Kevin Smith

Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob. These characters also appeared in Smith's later films ''Mallrats'' (1995), ''Chasing Amy'' (1997), ''Dogma'' (1999), ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' (2001), ''Clerks II'' (2006), ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'' (2019), and ''Clerks III'' (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.

Other non-"View Askewniverse" films written and directed by Smith include the comedy-drama ''Jersey Girl'' (2004), the sex comedy ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (2008), the horror ''Red State'' (2011), and the comedy horror ''Tusk'' (2014). He has directed numerous episodes of television for series such as ''The Flash'' (2016–2018), ''Supergirl'' (2017–2018), and ''The Goldbergs'' (2017–2019), and created the animated television series ''Clerks: The Animated Series'' (2000) and Netflix's ''Masters of the Universe'' (2021–2024).

Smith owns Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey, a comic book store which became the setting for the reality television show ''Comic Book Men'' (2012–2018). As a podcaster, Smith co-hosts several shows on his SModcast Podcast Network, including ''SModcast'', ''Fatman Beyond'', and the live show ''Hollywood Babble-On''. He is known for participating in long, humorous Q&A sessions that are often filmed for release, beginning with the DVD release of ''An Evening with Kevin Smith'' (2002). Provided by Wikipedia