Joel Coen
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- November 29, 1954
- Birthplace
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) is an American filmmaker, working with his brother, Ethan 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 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.
Filmography
- Jack of Spades
Jack of Spades TBA
Director, Editor, Producer, Screenplay
The Coen Brothers Story 2025
as Self
The Bend in the River 2025
Executive Producer
Eddington 2025
Thanks
Winona Ryder: The Ghosts She Called 2022
as Self
The Tragedy of Macbeth 2021
Producer, Screenplay, Editor, Director
The Jesus Rolls 2019
Characters
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 2018
Director, Producer, Editor, Writer
The Shape of Water 2017
Thanks
Suburbicon 2017
Writer
- Blood Simple: A Conversation with Dave Eggers
Blood Simple: A Conversation with Dave Eggers 2016
as Self
- Shooting 'Blood Simple'
Shooting 'Blood Simple' 2016
as Self
Waffles and Bullet Holes: A Return to Sioux Falls 2016
Executive Producer
Hail, Caesar! 2016
Writer, Director, Editor, Producer
The Way of Folk 2016
as Self, Thanks
The First Hundred Feet, the Last Hundred Feet 2015
as Self
Bridge of Spies 2015
Writer
Unbroken 2014
Screenplay
Inside 'Inside Llewyn Davis' 2014
as Self
Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of 'Inside Llewyn Davis' 2013
Producer
Inside Llewyn Davis 2013
Director, Producer, Writer, Editor, Songs
A Special Day 2012
as Self
Gambit 2012
Writer
True Grit 2010
Screenplay, Director, Producer, Editor
A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop 2009
Original Story
A Serious Man 2009
Writer, Editor, Director, Producer
- Welcome Back, George
Welcome Back, George 2008
as Self
- DC Insiders Run Amuck
DC Insiders Run Amuck 2008
as Self
- Finding the Burn
Finding the Burn 2008
as Self
Burn After Reading 2008
Producer, Director, Editor, Writer
Behind the Scenes of 'No Country for Old Men': An Incredibly Unauthorized Documentary 2008
as Self
The Making of 'No Country for Old Men' 2008
as Self - Writer / Director
No Country for Old Men 2007
Producer, Director, Editor, Writer
To Each His Own Cinema 2007
Director, Writer
Paris Je T'aime 2006
Director, Writer
Romance & Cigarettes 2006
Executive Producer
The Ladykillers 2004
Director, Producer, Screenplay, Editor
- A Look Inside 'Intolerable Cruelty
A Look Inside 'Intolerable Cruelty 2004
as Self
Bad Santa 2003
Executive Producer
Intolerable Cruelty 2003
Editor, Director, Screenplay
Minnesota Nice 2003
as Self
- Making "The Man Who Wasn't There"
Making "The Man Who Wasn't There" 2002
as Self
The Man Who Wasn't There 2001
Director, Editor, Writer, Producer
The Grey Zone 2001
Thanks
Down from the Mountain 2001
as Self, Executive Producer
- Inside Look: Down from the Mountain
Inside Look: Down from the Mountain 2000
as Self
The Coen Brothers 2000
as Self
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000
Director, Editor, Writer
The Making of 'The Big Lebowski' 1998
as Self
Eight 1998
Thanks
The Big Lebowski 1998
Director, Editor, Writer
Eye of God 1997
Thanks
Fargo 1996
Director, Editor, Writer
The Hudsucker Proxy 1994
Director, Writer
Barton Fink 1991
Editor, Director, Screenplay
Miller's Crossing 1990
Screenplay, Director
Darkman 1990
as Oldsmobile Driver (uncredited)
Stephen King's World of Horror 1989
as Self
Raising Arizona 1987
Director, Screenplay
Spies Like Us 1985
as Drive-In Security
Crimewave 1985
as Reporter at execution (uncredited), Writer
Blood Simple 1985
Director, Writer, Editor
The Evil Dead 1983
Assistant Editor
Credits from TMDB.