Born in 1888 in Carrickfergus, he began life as John Ernest Lester and was a student at Methodist College and lived above his father's grocery shop on the Ormeau Road.
Based on actual events that occurred in 1979 in Tehran, the movie brilliantly blends a gripping espionage thriller with humor that comes from the Hollywood shenanigans that Affleck (playing real-life CIA agent Tony Mendez) had to go through with John Goodman (playing real-life Hollywood effects guru and CIA make-up man John Chambers) and Oscar-nominated Alan Arkin (playing movie producer Lester Siegel).