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| NAME: The Coen Brother's |
| BORN: Joel: 29 November 1954 - Present |
| BORN: Ethan: 21 September 1957 - Present |
| PLACE: St. Louis Park, Minnesota |
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Joel David Coen (November 29, 1954 - Present)
Ethan Jesse Coen (September 21, 1957 - Present)
Joel and Ethan Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers. Their films include Blood Simple, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, and True Grit. The brothers write, direct and produce their films jointly, although until recently Joel received sole credit for directing and Ethan for producing. They often alternate top billing for their screenplays while sharing film credits for editor under the alias Roderick Jaynes.
Joel and Ethan Coen are of Jewish heritage and grew up in a Jewish community in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Their father, Edward, was an economist at the University of Minnesota, and their mother, Rena, an art historian at St. Cloud State University. When they were children, Joel saved money from mowing lawns to buy a Vivitar Super 8 camera. Together, the brothers remade movies they saw on television with a neighborhood kid, Mark Zimering as the star. Their first attempt was a romp titled, Henry Kissinger, Man on the Go. The brothers' Jewish upbringing was seldom related to their films' subjects or stories, with some exceptions, such as A Serious Man. Joel notes that "in regards to whether our background influences our film making... who knows? We don't think about it... There's no doubt that our Jewish heritage affects how we see things."
JOEL COEN Trivia
Adopted a baby named Pedro.
Used to receive sole credit as director for the Coen brothers movies', but has always directed films with his brother Ethan Coen. This was changed with The Ladykillers, and now they both receive credit for directing and producing.
Works so closely with his brother Ethan Coen that the two of them have been jokingly referred to as "The Two-Headed Director".
Alumnus of Simon's Rock College, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, along with brother Ethan Coen. This is a fully-accredited college for students who typically enter at the age of 16 - before graduating high school.
He and brother Ethan Coen have had final cut on all of their films since Blood Simple., their debut film.
Brother-in-law of Tricia Cooke.
Frequently includes kidnapping-plots in his films.
When an actor improvises a line on the set, he will almost invariably say something like, "That was great, but could you do it like it's written in the script?" Most Coen brothers films are the same when released as they are on the page in the final draft of the script.
Resides in New York City with his family.
As his brother, he graduated from Simon's Rock Early College in Great Barrington, MA. He later attended New York University's undergraduate film program to finally graduate after four years there.
In his childhood, he saved money from mowing lawns to buy a Super-8 camera.
Born to Edward Coen, an economist at the University of Minnesota, and his wife Rena, an art historian at St. Cloud State University.
The first Coen brothers film where both he and brother Ethan Coen are given directing and producing credits was The Ladykillers. They have shared these duties on all of their films, but Joel has always been listed as director and Ethan as producer.
As of 2009, he is the only person to have ever directed his wife to a Best Actress Oscar (Frances McDormand in Fargo).
Has a younger sister named Deborah, who is a psychiatrist.
His mother, Rena Neumann Coen, died of kidney disease in 2001.
Roderick Jaynes, who is credited with editing all of his films, does not, in fact, exist. The name is a pseudonym for Joel and his brother Ethan.
Has won the Cannes prize for Best Director three times, more than any other filmmaker. He won in 1991 for Barton Fink, 1996 for Fargo and 2001 for The Man Who Wasn't There.
ETHAN COEN Trivia
Brother of Joel Coen.
Graduated from Princeton University.
Alumnus of Simon's Rock College, Great Barrington, MA, with brother Joel Coen. This is a fully-accredited college for students who typically enter the age of 16 - before graduating high school.
Brother-in-law of Frances McDormand.
He and brother Joel Coen have had final cut on all of their films since Blood Simple, their debut film.
Frequently includes kidnapping-plots in his films.
Has used the character name of Marva Munson in both of his past two films. First, in Intolerable Cruelty (Judge Marva Munson) and secondly, in The Ladykillers (Marva Munson).
Worked as a statistical clerk at Macy's before setting off to make Blood Simple.
Has a younger sister named Deborah, who is a psychiatrist.
At Princeton, tried to explain a missed deadline by saying that he had lost one of his arms during a hunting accident.
Was briefly married to a woman named Hillary in 1985. Has two children, a boy and a girl, with current wife Tricia Cooke.
Along with his brother Joel, directed 6 actors in Oscar nominated performances: Michael Lerner, Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges, and Hailee Steinfeld. McDormand and Bardem won Oscars for performances in one of their movies.
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