
Writing
Ethan Coen
Born September 21, 1957 · Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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

8.2
No Country for Old Men
Editor, Producer, Director, Writer

7.3
The Shape of Water
Thanks

8.1
The Big Lebowski
Editor, Producer, Writer, Director

8.1
Fargo
Producer, Editor, Writer

7.6
Bridge of Spies
Writer

7.6
True Grit
Screenplay, Director, Producer, Editor

7.0
Burn After Reading
Editor, Director, Producer, Writer

7.7
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Editor, Producer, Writer

7.2
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Producer, Editor, Director, Writer

7.2
Unbroken
Screenplay

6.3
Hail, Caesar!
Director, Writer, Producer, Editor

8.8
Fargo
Executive Producer

7.4
Inside Llewyn Davis
Director, Producer, Editor, Writer, Songs

7.0
Bad Santa
Executive Producer

7.0
A Serious Man
Producer, Editor, Director, Writer

7.3
Raising Arizona
Producer, Screenplay

7.6
Barton Fink
Producer, Editor, Screenplay, Director

7.7
Miller's Crossing
Screenplay, Producer

5.8
Suburbicon
Writer

7.5
The Man Who Wasn't There
Editor, Producer, Writer, Director
Filmography
- 2025The Coen Brothers StorySelfMovie
- 2025Honey Don't!Producer, Writer, DirectorMovie
- 2025EddingtonThanksMovie
- 2024Drive-Away DollsWriter, Director, ProducerMovie
- 2022Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in MindDirectorMovie
- 2022Winona Ryder: The Ghosts She CalledSelf (uncredited)Movie
- 2019The Jesus RollsCharactersMovie
- 2018The Ballad of Buster ScruggsProducer, Editor, Director, WriterMovie
- 2017The Shape of WaterThanksMovie
- 2017SuburbiconWriterMovie
- 2016Shooting 'Blood Simple'SelfMovie
- 2016Blood Simple: A Conversation with Dave EggersSelfMovie
- 2016Waffles and Bullet Holes: A Return to Sioux FallsExecutive ProducerMovie
- 2016Hail, Caesar!Director, Writer, Producer, EditorMovie
- 2016The Way of FolkSelf, ThanksMovie
- 2015The First Hundred Feet, the Last Hundred FeetSelfMovie
- 2015Bridge of SpiesWriterMovie
- 2014UnbrokenScreenplayMovie
- 2014FargoExecutive ProducerSeries
- 2014Inside 'Inside Llewyn Davis'SelfMovie
- 2013Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of 'Inside Llewyn Davis'ProducerMovie
- 2013Inside Llewyn DavisDirector, Producer, Editor, Writer, SongsMovie
- 2013StrutterThanksMovie
- 2012A Special DaySelfMovie
- 2012GambitWriterMovie
- 2010True GritScreenplay, Director, Producer, EditorMovie
- 2009A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle ShopOriginal StoryMovie
- 2009A Serious ManProducer, Editor, Director, WriterMovie
- 2008Finding the BurnSelfMovie
- 2008DC Insiders Run AmuckSelfMovie
- 2008Welcome Back, GeorgeSelfMovie
- 2008Burn After ReadingEditor, Director, Producer, WriterMovie
- 2008Don't Mess with TexasWriterMovie
- 2008Behind the Scenes of 'No Country for Old Men': An Incredibly Unauthorized DocumentarySelfMovie
- 2008The Making of 'No Country for Old Men'Self - Writer/DirectorMovie
- 2007No Country for Old MenEditor, Producer, Director, WriterMovie
- 2007To Each His Own CinemaDirector, WriterMovie
- 2006Paris Je T'aimeDirector, WriterMovie
- 2006Romance & CigarettesExecutive ProducerMovie
- 2004The LadykillersEditor, Screenplay, Producer, DirectorMovie
- 2004Leçon de CinémaSelfSeries
- 2004A Look Inside 'Intolerable CrueltySelfMovie
- 2003Bad SantaExecutive ProducerMovie
- 2003Intolerable CrueltyProducer, Editor, ScreenplayMovie
- 2003Where the Girls AreExecutive ProducerMovie
- 2003Minnesota NiceSelfMovie
- 2002A Fever in the BloodOriginal StoryMovie
- 2002Making "The Man Who Wasn't There"SelfMovie
- 2001The Man Who Wasn't ThereEditor, Producer, Writer, DirectorMovie
- 2001The Grey ZoneThanksMovie
- 2001Down from the MountainSelf, Executive ProducerMovie
- 2000Inside Look: Down from the MountainSelfMovie
- 2000The Coen BrothersSelfMovie
- 2000O Brother, Where Art Thou?Editor, Producer, WriterMovie
- 1998The Making of 'The Big Lebowski'SelfMovie
- 1998EightThanksMovie
- 1998Independent FocusSelfSeries
- 1998The Naked ManWriterMovie
- 1998The Big LebowskiEditor, Producer, Writer, DirectorMovie
- 1997Eye of GodThanksMovie
- 1996FargoProducer, Editor, WriterMovie
- 1994The Hudsucker ProxyProducer, Writer, DirectorMovie
- 1994American CinemaSelfSeries
- 1992HBO First LookSeries
- 1991Barton FinkProducer, Editor, Screenplay, DirectorMovie
- 1990Miller's CrossingScreenplay, ProducerMovie
- 1990DarkmanOldsmobile Passenger (uncredited)Movie
- 1989Stephen King's World of HorrorSelfMovie
- 1987Raising ArizonaProducer, ScreenplayMovie
- 1985CrimewaveReporter at execution (uncredited), WriterMovie
- 1985Blood SimpleEditor, Producer, WriterMovie
- 1971Film '72SelfSeries
- 1953The OscarsSelfSeries
- —Go, Beavers!Director, Writer, ProducerMovie