Syd Field was a writer and consultant whose books on the subject of screenwriting brought him fame and influence in the film and television industry.

Field wrote eight books, the best known of which, Screenplay: The Basics of Film Writing, was considered by many to be the the most authoritative guide to screenwriting. It is credited with helping establish the now traditional three-act structure for feature film scripts.

Published in 1979, Screenplay has been translated into 23 languages and used as a textbook in over 400 colleges and universities around the world.

His students included Frank Darabont, Judd Apatow and Tina Fey.

Born in Los Angeles, Field graduated from University of California, Berkeley, and got his start in the shipping department at Wolper Productions. He went on to write and do research for several Wolper productions, including the original Biography television series.

Field was also a lecturer at USC and the American Film Institute and was a script consultant at several studios.

He died November 17, 2013, in Beverly Hills at age 77.