Cora Amburn-Lijek

Cora Amburn-Lijek is one of six Americans who escaped the seizure of the American Embassy compound during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis. Finding her way to sanctuary with the staff of the Canadian Embassy, she and her husband Mark eventually fled Iran with the assistance of the CIA. Their adventure became the basis for the 2013 Academy Award Best Picture film Argo. Following their assignment to Tehran, Cora accompanied her husband to Hong Kong, Nepal, Poland, and Germany, as well as Washington, DC. She holds a BA in History and an MA in English as a Second Language from Georgetown University. She served as a minor consultant for Argo and now lives in Washington state, where she works for the Skagit Conservation District. She and her husband have two grown children.