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By Lillie Liska
Longtime Hollywood script consultant Linda Seger has died. She was 80 years old.
Her husband, Peter Le Var, told The Hollywood Reporter that she passed away at her home in Cascade, Colorado, after a battle with breast cancer. The couple had been married 42 years.
Throughout her prolific career, Seger consulted on scripts for movie from Peter Jackson, Roland Emmerich and many of others. She penned 11 books about screenwriting, including Making a Good Script Great. Director, producer and actor Ron Howard gave it a glowing endorsement, saying, “Making a Good Script Great has informed all my movies beginning with APOLLO 13.”
According to THR, “Tony Bill (Oscar-winning producer on THE STING), William Kelley (Oscar-winning writer on WITNESS) and Barbara Corday (co-creator of CAGNEY & LACEY) are among those who have praised the book over the years.”
Born Aug. 27, 1945, in Wisconsin, Seger received her undergraduate degree from Colorado College in 1967. She received master’s degrees from the Pacific School of Religion and Northwestern and a doctorate from the Graduate Theological Union.
Her work has touched 2,500 scripts, 100 produced films and 35 produced TV projects. Seger lectured in 34 countries across six continents.
Before retiring in 2020, Seger led seminars for “executives at ABC, CBS, NBC, Disney, Embassy Television, RAI (Italy) and ZDF (Germany) and for members of the AFI, the DGA and the WGA.”
Movieguide® founder and published Dr. Ted Baehr remembered his friendship with Seger.
“By the grace of God, I was one of her original encouragers (4 or 5) to start her script analysis,” he said. “In fact, she credited to me as suggesting her path to her.”
“She would invite this small group of friends every year to dinner and give us a great dinner; and, she gave each of us a beautiful present representing our input in her life. Sometimes she stayed with Lili and me when she came back to So. Cal. She had a wonderful life. She loved trail rides and giving concerts. She was a great blessing and friend,” he added.
Along with Making a Good Script Great, her other books on screenwriting include Creating Unforgettable Characters: A practical guide to character development in films, TV series, advertisements, novels & short stories; The Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction into Film; and The Collaborative Art of Filmmaking: From Script to Screen, among others.
She also penned several books about spirituality, including Seeking the Light: A Quaker’s Journey for Quakers and Non-Quakers; Beyond Linear Thinking: Changing the Way We Live and Work; and God’s Part in Our Art: Making Friends with the Creative Spirit.
Please keep Seger’s family and friends in your prayers as they mourn her death.
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