Into the Shadows: The CIA in Hollywood (2001)

This documentary, shown on the American Movie Classics (AMC) cable channel, looks at a facet of Hollywood that is little-known outside the motion-picture industry: cooperation with the US Central Intelligence Agency. It focuses on the career of longtime makeup artist John Chambers. In addition to his work in films, he worked on special makeup and prosthetic devices for use in the Vietnam War. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Iranians held U.S. embassy personnel hostage in the embassy compound in Tehran. At the CIA's request, Chambers worked behind the scenes to fashion disguises for several people to escape with the assistance of the Canadian embassy.