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Ethan Coen
Director Editor Producer Writer

Ethan Coen

Born September 21, 1957 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

28 films

Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957) is an American filmmaker, working with his brother, Joel Coen, together known as the Coen brothers(/ˈkoʊən/). Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are Blood Simple (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), No Country for Old Men (2007), A Serious Man (2009), True Grit (2010) and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). The brothers generally write, direct and produce their films jointly. However, due to regulations, Joel received sole directing credit while Ethan received sole production credit until The Ladykillers (2004). From then on, they would be credited as directors and producers and shared editing credits under the alias Roderick Jaynes. The duo started directing separately in the 2020s, resulting in Joel's The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), Ethan's Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind (2022) and Drive-Away Dolls (2024). Together, they have been nominated for 13 Academy Awards and one individual nomination. They share Best Original Screenplay for Fargo and Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for No Country for Old Men. They won the Palme d'Or for Barton Fink at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. The Coens have written films for other directors, including Sam Raimi's Crimewave (1985), Angelina Jolie's World War II biopic Unbroken (2014) and Steven Spielberg's Cold War drama Bridge of Spies (2015). They produced Terry Zwigoff's Bad Santa (2003) and John Turturro's Romance and Cigarettes (2005). Ethan is also a writer of short stories, theatre and poetry. They are known for their distinctive stylistic trademarks, including genre hybridity. No Country for Old Men, A Serious Man and Inside Llewyn Davis was included in the BBC's 2016 poll of the greatest motion pictures since 2000. In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Fargo among the 100 greatest American movies. Richard Corliss wrote of the Coens: "Dexterously flipping and reheating old movie genres like so many pancakes, they serve them up fresh, not with syrup but with a coating of comic arsenic." C-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards

3 wins, 15 nominations

Filmography 28

Honey Don't! (2025) movie poster
Honey Don't!2025
Drive-Away Dolls (2024) movie poster
Drive-Away Dolls2024
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) movie poster
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs2018
Suburbicon (2017) movie poster
Suburbicon2017
Hail, Caesar! (2016) movie poster
Hail, Caesar!2016
Bridge of Spies (2015) movie poster
Bridge of Spies2015
Unbroken (2014) movie poster
Unbroken2014
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) movie poster
Inside Llewyn Davis2013
Gambit (2012) movie poster
Gambit2012
True Grit (2010) movie poster
True Grit2010
A Serious Man (2009) movie poster
A Serious Man2009
Burn After Reading (2008) movie poster
Burn After Reading2008
No Country for Old Men (2007) movie poster
No Country for Old Men2007
Paris Je T'aime (2006) movie poster
Paris Je T'aime2006
Romance & Cigarettes (2005) movie poster
Romance & Cigarettes2005
The Ladykillers (2004) movie poster
The Ladykillers2004
Bad Santa (2003) movie poster
Bad Santa2003
Intolerable Cruelty (2003) movie poster
Intolerable Cruelty2003
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) movie poster
The Man Who Wasn't There2001
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) movie poster
O Brother, Where Art Thou?2000
The Big Lebowski (1998) movie poster
The Big Lebowski1998
Fargo (1996) movie poster
Fargo1996
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) movie poster
The Hudsucker Proxy1994
Barton Fink (1991) movie poster
Barton Fink1991
Miller's Crossing (1990) movie poster
Miller's Crossing1990
Raising Arizona (1987) movie poster
Raising Arizona1987
Blood Simple (1985) movie poster
Blood Simple1985
Crimewave (1985) movie poster
Crimewave1985