With all the buzz about Ben Affleck’s new political thriller “Argo,” some may ask: who is John Chambers? He is foremost a legendary Hollywood make-up artist, but also an integral part of aiding the CIA during the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979. Chambers, who passed away in 2001, is portrayed by John Goodman in this historic story of intrigue and diplomacy in disguise.
“Argo” is based on the true events of the Canadian Caper during the Iran Hostage Crises in 1979. When Iranian militants stormed the American embassy, 6 diplomats managed to avert capture and hideaway with the Canadian ambassador. Conspiring with the Canadian government, the CIA put a mock-film crew together, who under the guise of scouting locations in Tehran, exfiltrated the diplomats with Canadian passports.
The mission was developed by Tony Mendez, a disguise and exfiltration specialist for the CIA, who happened to be a colleague of John Chambers. The 2 had developed several spy-kits for the CIA, which were disguises for field operatives. Chambers set-up the mock studio office in Hollywood during the Canadian Caper to create a convincing scenario. Chambers is a fascinating example of how the government often tapped the creative talents of Hollywood throughout history and probably still does.
Chambers was certainly a hero who helped save those 6 American diplomats, but it was his pioneering work in movie make-up that lead him there. His invaluable career spanned 30 years and was best known for pioneering the latex masks worn in the “Planet of the Apes” films. This created some of cinema’s most memorable faces, but it also revolutionized prosthetic make-up design and application in the industry.
The achievement garnered Chambers a special Academy Award for make-up in 1969; something that wouldn’t have its own Oscar category until 1981. Those unmistakeable ape faces were just one of Chambers’ many contributions to cinema and pop-culture. He also designed the unmistakeable ears of Spock, worn by Leonard Nimoy in the “Star Trek” series. The hand of John Chambers can be seen in Don Taylor’s prosthetic-heavy film “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” He also contributed to the makeup design in “Halloween II” and prosthetic work in Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner.”
Since his first uncredited work on the film “Around the World in 80 Days,” Chambers has made contributions to film and T.V., that were tantamount in scope and impact to his covert contributions to the CIA. His story is just as intriguing as Stanley Kubrick being recruited to film a mock moon landing, except we know for certain that Chambers’ story is true.
