Jeffrey Allan Anderson (born April 21, 1970) is an American film and television actor, director, and screenwriter best known for starring as
Randal Graves
This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse.
''Clerks'' (1994)
Dante Hicks
Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...
in ''
Clerks
A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store.
Office holder
Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court.
*Barristers' clerk, a manager and adminis ...
,'' ''
Clerks II
''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Daw ...
,'' and ''
Clerks III
''Clerks III'' is a 2022 American comedy-drama film written, produced, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Smith. It serves as a standalon ...
''. In between, he has appeared in other
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...
-directed films and has written, directed, and starred in '' Now You Know''.
Early life
Born in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
and raised in
Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey
Atlantic Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, in the Bayshore Region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,385,Henry Hudson Regional High School, with his friend, aspiring writer
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...
; they graduated in 1988.
While Anderson was working at
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...
, Smith was working on his debut movie ''
Clerks
A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store.
Office holder
Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court.
*Barristers' clerk, a manager and adminis ...
''. As a joke, Anderson auditioned for the role of "Jay," and based on this audition, Smith later offered Anderson a lead role as video store employee
Randal Graves
This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse.
''Clerks'' (1994)
Dante Hicks
Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...
, a foul-mouthed apathetic
slacker
A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic.
Origin
According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the early ...
, who patronized, angered, and mocked his customers while avoiding any real work opportunities.
Career
For his role in ''Clerks'', Anderson was nominated for an
Independent Spirit Award
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...
for Best Debut Performance.
In 2002, Anderson wrote, directed, and starred in '' Now You Know''. The writing process lasted only three months. Anderson received a nomination for Best Male Performance at the Chicago Film Festival for his role in '' Love 101'', and has been seen in Peter Bergstrom's Something Cool. Anderson also started his own production company in Hollywood. In 2006, Anderson reprised his role as Randal in ''
Clerks II
''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Daw ...
''.
In 2008, Anderson appeared in
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...
's romantic comedy ''
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (also known simply as ''Zack and Miri'') is a 2008 American sex comedy film written, directed and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It was released on October 31, 2008.
Plot
Zack ...
'' as Deacon, the cameraman and film editor for the porno made by leading stars
Seth Rogen
Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series '' Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part o ...
and
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perf ...
.
On September 14, 2010, Anderson made his first appearance on Smith's
SModcast
''SModcast'' is a podcast featuring filmmaker Kevin Smith. The show was initially co-hosted with Smith's long-time producing partner Scott Mosier, although over the years, Mosier's appearances have been sporadic with a series of guest hosts tak ...
filling in for Scott Mosier on SModcast #134. In his podcast, Anderson stated he had moved out of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
and into a "
retirement community
A retirement community is a residential community or housing complex designed for older adults who are generally able to care for themselves; however, assistance from home care agencies is allowed in some communities, and activities and socializ ...
in the mountains" where he is "the youngest person there by 20 years." He also said he remarried in 2009, to an actress named Barbara Jacques he met while house sitting for Kevin Smith.
In April 2017, it was confirmed that production on the proposed sequel ''
Clerks III
''Clerks III'' is a 2022 American comedy-drama film written, produced, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Smith. It serves as a standalon ...
'' had ceased, as Anderson was not interested in appearing in the Kevin Smith-directed film. Although an $8 million budget had been obtained, locations were being scouted in Philadelphia and a crew was being assembled, with less than 2 months until production was to start, Anderson decided he would not be involved; the reasons have not been made public. Smith said he would not recast the role and production on the film was halted indefinitely. On October 1, 2019, Smith announced on Instagram that ''Clerks III'' was happening and that Jeff Anderson agreed to reprise his role as Randal. "It’ll be a movie that concludes a saga. It’ll be a movie about how you’re never too old to completely change your life. It’ll be a movie about how a decades-spanning friendship finally confronts the future. It’ll be a movie that brings us back to the beginning — a return to the cradle of civilization in the great state of #newjersey. It’ll be a movie that stars Jeff and
Brian O'Halloran
Brian Christopher O'Halloran (born December 20, 1969) is an American actor, producer, and podcaster best known for playing Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's debut 1994 film '' Clerks'' and its 2006 and 2022 sequels '' Clerks II'' and '' Clerks III' ...
, with me and Jay in supporting roles. And it’ll be a movie called CLERKS III!"