Ethan Coen photo

Ethan Coen

Writing
1957-09-21
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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 18 titles
The Oscars (1953) subtitle poster
The Oscars
1953 TV
as Self
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HBO First Look (1992) subtitle poster
HBO First Look
1992 TV
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Leçon de Cinéma (2004) subtitle poster
Leçon de Cinéma
2004 TV
as Self
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Crimewave (1985) subtitle poster
Crimewave
1985 Movie
as Reporter at execution (uncredited)
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Darkman (1990) subtitle poster
Darkman
1990 Movie
as Oldsmobile Passenger (uncredited)
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American Cinema (1994) subtitle poster
American Cinema
1994 TV
as Self
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Winona Ryder: The Ghosts She Called (2022) subtitle poster
Winona Ryder: The Ghosts She Called
2022 Movie
as Self (uncredited)
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A Special Day (2012) subtitle poster
A Special Day
2012 Movie
as Self
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No Country for Old Men: Josh Brolin's Unauthorized Behind the Scenes (2008) subtitle poster
No Country for Old Men: Josh Brolin's Unauthorized Behind the Scenes
2008 Movie
as Self
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Inside 'Inside Llewyn Davis' (2014) subtitle poster
Inside 'Inside Llewyn Davis'
2014 Movie
as Self
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The Coen Brothers - An American Story (2025) subtitle poster
The Coen Brothers - An American Story
2025 Movie
as Self
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Stephen King's World of Horror (1989) subtitle poster
Stephen King's World of Horror
1989 Movie
as Self
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Minnesota Nice (2003) subtitle poster
Minnesota Nice
2003 Movie
as Self
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Down from the Mountain (2001) subtitle poster
Down from the Mountain
2001 Movie
as Self
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The Coen Brothers (2000) subtitle poster
The Coen Brothers
2000 Movie
as Self
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The Way of Folk (2016) subtitle poster
The Way of Folk
2016 Movie
as Self
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The Making of 'The Big Lebowski' (1998) subtitle poster
The Making of 'The Big Lebowski'
1998 Movie
as Self
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The First Hundred Feet, the Last Hundred Feet (2015) subtitle poster
The First Hundred Feet, the Last Hundred Feet
2015 Movie
as Self
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