David Rayfiel, a screenwriter and master script doctor who made his mark — often uncredited — on films by director Sydney Pollack that frequently featured Robert Redford, including “Three Days of the Condor,” “The Way We Were” and “Out of Africa,” has died. He was 87.

Rayfiel died June 22 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City of congestive heart failure, said his daughter, Eliza Roberts.

The rich collaboration between Pollack and Rayfiel began in the early 1960s, endured for more than 40 years and encompassed at least 15 films.

When “Out of Africa” (1985) won an Academy Award for best picture, Pollack thanked Rayfiel for “keeping us honest.” Kurt Luedtke, upon accepting the Oscar for his screenplay, also acknowledged Rayfiel.

The film was one of several that came out of an alliance that included Redford, who appeared in Pollack’s “Havana” (1990), “The Electric Horseman” (1979) and “Jeremiah Johnson” (1972), all of which Rayfiel wrote or rewrote.

Redford considered Rayfiel “the unsung hero of almost every picture Sydney Pollack and I have made together,” Redford told The New York Times in 1986.

Among Rayfiel’s favorite films he worked on with Pollack were the 1969 war drama “Castle Keep” and the 1975 CIA thriller “Three Days of the Condor,” his daughter said.