Ethan Coen
Writing

Ethan Coen

September 21, 1957 (68 years old) Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Also known as: Roderick Jaynes, Итан Коэн, ايثان كوين, 伊森·柯恩, イーサン・コーエン

Biography

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.”

Description above from the Wikipedia article Coen brothers, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

The Oscars

The Oscars

1953 • TV

HBO First Look

HBO First Look

1992 • TV

Leçon de Cinéma

Leçon de Cinéma

2004 • TV

Down from the Mountain

Down from the Mountain

2001 • Movie

The Making of 'The Big Lebowski'

The Making of 'The Big Lebowski'

1998 • Movie

The Coen Brothers

2000 • Movie

Movie Credits (83)

Acting

2001

Down from the Mountain

as Self

1998

The Making of 'The Big Lebowski'

as Self

2000

The Coen Brothers

as Self

2014

Inside 'Inside Llewyn Davis'

as Self

1985

Crimewave

as Reporter at execution (uncredited)

1990

Darkman

as Oldsmobile Passenger (uncredited)

2003

Minnesota Nice

as Self

2012

A Special Day

as Self

1989

Stephen King's World of Horror

as Self

2015

The First Hundred Feet, the Last Hundred Feet

as Self

2008

Finding the Burn

as Self

2022

Winona Ryder: The Ghosts She Called

as (uncredited)

2008

The Making of 'No Country for Old Men'

as Self

2008

No Country for Old Men: Josh Brolin's Unauthorized Behind the Scenes

as Self

2008

DC Insiders Run Amuck

as Self

2002

Making "The Man Who Wasn't There"

as Self

2016

The Way of Folk

as Self

2008

Welcome Back, George

as Self

2016

Shooting 'Blood Simple'

as Self

2000

Inside Look: Down from the Mountain

as Self

Crew

1998

The Big Lebowski

Producer

2000

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Producer

1996

Fargo

Producer

1991

Barton Fink

Producer

1987

Raising Arizona

Producer

1990

Miller's Crossing

Producer

2004

The Ladykillers

Director

2004

The Ladykillers

Producer

2008

Burn After Reading

Director

2008

Burn After Reading

Producer

TV Credits (6)

Acting

1953

The Oscars

as Self

1 episodes

1992

HBO First Look

1 episodes

2004

Leçon de Cinéma

as Self

1 episodes

1994

American Cinema

as Self

1 episodes

1998

Independent Focus

as Self

1 episodes

Crew

2014

Fargo

Executive Producer

Personal Info

Known For
Writing
Gender
Male
Birthday
September 21, 1957 (68 years old)
Place of Birth
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Popularity
1.4

Career Stats

83
Movies
6
TV Shows