Etan Cohen
Etan Cohen | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 14, 1974 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard College |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1995–present |
Etan Cohen(Hebrew:איתן כהן;born March 14, 1974) is an Israeli-American screenwriter and film director who has written scripts for Hollywood movies, includingIdiocracy,Tropic Thunder,Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa,Men in Black 3,andThe Bad Guys.
Early life and education[edit]
Born in Israel to aJewishfamily, Cohen grew up inSharon, Massachusetts.He graduated from theMaimonides SchoolandHarvard College,where he wrote for theHarvard Lampoon.[1][2]
Career[edit]
 |
His first produced scripts, in 1995 and 1997, were forBeavis and Butthead,where he was credited as Ethan Cohen.[citation needed]He has since written for otherMike Judge-directed projects, includingKing of the Hillfrom 2001 to 2005, and for the feature filmIdiocracyin 2006. In the late 1990s he worked on two other television series – the animatedRecessand the short livedIt's Like, You Know....In 2007, he wrote the short film ‘My Wife is Retarded,’.[3]After scriptingIdiocracy,he worked on the animated series,American Dad!and wrote the episode, "Failure Is Not a Factory-Installed Option".TheAmerican Dad!minor character of the same name is named for him.
In 2008, Cohen co-wrote, along withBen StillerandJustin Theroux,the action-comedy filmTropic Thunder.He also wroteMadagascar: Escape 2 Africa,which earned anAnnie Awardnomination for bestWriting in a Feature Production.
Cohen penned the script for 2012'sMen in Black 3.In 2015, he made his directorial debut withGet Hard,which he also co-wrote.
Cohen wrote and directed the 2018 filmHolmes & Watson.The film earned him aGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Director.[4]
Personal life[edit]
Cohen is an observant Jew.[5]He keeps kosher and does not work on the Jewish Sabbath and he and his wife send their children to a Jewish day school.[5]
Filmography[edit]
Films[edit]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Idiocracy | No | Yes | Co-wrote withMike Judge |
| 2008 | Tropic Thunder | No | Yes | Co-wrote withJustin TherouxandBen Stiller |
| 2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | No | Yes | Co-wrote withEric DarnellandTom McGrath Nominated –Annie Award for Best Writing in an Animated Feature Production[6] |
| 2012 | Men in Black 3 | No | Yes | |
| 2015 | Get Hard | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut Co-wrote with Jay Martel andIan Roberts |
| 2018 | Holmes & Watson | Yes | Yes | Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director[7] |
| 2022 | The Bad Guys | No | Yes | Additional screenplay material by Yoni Brenner and Hilary Winston Also executive producer withAaron Blabeyand Patrick Hughes |
| 2022 | Puss in Boots: The Last Wish | No | Yes | Additional screenplay material |
| 2024 | Brothers | No | Yes |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1995–1997 | Beavis and Butt-head | |
| 1999 | It's Like, You Know | |
| Recess | ||
| Timon & Pumbaa | ||
| 2001–2005 | King of the Hill | Annie Award for Best Writing in an Animated Television Production[8] |
| 2006 | American Dad! |
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Annie Award | Writing in an Animated Television Production | King of the Hill | Won | [9] |
| 2007 | US Comedy Arts Festival | Comedy Festival Award for Best Short Film | My Wife Is Retarded | Won | [10] |
| 2009 | Annie Award | Best Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Madagascar 2 | Nominated | [9] |
| 2019 | 39th Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Director | Holmes & Watson | Won | [11] |
References[edit]
- ^Smith, Lynn (August 15, 2008)."The joke is on you".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedAugust 12,2019.
- ^Chris Lee (May 29, 2012)."The Movie Redemption of 'Men in Black 3' Scribe Etan Cohen".The Daily Beast.IAC.RetrievedAugust 12,2019.
- ^"My Wife is Retarded".IMDb.
- ^Howard, Annie (February 22, 2019)."Worst Director - Razzie Awards: 'Holmes & Watson' Named Worst Picture of the Year".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedAugust 12,2019.
- ^abZeitchik, Steven (March 13, 2015)."Etan Cohen, director of 'Get Hard,' is used to confounding expectations".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedNovember 28,2020.
- ^"Annie Awards - 36th Annie Awards".Annie Awards.RetrievedApril 30,2023.
- ^Montgomery, Daniel (February 23, 2019)."2019 Razzie winners announced: Full list of Razzie Award winners in all 10 categories [WATCH]".GoldDerby.RetrievedApril 30,2023.
- ^"Annie Awards - 32nd Annie Awards".RetrievedApril 30,2023.
- ^ab"Etan Cohen - Awards".IMDb.RetrievedJanuary 31,2024.
- ^Sciretta, Peter (February 13, 2007)."The 2007 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Film Program Line-Up"./Film.RetrievedApril 30,2023.
- ^"2019 Razzie winners announced: Full list of Razzie Award winners in all 10 categories [WATCH]".February 23, 2019.
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- American male screenwriters
- Comedy film directors
- Living people
- Israeli emigrants to the United States
- Israeli Jews
- Jewish American screenwriters
- Mass media people from Jerusalem
- 1974 births
- DreamWorks Animation people
- Maimonides School alumni
- The Harvard Lampoon alumni
- Harvard College alumni
- People from Sharon, Massachusetts
- Film directors from Massachusetts
- Screenwriters from Massachusetts