Coen brothers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Coen brothers
Ethan (left) and Joel Coen, at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival
Born	Joel Daniel Coen (1954-11-29) November 29, 1954 (age 70) Ethan Jesse Coen (1957-09-21) September 21, 1957 (age 67) St. Louis Park, Minnesota, U.S. (both)
Other names	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)
Occupation	Film directors producers screenwriters editors
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	Joel: Frances McDormand (m. 1984) Ethan: Tricia Cooke (m. 1990)
Children	Joel: 1 Ethan: 2
Awards	Full list

Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957) are American filmmakers. They are famously known as the Coen brothers. They work together to write, direct, and produce movies.

Their films cover many different styles and genres. They often like to play with or make fun of these movie types. Some of their most famous films include Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), and No Country for Old Men (2007).

For many years, Joel was credited as the director and Ethan as the producer. This was due to rules for film directors. After 2004, they started sharing both directing and producing credits. They also used the name Roderick Jaynes for editing their films. Recently, in the 2020s, they have started directing movies on their own.

The Coen brothers have won many awards for their work. They have been nominated for 13 Academy Awards together. They won the Best Original Screenplay for Fargo. For No Country for Old Men, they won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. They also won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival for Barton Fink.

They have also written movies for other directors. These include Unbroken (2014) and Bridge of Spies (2015). Their films are known for mixing different styles and their unique humor. Many of their movies are considered some of the greatest films of the 21st century.

Discovering the Coen Brothers' Early Lives

Growing Up in Minnesota

Joel Daniel Coen was born on November 29, 1954. His brother, Ethan Jesse Coen, was born on September 21, 1957. They grew up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. This is a suburb near Minneapolis.

Their mother, Rena, was an art historian. Their father, Edward Coen, was an economics professor. The brothers also have an older sister named Deborah. She works as a psychiatrist in Israel.

The Coen family has Jewish roots from Eastern Europe. Their grandfather was a lawyer in London. Their father was born in the U.S. but grew up in London. He served in the United States Army during World War II.

Early Love for Movies

The Coen brothers became interested in movies very early. They watched many films on television. These included Italian movies, Tarzan films, and comedies. They especially liked actors like Jerry Lewis and Doris Day.

In the mid-1960s, Joel saved money from mowing lawns. He bought a Super 8 camera. The brothers then started making their own versions of movies. Their friend Mark Zimering often starred in these films.

For example, they remade The Naked Prey as Zeimers in Zambezi. Ethan played a native with a spear in this film. They also turned Lassie Come Home into Ed... A Dog. Ethan even played the mother role in a tutu! They also created original films like The Banana Film.

Education and Learning

Joel finished St. Louis Park High School in 1973. Ethan graduated from the same school in 1976. Both brothers also attended Bard College at Simon's Rock.

After college, Joel studied film at New York University. He made a 30-minute film there. Ethan went to Princeton University. He earned a degree in philosophy in 1979.

The Coen Brothers' Film Career

Starting in the 1980s

After college, Joel worked on industrial films and music videos. He became good at film editing. He met director Sam Raimi while helping edit Raimi's first movie, The Evil Dead (1981).

In 1984, the brothers wrote and directed their first movie together. It was called Blood Simple. This film is set in Texas. It tells the story of a bar owner who hires someone to kill his wife.

Blood Simple showed what their future movies would be like. It had elements of film noir (a dark crime movie style). It also had surprising plot twists and dark humor. The film starred Frances McDormand, who later married Joel. It won awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

Their next movie was Crimewave (1985). Sam Raimi directed it, and the Coens helped write it. The brothers also had small roles in the film Spies Like Us (1985).

In 1987, they released Raising Arizona. This film is about a former criminal, H.I. (Nicolas Cage), and a police officer, Ed (Holly Hunter). They want a baby but cannot have one. So, H.I. steals one of a rich man's quintuplets. The movie also featured Frances McDormand and John Goodman.

Movies of the 1990s

Miller's Crossing came out in 1990. It starred Albert Finney and John Turturro. The story is about rival gangs during the Prohibition Era.

In 1991, they released Barton Fink. This movie is set in 1941. A New York writer, Barton Fink (John Turturro), moves to Los Angeles. He struggles with writer's block in his hotel room. The film won three major awards at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, including the Palme d'Or. It was their first movie with cinematographer Roger Deakins.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) was co-written with Sam Raimi. It's about a simple man (Tim Robbins) who becomes president of a big company. The film did not do well at the box office.

The Coens wrote and directed the crime thriller Fargo (1996). It is set in their home state of Minnesota. A man named Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) has money problems. He arranges for his wife to be kidnapped for ransom. But the plan goes wrong. A local police officer, Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), investigates.

Fargo was a big success. It won a BAFTA award and a Cannes award for direction. It also won two Oscars: Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress for Frances McDormand.

Their next film was the dark comedy The Big Lebowski (1998). It stars Jeff Bridges as "The Dude," a laid-back man in Los Angeles. He gets caught up in a kidnapping plot with his bowling friends. At first, reviews were mixed. But now, it is a very popular cult film. There is even an annual festival called Lebowski Fest.

Ethan Coen also published a collection of short stories called Gates of Eden in 1998.

Films of the 2000s

Ethan and Joel at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival

The Coen brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) was very successful. The movie is loosely based on Homer's Odyssey. It is set in Mississippi in the 1930s. Three escaped prisoners try to find buried treasure. The film stars George Clooney and John Turturro. Its bluegrass soundtrack was also very popular.

Their next film was The Man Who Wasn't There (2001). It was another noirish thriller.

In 2003, the Coens directed Intolerable Cruelty. This romantic comedy stars George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It's about a divorce lawyer and a woman he prevents from getting money in her divorce. The film received good reviews. That same year, they helped produce the comedy Bad Santa.

In 2004, the Coens made The Ladykillers. This was a remake of an old British movie. A professor (Tom Hanks) forms a team to rob a casino. They rent a room from an elderly woman. When she finds out their plan, they try to silence her.

They also directed two short films. One was for Paris, je t'aime (2006) and the other for To Each His Own Cinema (2007). Both short films were well-received.

With Javier Bardem at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival

No Country for Old Men was released in 2007. It is based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy. A Vietnam veteran (Josh Brolin) finds and takes two million dollars. He then has to run from those who want the money back. This includes a dangerous killer (Javier Bardem). The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

In 2008, Ethan Coen's play Almost an Evening opened in New York. It received good reviews.

Burn After Reading, a comedy starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney, came out in 2008. It's about gym instructors and spies. It was released to positive reviews.

In 2009, the Coens directed A Serious Man. This dark comedy is set in 1967. It is loosely based on their own childhood. The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars.

Movies of the 2010s

True Grit (2010) is based on a 1968 novel. It stars Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross and Jeff Bridges as Marshal Rooster Cogburn. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards.

The Coens, presidents of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival jury

In 2011, the Coen brothers won the $1 million Dan David Prize. This award recognizes their contributions to cinema.

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) is about the 1960s folk music scene in New York City. It stars Oscar Isaac. The film won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Fargo, a TV series inspired by their film, started in 2014. The brothers are executive producers for the show.

The Coens also helped write the screenplay for Unbroken (2014). This film is about the life of Louis Zamperini during World War II.

They co-wrote Bridge of Spies (2015) with playwright Matt Charman. Steven Spielberg directed this historical thriller. It was released to great reviews. They were nominated for Best Original Screenplay for it.

The Coens directed Hail, Caesar! (2016). This film is about a "fixer" in 1950s Hollywood. He tries to find a missing actor. It stars many Coen regulars like George Clooney and Frances McDormand.

In 2016, the Coens allowed John Turturro to make a spin-off film. It featured his character Jesus Quintana from The Big Lebowski. The Coens were not involved in making this film.

The Coens first wrote the script for Suburbicon in 1986. George Clooney directed the film, which was released in 2017.

The Coens directed The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). This is a Western movie with several short stories. It started streaming on Netflix in November 2018.

Recent Work in the 2020s

In 2019, it was announced that Joel Coen would direct an adaptation of Macbeth. This film, The Tragedy of Macbeth, was Joel's first movie directed without Ethan. Ethan took a break to focus on theater.

In 2022, Ethan Coen directed a documentary film. It was called Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind. He also directed his first narrative film without Joel, Drive-Away Dolls, which was released in 2024. He co-wrote it with his wife, Tricia Cooke.

The Coen Brothers' Production Company

The Coen brothers have their own film production company. It is called Mike Zoss Productions. This company has been credited on their films since O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

The company is named after Mike Zoss Drug. This was a pharmacy in St. Louis Park where the brothers grew up. It was their favorite hangout spot. The pharmacy in their movie No Country for Old Men was also named Mike Zoss.

How the Coen Brothers Direct Films

For many years, Joel was the only one credited as director. Ethan was credited as producer. This was because of rules from the Directors Guild of America. These rules did not allow more than one director credit. However, there was an exception for "established duos."

Since 2004, the Coen brothers have been able to share the director credit. They are only the third duo to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director.

For No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers received four Academy Award nominations. These were for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing (as Roderick Jaynes). This tied a record for the most nominations for one film by a single nominee.

Personal Lives of the Coen Brothers

Joel Coen has been married to actress Frances McDormand since 1984. In 1995, they adopted a son named Pedro from Paraguay. Frances McDormand has acted in many Coen Brothers films. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Fargo.

Ethan Coen married film editor Tricia Cooke in 1993. They have two children, a daughter named Dusty and a son named Buster Jacob. Ethan and Tricia also co-wrote the film Drive-Away Dolls.

Ethan Coen and his family live in New York. Joel Coen and Frances McDormand live in Marin County, California.

Coen Brothers Filmography

Awards and Recognitions

Academy Award-Winning Performances in Coen Films

Images for kids

• 

  A robot for kids

See also

In Spanish: Hermanos Coen para niños