Born in Yugoslavia, Tesich was 14 when he came to America and settled in East Chicago, Indiana. His father, a machinist, died in 1962. He graduated from Indiana University in 1965 and did graduate work at Columbia University where he began to write plays. 'Breaking Away (1979)' won Tesich an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination. He successfully adapted 'The World According to Garp (1982)' and his last film was 'American Flyers (1985)'. After his film career ended, Tesich continued to write plays. As he became more pessimistic about his life, his plays became more pessimistic. Show less «