Ethan Coen -- a writer, director and producer whose career is closely tied to that of his partner and older brother, Joel -- was born Sept. 21, 1957, in St. Louis Park, Minn. As boys, the precocious Coens shared a love of classic movies and experimented with their own Super 8 camera. But Ethan studied philosophy, not film, at Princeton University, where he once tried to convince a dean that he missed a deadline because he lost his arm in a hunting accident.

The Coens made their feature debut with Blood Simple (1984) and built a cult following with the comedy Raising Arizona (1987). But they wouldn't find mainstream success until the release of their offbeat neo-noir Fargo (1996), which won two Oscars.

In 2007, the Coens reaped more critical acclaim and netted three Academy Awards with No Country for Old Men, including statuettes for Best Director and Best Picture. Four years later, the siblings garnered multiple Oscar nods for their remake of True Grit.