People](/tag/people/) ## People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Tony Mendez, the CIA Spy Who Inspired the Movie _Argo_, Dies at 78 by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 21, 2019 8:07 AM CUT  Retired CIA operative Tony Mendez is seen at his painting studio in rural Maryland on Feb. 19, 2013. Retired CIA operative Tony Mendez is seen at his painting studio in rural Maryland on Feb. 19, 2013.Mark Makela—Corbis/Getty Images by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 21, 2019 8:07 AM CUT Former [CIA officer Tony Mendez](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46939359 "undefined"), whose high-stakes 1980 rescue operation saved six American diplomats trapped in revolutionary Iran, died on Saturday, according to his literary agent. He was 78. Mendez died of complications from [Parkinson’s disease](https://twitter.com/FletcherChristy/status/1086674072887574528 "undefined"), according to the release. He [revealed](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/10/15/argo-hero-tony-mendez-battling-parkinsons/?tid=hpModule%5Fd39b60e8-8691-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394&hpid=z12&noredirect=on "undefined") he was suffering from the disease in 2014, and had been in an [assisted-living](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/tony-mendez-argo-spy-who-smuggled-us-hostages-out-of-iran-during-crisis-dies-at-78/2019/01/19/37e1f9a0-1c22-11e9-8813-cb9dec761e73%5Fstory.html?noredirect=on "undefined") facility in Maryland at the time of his death, according to the Washington _Post_. Mendez first worked as a draftsman and illustrator before he was recruited to the CIA in 1965 by a advertisement for a graphic artist. “I’ve always considered myself to be an [artist first](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/before-he-was-a-spy-argos-tony-mendez-was-an-artist-he-still-is/2013/01/12/9cdaf998-5b66-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9%5Fstory.html?noredirect=on "undefined"),” he told the _Post_ in 2013. Mendez distinguished himself at the CIA with his aptitude for forgeries, disguises and rescues. He became best-known for overseeing the “Canadian Caper,” a daring rescue operation in the wake of Iran’s 1979 revolution, which toppled the Western-backed Shah and installed hardline religious leader [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,920508-1,00.html "undefined"). After protestors stormed the American embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, 66 American embassy staffers were taken hostage for [444 days](http://time.com/3667056/freed-iranian-hostages/ "undefined"), until they were [finally released](http://time.com/4179539/iran-hostage-1981-photos/ "undefined") on President Ronald Reagan’s inauguration. Six other U.S. diplomats [hid](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/tony-mendez-argo-spy-who-smuggled-us-hostages-out-of-iran-during-crisis-dies-at-78/2019/01/19/37e1f9a0-1c22-11e9-8813-cb9dec761e73%5Fstory.html?noredirect=on "undefined") in the homes of two Canadians. **Read more:** [_Iran Hostages Going Free: See 8 Joyous Photos From That Day_](http://time.com/4179539/iran-hostage-1981-photos/ "undefined") A CIA team [led by Mendez](https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/winter99-00/art1.html#rft0 "undefined") managed to smuggle the group of six out of the country while posing as a Canadian film crew scouting locations for _Argo_, a made-up science fiction film. Mendez retired in 1990, and in 1997 he was [honored](https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/press-release-archive-1997-1/pr091097.html "undefined") among 50 CIA agents. He also wrote three memoirs, including _Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History_. **Read more**: [_Argo, and TIME_](http://swampland.time.com/2013/02/27/argo-and-time/ "undefined") The rescue operation was portrayed in the Oscar-winning [film _Argo_](http://entertainment.time.com/2012/09/08/argo-at-toronto-an-oscar-for-ben-affleck/ "undefined"), directed by Ben Affleck. Mendez was [credited](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5410196/?ref%5F=ttfc%5Ffc%5Fwr2 "undefined") as a writer. > [](https://twitter.com/BenAffleck/status/1086806115759738880) Mendez is survived by his wife Jonna Mendez, a fellow CIA veteran, and three children. His [last book](https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/antonio-mendez/the-moscow-rules/9781541762176/ "undefined"), co-authored with his wife, is scheduled for release in May, according to the publisher. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5508451/tony-mendez-cia-spy-argo-dies/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5508451/tony-mendez-cia-spy-argo-dies/"},"headline":"Tony Mendez, the CIA Spy Who Inspired the Movie Argo, Dies at 78","datePublished":"2019-01-21T08:07:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:33:16.988Z","description":"Mendez masterminded a daring plan to rescue six Americans from Tehran in 1980","url":"https://time.com/5508451/tony-mendez-cia-spy-argo-dies/","keywords":["People","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d85cbce62e3c790/698943af8fd2ee9f8e35da0f/gettyimages-526535528.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eli Meixler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eli/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d85cbce62e3c790/698943af8fd2ee9f8e35da0f/gettyimages-526535528.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Real Life Argo CIA Operative Tony Mendez","caption":"The Real Life Argo CIA Operative Tony Mendez","creditText":"Mark Makela—Corbis/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/people/","name":"People"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5508451/tony-mendez-cia-spy-argo-dies/","name":"Tony Mendez, the CIA Spy Who Inspired the Movie Argo, Dies at 78"}}]}] ```