California Cosmetics CEO was Key to Escape of Embassy Workers from Iran; 25th Anniversary Coming Up Jan. 28, 2005.

LAS VEGAS -- Twenty-five years ago, former Hollywood makeup artist Bob Sidell helped spearhead a hoax that lasted several months, spanned two continents and resulted in the escape of six Americans trapped in Iran.

Only recently have bits and pieces of the CIA-inspired plot and Sidell's role in the rescue come to light, but the full story will soon be public knowledge.

An hour-long documentary called "Escape From Iran, The Hollywood Option" will be televised on The History Channel in the United States later this fall after airing on Canada's History Channel Oct. 30 and Nov. 4.

Produced by Canada-based Partners In Motion, the documentary chronicles the U.S. Embassy takeover by Iranian militants in Tehran.

When 66 Embassy staffers were taken hostage on Nov. 4, 1979, six escaped through a back door as militants were breaking down the front door. The six eventually took refuge at the Canadian Embassy.

Working with the CIA and the Canadian government, Sidell set up a bogus film production company that would go to Iran to allegedly scout locations for a movie so the Canadian "houseguests" could be absorbed into the production crew and exfiltrate the country under fake Canadian passports.

"We set up a production company with an office and telephones," said Sidell, who now operates California Cosmetics Corp., a $10 million skincare and cosmetics firm with offices in Calabasas, Calif., and Las Vegas.

"The film was to be called 'Argo,' and to add to our credibility we ran full-page ads in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter announcing the upcoming production," said Sidell. "The hoax was so effective that reporters began calling for more information about the film, and unsolicited scripts and aspiring actors and actresses began showing up at our door."

The Iranian government ultimately approved visits from an Argo party of eight -- six Canadians, a European and a Latin American, the latter two actually being CIA operatives posing as a production manager and an associate producer.

The two agents arrived in Tehran on Jan. 25, 1980, reviewed documents and cover stories with the six Americans at the Canadian Embassy, and as a group, they departed Iran without incident Jan. 28, 1980, on a Swissair flight.

"I've worked on a number of movies, and I've had the privilege of working with some of the most prominent stars in Hollywood -- from Kathleen Turner and Joan Collins to Dolly Parton and Heather Locklear -- but the escape from Iran was the most important part I ever played in a story," said Sidell. "It was for real, with lives at stake."

The remaining Embassy staff hostages were not released until a year later, on Inauguration Day in January 1981.

Additional information on Sidell and his company can be secured at www.silkskin.com.

NOTE TO EDITOR: To conduct an interview with Bob Sidell or for a high-resolution photo, please contact Russ Fons Public Relations at 702-658-7654.