What Is Ethan Coen's Net Worth?
Ethan Coen is an American director, writer, and producer who has a net worth of $60 million. Ethan Coen and his brother, Joel Coen, have written, directed, and produced several Academy Award-winning films. Growing up, the Coen brothers saved money to buy a camera so they could recreate movies with their friends. They both graduated from Bard College at Simon's Rock, and Ethan would later earn a philosophy degree from Princeton University.
Ethan and Joel wrote their first movie, "Blood Simple," together in 1984, and it was directed by Joel. They would then release "Crimewave" in 1985, "Raising Arizona" in 1987, and "Miller's Crossing" in 1991. Five years later, the Coen brothers won their first Academy Award, Best Original Screenplay, for their movie "Fargo." They are also credited with titles including "The Big Lebowski," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," "Intolerable Cruelty," and the Oscar winner "No Country for Old Men." Ethan and his wife, film editor Tricia Cooke, have two children, Dusty and Buster Jacob, and live in New York.
Early Life
Ethan Coen was born on September 21, 1957, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. He is the son of Rena, who worked as an art historian at St. Cloud State University, and Edward Coen, who was a professor of economics at the University of Minnesota. He grew up with his older sister, Deborah, and his older brother, Joel. The family is of Eastern European Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Coen developed an early interest in film and cinema as he grew up watching Italian films and comedies with his brother. In the mid-1960s, his older brother, Joel, saved up his money from mowing lawns in order to buy a Super 8 camera. With his brother, Ethan began remaking movies that they had seen on television. They also created original films and had their friends star in them.
Coen attended St. Louis Park High School and graduated in 1976. He then attended Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Afterward, he enrolled at Princeton University and received an undergraduate degree in philosophy in 1979. He wrote his senior thesis on the topic of the philosophy of Wittgenstein.
Career
After finishing his degree at Princeton, Ethan began working with his brother, Joel, on making their own films. In 1984, the brothers wrote and directed "Blood Simple," their first commercial film. The film was set in Texas and starred Frances McDormand, whom Joel later married. In 1985, the brothers wrote the film "Crimewave" which was directed by Sam Raimi. The same year, the brothers made a cameo appearance in "Spies Like Us." In 1987, they released the film "Raising Arizona" starring Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter.
In 1990, they created the film "Miller's Crossing," which starred Albert Finney, Gabriel Byrne, and John Turturro. The film is about feuding gangsters during the Prohibition era and is inspired by the novels "Red Harvest" and "The Glass Key." The next year, they released the film "Barton Fink," which was a critical success and won three major awards at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, including the Palme d'Or. Additionally, it won multiple Oscar nominations. The film marked the brothers' first collaboration with cinematographer Roger Deakins, who they would collaborate with many more times over the next 25 years.
The next film Joel and Ethan released came in 1994, "The Hudsucker Proxy." The film was a box office bomb, despite its starring cast of Paul Newman and Jennifer Jason Leigh. In 1996, they experienced greater success with the crime thriller "Fargo." It starred William H. Macy and Frances McDormand and was both a critical and commercial success. It received a BAFTA award and an award at Cannes for direction as well as two Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress.
The brothers' next film was 1998's "The Big Lebowski" starring Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, and John Goodman. Though it originally received mixed reviews, it has since become both a fan and critical favorite and is considered a classic cult film. It has inspired the annual festival Lebowski Fest since 2002.
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In 1998, Coen also released a collection of short stories called "Gates of Eden." Additionally, he co-wrote the comedy "The Naked Man," which was directed by storyboard artist J. Todd Anderson.
In 2000, the brothers released "O Brother, Where Art Though?" The film is loosely based on Homer's "Odyssey" and is set in Mississippi, starring George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Turturro. In 2003, they directed "Intolerable Cruelty" and also rewrote "Bad Santa." The following year, the Coens made the film "The Ladykillers" starring Tom Hanks. In 2007, the released "No Country for Old Men" starring Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Tommy Lee Jones. The film is based on the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name.
In 2008, Cohen's play "Almost an Evening" premiered off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company Stage 2. It later moved to the Bleecker Street Theater. The same year, the brothers released "Burn After Reading" starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney. They then directed "A Serious Man" in 2009. In 2010, the brothers released "True Grit," a film based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Charles Portis.
In 2011, Ethan's one-act comedy "Talking Cure" was produced on Broadway. The same year, the brothers won the $1 million Dan David Prize for their contribution to cinema and society.
In 2013, they released "Inside Llewyn Davis," which is loosely based on the life of Dave Van Ronk. It won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. The next year, they executive produced "Fargo," a television series inspired by their original film. In 2015, they co-wrote the screenplay "Bridge of Spies," which was directed by Steven Spielberg. The same year, they released "Hail, Caesar!" In 2018, they directed "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," which was released on Netflix.
In 2022, it was announced that Coen would be directing "Drive-Away Dolls," his first directorial effort without his brother.
Personal Life
In 1990, Ethan married film editor Tricia Cooke. Together, they have had two children – a daughter named Dusty and a son named Buster Jacob. The family resides in New York City
