Tony Mendez is a veteran CIA operative who spent 25 years working underground, taking part in some of the most critical Cold War missions. He was awarded the Intelligence Medal of Merit by the CIA, and he was one of 50 officers honored with the Trailblazer Medallion. He is an award-winning painter and the co-author of The Master of Disguise and Spy Dust with his wife Jonna Mendez, who is also a retired intelligence operative. Argo, his most recent book, is about the operation he led to rescue six Americans held hostage in the Canadian Embassy in Tehran during the hostage crisis. The operation was adapted into a feature film by Warner Bros with the same title. Mendez and his wife currently live and work on their farm in Maryland, where they have studios and a gallery.