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Coen brothers

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Coen brothers

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. 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, although due to DGA regulations, Joel received sole directing credit while Ethan received sole production credit until The Ladykillers (2004), from which point on they would be credited together as directors and producers; they also shared editing credits under the alias Roderick Jaynes. The duo started directing separately in the 2020s, beginning with Joel's The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) and Ethan's Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind (2022) and Drive-Away Dolls (2024). They have been nominated for 13 Academy Awards together, plus one individual nomination for each, sharing wins for Best Original Screenplay for Fargo, and Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for No Country for Old Men. Barton Fink won the Palme d'Or 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, theater and poetry. No Country for Old Men, A Serious Man and Inside Llewyn Davis were included on the BBC's 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked Fargo among the 100 greatest American movies. They are known for their distinctive stylistic trademarks including genre hybridity. 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."

Infobox

Born
Joel Daniel Coen (1954-11-29) November 29, 1954 (age 71)Ethan Jesse Coen (1957-09-21) September 21, 1957 (age 68)St. Louis Park, Minnesota, U.S. (both)
Other names
mw- Coen brothers Roderick Jaynes Reginald Jaynes Mike Zoss
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)
Occupations
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Years active
1984–2018 (as a duo)
Spouse(s)
Joel:.mw- Frances McDormand (m. 1984)Ethan: Tricia Cooke (m. 1990)
Children
Joel: 1Ethan: 2
Awards
Full list

Tables

Directed features · Filmography
1984
Role(s)
Circle Films
1987
Role(s)
20th Century Fox
1994
Role(s)
Warner Bros. Pictures / PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
1996
Role(s)
Gramercy Pictures / PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
2000
Role(s)
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution / Universal Pictures
2001
Role(s)
USA Films
2003
Role(s)
Universal Pictures
2004
Role(s)
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
2007
Role(s)
Miramax / Paramount Vantage
2008
Role(s)
Focus Features
2010
Role(s)
Paramount Pictures
2013
Role(s)
CBS Films
2016
Role(s)
Universal Pictures
2018
Year
Title
Distribution
1984
Blood Simple
Circle Films
1987
Raising Arizona
20th Century Fox
1990
Miller's Crossing
1991
Barton Fink
1994
The Hudsucker Proxy
Warner Bros. Pictures / PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
1996
Fargo
Gramercy Pictures / PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
1998
The Big Lebowski
2000
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution / Universal Pictures
2001
The Man Who Wasn't There
USA Films
2003
Intolerable Cruelty
Universal Pictures
2004
The Ladykillers
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
2007
No Country for Old Men
Miramax / Paramount Vantage
2008
Burn After Reading
Focus Features
2009
A Serious Man
2010
True Grit
Paramount Pictures
2013
Inside Llewyn Davis
CBS Films
2016
Hail, Caesar!
Universal Pictures
2018
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Netflix
Joel only · Filmography
2021
Role(s)
A24 / Apple TV+
TBA
Role(s)
Jack of Spades
Notes
TBA
Year
Title
Distribution
2021
The Tragedy of Macbeth
A24 / Apple TV+
TBA
Jack of Spades
TBA
Ethan only · Filmography
2024
Role(s)
Focus Features
Year
Title
Distribution
2022
Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind
A24
2024
Drive-Away Dolls
Focus Features
2025
Honey Don't!
· Accolades
1991
Role(s)
3
1996
Role(s)
7
Notes
2
2001
2007
Role(s)
8
Notes
4
2009
Role(s)
2
2010
Role(s)
10
2013
2016
Role(s)
1
2021
Total
Role(s)
42
Notes
6
Year
Title
Academy Awards
BAFTA Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Nominations
Wins
Nominations
Wins
Nominations
Wins
1991
Barton Fink
3
1
1996
Fargo
7
2
6
1
4
2000
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2
4
2
1
2001
The Man Who Wasn't There
1
1
1
3
2007
No Country for Old Men
8
4
9
3
4
2
2008
Burn After Reading
3
2
2009
A Serious Man
2
1
1
2010
True Grit
10
8
1
2013
Inside Llewyn Davis
2
3
3
2016
Hail, Caesar!
1
1
2018
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
3
1
2021
The Tragedy of Macbeth
3
1
1
Total
42
6
38
6
21
3
· Accolades › Directed Academy Award performances
1991
Role(s)
Barton Fink
Notes
Nominated
1996
Role(s)
Fargo
Notes
Won
Role(s)
Fargo
Notes
Nominated
2007
Role(s)
No Country for Old Men
Notes
Won
2010
Role(s)
True Grit
Notes
Nominated
Role(s)
True Grit
Notes
Nominated
2021
Role(s)
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Notes
Nominated
Year
Performer
Film
Result
Academy Award for Best Actor
2010
Jeff Bridges
True Grit
Nominated
2021
Denzel Washington
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Nominated
Academy Award for Best Actress
1996
Frances McDormand
Fargo
Won
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1991
Michael Lerner
Barton Fink
Nominated
1996
William H. Macy
Fargo
Nominated
2007
Javier Bardem
No Country for Old Men
Won
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
2010
Hailee Steinfeld
True Grit
Nominated

References

  1. Written and directed by Joel only
  2. The Boston Globe
    http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2010/12/19/from__debut_noir_to_new_western_coen_brothers_skew_movie_genres/
  3. "The 21st Century's 100 greatest films"
    https://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films
  4. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies"
    https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies/
  5. Jaffe, Ira. "Hollywood Hybrids: Mixing Genres in Contemporary Films". Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007.
  6. Miller's Crossing
    https://entertainment.time.com/2005/02/12/all-time-100-movies/slide/all/
  7. King 2014, p. 41.
  8. St. Paul Pioneer Press
    https://web.archive.org/web/20181005194913/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PD&s_site=twincities&p_multi=SP&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EF6EC4AB2DCD543&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D
  9. The University of Minnesota, 1945–2000
    https://archive.org/details/universityofminn00stan
  10. The Daily Telegraph
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/hail-caesar/coen-brothers-interview/
  11. Rolling Stone
    https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-features/joel-ethan-coen-the-brothers-from-another-planet-100526/
  12. Haaretz
    https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/2011-05-15/ty-article/coen-brothers-boycotting-israel-is-a-mistake/0000017f-e33d-d75c-a7ff-ffbd89780000
  13. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/jun/15/features.coenbrothers
  14. Levine 2000, p. 5.
  15. King 2014, p. 42.
  16. New York
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  17. Levine 2000, p. 6.
  18. Screen Rant
    https://screenrant.com/the-coen-brothers-directors-filmmaking-duo-facts-trivia/
  19. "Coen brothers prove two heads are better than one"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20090326132411/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gscDeHQbyybPqIAvt4N36wVwbkNw
  20. Levine 2000, p. 7-8.
  21. Levine 2000, p. 8.
  22. "Page for Ethan Coen's senior thesis"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20150419031814/http://dataspace.princeton.edu/jspui/handle/88435/dsp01h128nf78s
  23. If Chins Could Kill
  24. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/12/movies/blood-simple-a-black-comic-romp.html
  25. The New York Times
    https://web.archive.org/web/20151003201703/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/6128/Blood-Simple/details
  26. Blood Simple
    https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/30-years-of-coens-revisiting-blood-simple/379743/
  27. Raising Arizona
    https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/30-years-of-the-coens-raising-arizona/379815/
  28. The New Yorker
    https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1987/04/20/manypeeplia-upsidownia
  29. Miller's Crossing
    https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/30-years-of-coens-millers-crossing/379895/
  30. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/21/movies/review-film-barton-fink-a-dark-comedy-from-joel-and-ethan-coen.html
  31. Barton Fink
    https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/30-years-of-coens-barton-fink/379990/
  32. Chicago Sun Times
    https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hudsucker-proxy-1994
  33. The Hudsucker Proxy
    https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/30-years-of-coens-the-hudsucker-proxy/380068/
  34. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/books/00/05/14/specials/ondaatje-oscar.html
  35. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/movies/critics-choose-fargo-as-the-best-film-of-1996.html
  36. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/08/movies/film-review-deadly-plot-by-a-milquetoast-villain.html
  37. Chicago Sun Times
    https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fargo-1996
  38. The Washington Post
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/03/06/big-lebowski-rollin-a-strike/332f9924-fc9e-4f2f-babf-892c5a4ae0cd/
  39. The New Yorker
    https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/big-lebowski
  40. The Big Lebowski
    https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/30-years-of-coens-the-big-lebowski/380220/
  41. The Wall Street Journal
    https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-SEB-19463
  42. "The man who founded a religion based on 'The Big Lebowski'"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20120405065606/http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/life/doctrine-chiang-mais-church-latter-day-dude-explained-206793
  43. The New York Observer
    https://observer.com/1998/03/a-cubist-coen-comedy-men-in-white-meet-men-with-guns-scorseses-cheat-sheet-on-american-film/
  44. The New Yorker
    https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/movie-of-the-week-sullivans-travels
  45. "O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)"
    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/o_brother_where_art_thou
  46. "O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)"
    https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=obrotherwhereartthou.htm
  47. Gizmodo
    https://gizmodo.com/o-brother-this-was-the-first-movie-to-use-all-digital-1595466651
  48. "Intolerable Cruelty"
    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/intolerable_cruelty/
  49. "Terry Zwigoff Talks Battling Over 'Bad Santa,' His Preferred Director's Cut & Much More In Candid Interview"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20151229170039/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/terry-zwigoff-talks-battling-over-bad-santa-turning-down-juno-and-the-beaver-and-much-more-in-candid-interview-20121220
  50. The Daily Telegraph
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1462296/Disney-remakes-The-Ladykillers.html
  51. "The Ladykillers Movie Reviews, Pictures"
    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ladykillers/
  52. "15 Movies That Had The Biggest Influences On The Films of The Coen Brothers – Page 2 – Taste of Cinema"
    http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2021/15-movies-that-had-the-biggest-influences-on-the-films-of-the-coen-brothers/2/
  53. "Tuileries: A Short, Slightly Twisted Film by Joel and Ethan Coen"
    http://www.openculture.com/2011/12/tuileries_coen_brothers.html
  54. "Big Directors Small Films: The Coen Brothers Short Film 'World Cinema'"
    https://www.slashfilm.com/big-directors-small-films-the-coen-brothers-short-film-world-cinema/
  55. "To Each His Own Cinema (2007)"
    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chacun-son-cinema-to-each-his-cinema/
  56. Paris, I Love You
    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paris_je_taime/
  57. No Country for Old Men
    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/no_country_for_old_men
  58. "The 80th Academy Awards (2008)"
    http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/80th.html
  59. "Atlantic Theater Company"
    http://www.atlantictheater.org/
  60. "Art Meets Commerce"
    http://www.artmeetscommerce.net
  61. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/theater/reviews/08offi.html
  62. "15 Movies That Had The Biggest Influences On The Films of The Coen Brothers – Taste of Cinema"
    http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2021/15-movies-that-had-the-biggest-influences-on-the-films-of-the-coen-brothers/
  63. "Burn After Reading (2008) – Weekend Box Office Results"
    https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=burnafterreading.htm
  64. HuffPost
    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/26/coen-brothers-direct-new_n_170196.html
  65. "Coen Brothers"
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  66. Star Tribune
    https://web.archive.org/web/20160305194741/http://www.startribune.com/in-twin-cities-coen-brothers-shoot-from-heart/27957494/?c=y&page=1
  67. The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers
  68. Journal of Religion & Film
    https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol15/iss2/7
  69. Northfield News
    http://northfieldnews.com/news.php?viewStory=45735
  70. "St. Olaf gets 'Serious'"
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  71. "The 82nd Academy Awards (2010) Nominees and Winners"
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  72. Variety
    https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/coen-brothers-to-adapt-true-grit-1118001514/
  73. Boston Herald
    http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/west/view/20100212coen_brothers_to_film_true_grit_remake_in_nm/srvc=home&position=recent
  74. "Oscar nominations 2011 in full"
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  75. "Oscar nominees 2011"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20120314154922/http://movies.uk.msn.com/movie-awards/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=155966487
  76. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/theater/reviews/relatively-speaking-at-brooks-atkinson-theater-review.html
  77. BBC News
    https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-13408854
  78. Haaretz
    https://www.haaretz.com/1.5126645
  79. "The Coen Bros. New Script is Based on the 60's NYC Folk Scene"
    https://www.slashfilm.com/coen-bros-film-based-folk-musician-dave-van-ronk/#more-106431
  80. Entertainment Weekly
    http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/10/31/justin-timberlake-llewyn-davis/
  81. Festival de Cannes
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  82. Variety
    https://variety.com/2014/film/awards/2014-golden-globes-nominee-list-1200948220/
  83. Deadline Hollywood
    https://deadline.com/2012/09/fx-teams-with-joel-ethan-coen-and-noah-hawley-for-series-adaptation-of-fargo-342737/
  84. The Hollywood Reporter
    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/coen-brothers-rewrite-angelina-jolies-424417
  85. "Bridge of Spies"
    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_of_spies/
  86. ABC News
    https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/oscars-2016-complete-list-nominees/story?id=36271826
  87. The Hollywood Reporter
    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jonah-hill-joining-channing-tatum-717525
  88. "'Big Lebowski' Spinoff 'Going Places': First Photo of John Turturro as Jesus Revealed"
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  89. "WILL FERRELL AND JOHN C. REILLY REUNITE TO PLAY HOLMES AND WATSON, PLUS MORE MOVIE NEWS"
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  90. Empire
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  91. The Guardian
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  92. Variety
    https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/coen-brothers-tv-series-netflix-1202520874/
  93. Variety
    https://variety.com/2018/film/in-contention/coen-brothers-ballad-buster-scruggs-film-venice-oscar-1202883508/
  94. "Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Joel Coen Teaming For 'Macbeth' Movie"
    https://deadline.com/2019/03/denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-joel-coen-macbeth-movie-1202583823/
  95. Los Angeles Times
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  96. Variety
    https://variety.com/2021/film/news/joel-coens-tragedy-of-macbeth-frances-mcdormand-denzel-washington-new-york-film-festival-1235025533/
  97. Screendaily.com
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  98. Deadline
    https://deadline.com/2022/04/ethan-coen-focus-working-title-1234992302/
  99. Deadline
    https://deadline.com/2024/01/honey-dont-margaret-qualley-ethan-coen-1235803703/
  100. Deadline
    https://deadline.com/2025/05/josh-o-connor-joel-coen-movie-jack-of-spades-baz-bamigboye-1236409439/
  101. Collider
    https://collider.com/ethan-coen-tricia-cooke-honey-dont/
  102. "Mike Zoss Production Inc – New York City (NY) | Company Profile"
    http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_f62knp
  103. Star Tribune
    https://web.archive.org/web/20150403061242/http://www.startribune.com/local/west/11550951.html
  104. Walsh, Savannah (2025-03-03). "Sean Baker Ties Walt Disney's Record for Most Wins in One Night at Oscars 2025". Vanity F
    https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/sean-baker-ties-walt-disneys-record-for-most-wins-in-one-night-at-oscars-2025
  105. Leung, Russell; Salinas, Sara; Whitten, Sarah (2025-03-02). "Oscars 2025: 'Anora' cleans up, Adrien Brody and Zoe Saldan
    https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/02/oscar-awards-live-updates-complete-list-of-winners.html
  106. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/02/movies/the-prime-of-frances-mcdormand.html
  107. POPSUGAR Celebrity
    https://www.popsugar.com/node/44636563
  108. MovieMaker
    https://www.moviemaker.com/drive-away-dolls-ethan-coen-tricia-cooke/
  109. Los Angeles Times
    https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-mar-28-ca-verini28-story.html
  110. The Associated Press
    https://apnews.com/article/driveaway-dolls-ethan-coen-tricia-cooke-68858ecd870e8cec17f36d2eb7b892b1
  111. The New Yorker
    https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/11/ethan-coen-and-tricia-cookes-queer-caper
  112. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/17/books/books-of-the-times-shadowy-snapshots-of-a-nightmare-dreamscape.html
  113. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/12/20/bib/981220.rv015907.html
  114. The A.V. Club
    https://www.avclub.com/review/the-naked-man-19287
  115. Empire
  116. "Joel Coen, Frances McDormand sue Marin neighbors"
    https://www.marinij.com/2019/11/10/joel-coen-frances-mcdormand-sue-bolinas-neighbors-2/amp/
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