David Rayfiel
Encyclopedia
David Rayfiel was an American
screenwriter
and frequent collaborator of director Sydney Pollack
(1934–2008). Born in Brooklyn, New York, his father was congressman Leo F. Rayfiel
(1888–1978).
His first marriage ended in divorce. His second wife was actress Maureen Stapleton
(1925–2006), from 1963–66, before that union also ended in divorce.
His former house at Day, New York
, known as David Rayfiel House
, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2009.
. He was survived by his third wife, Lynne Schwarzenbek-Rayfiel
and his daughter, Eliza Roberts. David Rayfiel also had two grandchildren, Keaton Simons and Morgan Simons. Also survived by step-children Daniel Allentuck and Katharine Allentuck and grandchildren Alexandra and Max Bambery.
with Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
He received a César Award
in 1981 for Death Watch
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and frequent collaborator of director Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting...
(1934–2008). Born in Brooklyn, New York, his father was congressman Leo F. Rayfiel
Leo F. Rayfiel
Leo Frederick Rayfiel was a United States Representative from New York.-Biography:Born in New York City, Rayfiel graduated from the New York University Law School in 1908. He was admitted to the bar in 1918 and commenced practice in Brooklyn. He was the father of screenwriter David Rayfiel...
(1888–1978).
His first marriage ended in divorce. His second wife was actress Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton was an American actress in film, theater and television.-Early life:Stapleton was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in Troy, New York, the daughter of Irene and John P. Stapleton, and grew up in a strict Irish American Catholic family...
(1925–2006), from 1963–66, before that union also ended in divorce.
His former house at Day, New York
Day, New York
Day is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 920 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Eliphaz Day, a noted lumberman.The Town of Day is in the northwest part of the county and is northeast of Amsterdam....
, known as David Rayfiel House
David Rayfiel House
David Rayfiel House, also known as The Sacandaga Glass House or "Shelter for David Rayfiel," is a historic home located at Day in Saratoga County, New York. It was built in 1958 on the southern banks of Great Sacandaga Lake in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. It is a 1 1/2-story Modern...
, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2009.
Death
He died on June 22, 2011 of heart failure, aged 87, in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. He was survived by his third wife, Lynne Schwarzenbek-Rayfiel
and his daughter, Eliza Roberts. David Rayfiel also had two grandchildren, Keaton Simons and Morgan Simons. Also survived by step-children Daniel Allentuck and Katharine Allentuck and grandchildren Alexandra and Max Bambery.
Awards
In 1976, he received an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for Three Days of the CondorThree Days of the Condor
Three Days of the Condor is a 1975 American action thriller film produced by Stanley Schneider and directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay, by Lorenzo Semple Jr...
with Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Lorenzo Semple Jr. is an American screenwriter and sometime playwright, best known for his work on the campy television series Batman and the political/paranoia movie thrillers The Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor .-Early work:Semple's writing career started in 1951, as a short story...
He received a César Award
César Awards 1981
The 1981 César Awards were hosted by Yves Montand. The winners were:*Best Film:Le Dernier métro, directed by François TruffautLoulou, directed by Maurice PialatMon oncle d'Amérique, directed by Alain ResnaisSauve qui peut , directed by Jean-Luc Godard*Best Foreign Film:Kagemusha, directed by Akira...
in 1981 for Death Watch
Death Watch
Death Watch is a 1980 science fiction film directed by Bertrand Tavernier. It is based on the novel The Unsleeping Eye by David G. Compton, also known as The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe...
.
Screenplays
- The Slender ThreadThe Slender ThreadThe Slender Thread is a 1965 film starring Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier. It was the first feature length film directed by Academy Award-winning director, producer & actor Sydney Pollack....
(uncredited) (1965) - This Property is CondemnedThis Property is CondemnedThis Property Is Condemned is a 1966 American drama film starring Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Kate Reid, Charles Bronson and Mary Badham and directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay was written by Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Coe and Edith Sommer. The story was adapted from the 1946 one-act...
(1966) - Castle KeepCastle KeepCastle Keep is a 'firmly pro- and anti-war' 1969 American war film directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Burt Lancaster, Patrick O'Neal, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Bruce Dern, and Peter Falk...
(1969) - Valdez Is ComingValdez Is ComingValdez Is Coming is a 1971 American western film starring Burt Lancaster, Susan Clark, Richard Jordan and Jon Cypher. The film is based on the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name.-Plot:...
(1971) - LipstickLipstick (film)Lipstick is a 1976 drama film directed by Lamont Johnson. Starring Margaux and Mariel Hemingway, it contains one of the most infamous scenes in motion picture history, showing an extremely graphic rape scene.- Plot :...
(1976) - Three Days of the CondorThree Days of the CondorThree Days of the Condor is a 1975 American action thriller film produced by Stanley Schneider and directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay, by Lorenzo Semple Jr...
(1976) - Death WatchDeath WatchDeath Watch is a 1980 science fiction film directed by Bertrand Tavernier. It is based on the novel The Unsleeping Eye by David G. Compton, also known as The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe...
(1980) - Absence of MaliceAbsence of MaliceAbsence of Malice is a 1981 American drama film starring Paul Newman, Sally Field, and Bob Balaban, directed by Sydney Pollack.-Plot:Miami liquor wholesaler Michael Gallagher is the son of a deceased criminal who awakes one day to find himself a front-page story in the local newspaper, indicating...
(1981) - Round MidnightRound Midnight (film)Round Midnight is a 1986 film directed by Bertrand Tavernier and written by David Rayfiel and Bertrand Tavernier. It tells the story of an African American tenor saxophone player in Paris in the 1950s who is befriended by an unsuccessful French graphic designer who idolizes the musician and who...
(1986) - The Morning After (uncredited) (1986)
- HavanaHavana (film)Havana is a drama film starring Robert Redford, Lena Olin and Raúl Juliá, directed by Sydney Pollack with music by Dave Grusin, and released in 1990. In the film, an American professional gambler named Jack Weil decides to visit Havana, Cuba to gamble. On the boat to Havana, he meets Roberta Duran...
(1990) - The Firm (1993)
- IntersectionIntersection (film)Intersection is a 1994 film, directed by Mark Rydell and starring Richard Gere, Sharon Stone, and Lolita Davidovich.A remake of the French film Les choses de la vie by Claude Sautet, the story — set in Vancouver, British Columbia — concerns an architect who, as his classic Mercedes 280SL roadster...
(1994) - SabrinaSabrina (1995 film)Sabrina is a 1995 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by Barbara Benedek and David Rayfiel, based on the 1954 screenplay of the same name, which in turn was based upon a play titled Sabrina Fair....
(1995) - Random HeartsRandom HeartsRandom Hearts is a 1984 novel by American author Warren Adler. In 1999, the novel was made into a motion picture directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas.-Plot summary :...
(uncredited) (1999)