Zena Kahn Sheardown is a Guyanese-

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

woman, who together with her husband

John Sheardown John Vernon Sheardown (October 11, 1924 – December 30, 2012) was a Canadian diplomat who played a leading role in the "Canadian Caper". He and his wife Zena personally sheltered Americans hiding in Iran during the Iran hostage crisis. Early li ...

, sheltered six Americans in their home for months during the

Iran Hostage Crisis On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over t ...

, in what has come to be known as "the

Canadian Caper The "Canadian Caper" was the joint covert rescue by the Canadian government and the CIA of six American diplomats who had evaded capture during the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran, on November 4, 1979, after the Iranian ...

". In 1980, Sheardown's husband was appointed to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

for his role in the Canadian Caper; Sheardown was ineligible for appointment because she was not a Canadian citizen. Her husband campaigned for her appointment, and in 1981, Sheardown was awarded the first-ever honorary appointment to the Order of Canada. By 1986, Sheardown had become a naturalized Canadian, and her honorary appointment was terminated, in exchange for an appointment as a full member. She thereby became the first person "removed" from the Order of Canada, although it is generally considered a transfer of status rather than a removal. John and Zena Sheardown were portrayed in the 1981 Canadian-American television movie '' Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper'' by

Chris Wiggins Christopher John Wiggins (January 13, 1931 – February 19, 2017) was an English-born Canadian actor. Career He started out as a banker in his home country before he began his acting career in Canada, where he moved in 1952. Wiggins is probably ...

and

Diana Barrington Diana Barrington (born 6 May 1939) is a British actress. She studied drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She was married to Canadian actor Ken Pogue until his death in 2015. Career Barrington worked at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre ...

, respectively. After the big-budget Hollywood movie ''

Argo In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...

'' about the Canadian Caper was released in 2012, director

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...

called to personally apologize to the Sheardowns for having to leave them out due to plot and time constraints, stating in a later interview, "It really did break my heart a bit."

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheardown, Zena Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Members of the Order of Canada Guyanese emigrants to Canada Iran hostage crisis Naturalized citizens of Canada