Born Stoyan Tesich in Uzice, Yugoslavia (now Titovo Uzice, Serbia); educated at Indiana University, Bloomington and Columbia (Russian literature). In the US from 1955, Tesich established himself as a playwright before entering films with his Oscar®-winning screenplay BREAKING AWAY (1979), the first of his three scripts directed by Peter Yates (EYEWITNESS, 1981; ELENI, 1986). His finely observed scripts ranged from original New York thrillers to deft literary adaptations (THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP, 1982), effectively combining personal and social issues. His other screenplays include FOUR FRIENDS (1981) and AMERICAN FLYERS (1985). After his film career ended, Tesich continued to write plays. He died of a heart attack in Nova Scotia in 1996 at the age of 53.  Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen) 1979: BREAKING AWAY 1 nomination, 1 Award