Joel Coen

The Profile

Joel Coen (born 1954, St. Louis Park, Minnesota) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. With his brother Ethan, he shaped modern American cinema through distinctive black comedies and neo‑noirs such as Fargo and The Big Lebowski, and later directed the solo feature The Tragedy of Macbeth. He is a multiple Academy Award winner.

Half of the Coen brothers duo with Ethan Coen; frequent collaborators include composer Carter Burwell and cinematographer Roger Deakins; married to Frances McDormand (since 1984).

Five DeBaser reviews track Joel Coen from snowbound crime to cosmic slacking and stark Shakespeare. Fargo is hailed as peak Coen black-comedy craft. The Big Lebowski earns love for its loser-poetry and noir homage. The Tragedy of Macbeth is praised for austere, expressionist style. Miller’s Crossing and The Hudsucker Proxy round out the craft and satire.