Coen brothers
Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957), together known as the Coen brothers (/ˈkoʊən/ KOH-ən), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Their most acclaimed works include 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). Many of their films are distinctly American, often examining the culture of the American South and American West in both modern and historical contexts.
Coen brothers | |
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Ethan (left) and Joel Coen, at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival | |
| Born | Joel Daniel Coen November 29, 1954 Ethan Jesse Coen September 21, 1957 St. Louis Park, Minnesota, U.S. (both) |
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| Education | St. Louis Park High School |
| Alma mater | Joel: New York University (BFA) Bard College at Simon's Rock (AA) Ethan: Princeton University (BA) Bard College at Simon's Rock (AA) |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | Joel:
Ethan: Tricia Cooke (m. 1990) |
| Children | Joel: 1 Ethan: 2 |
The brothers generally write, direct and produce their films jointly. The duo started directing solo pieces with Joel's The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) and Ethan's Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind (2022) and Drive-Away Dolls (2024). Until The Ladykillers (2004) Joel had received sole credit for directing and Ethan for producing, and they shared editing credits under an alias, Roderick Jaynes. They have been nominated for 13 Academy Awards together and individually for one award each; both won Best Original Screenplay for Fargo, and Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay for No Country for Old Men. The duo also won the Palme d'Or for Barton Fink at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.
The Coens have written a number of films they did not direct, including Angelina Jolie's biographical war drama Unbroken (2014), Steven Spielberg's historical cold war film Bridge of Spies (2015), and lesser-known, commercially unsuccessful comedies such as Crimewave (1985), The Naked Man (1998), and Gambit (2012). Ethan is also a writer of short stories, theater, 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 have been ranked 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 ever made.