Screenwriter and Teacher Syd Field Dies at 77

Posted on November 19, 2013

Screenwriter and legendary teacher Syd Field has died at the age of 77. His death was announced in a release on the site for the Raindance Film Festival where Field was set to speak at a screenwriters summit.

Known as the guru of screenwriting, Field is credited with distilling and presenting the three act structure. Field died on Sunday, November 17th from hemolytic anemia. He was surrounded by his family and friends.

Field's first book Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting is considered the Bible of screenwriting. It distilled the concept of three act structure for film. He wrote seven other books on screenwriter. He was a frequent lecturer on screenwriting and consulted for many studios on script projects.

Field lectured at the University of Southern California and AFI. He consulted on scripts at major studios such as 20th Century Fox, Disney, Universal and Tri-Star. He was the first person inducted into the Screenwriting Hall of Fame of the American Screenwriting Association. Writers from Judd Apatow to Tina Fey have credited Field with teaching them how to write good screenplays.

Field's family has asked that in lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made to the SYDA Foundation, The PRASAD Project and the Tower Hematology Oncology Medical Group.