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
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 administ ...
'' (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
Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...
'' (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
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
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" film 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
Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine tooth, canine teeth, as with Narwhal, narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, ...
'' (2014). He has directed numerous episodes of television for series such as ''
The Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' (2016–2018), ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
'' (2017–2018), and ''
The Goldbergs'' (2017–2019), and created the animated television series ''
Clerks: The Animated Series'' (2000) and
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
's ''
Masters of the Universe
''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or ''She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince A ...
'' (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
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
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).
Early life
Kevin Patrick Smith was born on August 2, 1970, in
Red Bank, New Jersey,
[Note: At least one source, Yahoo! Movies, gives birthplace as ]Highlands, New Jersey
:''See also New York–New Jersey Highlands for the northwestern part of New Jersey.''
Highlands is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in northern Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A historic waterfront ...
. the son of Grace (née Schultz), a homemaker, and Donald E. Smith (1936–2003), a
postal worker.
He has two siblings: an older sister, Virginia, and an older brother, Donald Jr. He was raised in a
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
household
in the nearby clamming town of
Highlands.
Smith's childhood was scheduled around his father's late shifts at the post office. His father grew to despise his job, which greatly influenced Smith, who remembers his father finding it difficult on some days to get up and go to work. Smith vowed never to work at something that he did not enjoy.
Smith attended
Henry Hudson Regional High School,
where he was a
B and C student, videotaped basketball games, and produced ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''-style
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
. An overweight teen, he developed into a comedic observer of life to socialize with friends and girls.
After high school, Smith attended
The New School
The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...
in New York City, but did not graduate. Smith met
Jason Mewes while working at a youth center; they became friends after discovering a mutual interest in comic books.
Career
As a filmmaker
On his 21st birthday, Smith saw
Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making films that deal thematically with suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. In 2015, Linklater was included on the annual ''Time'' 100 li ...
's comedy ''
Slacker
A slacker is someone who habitually work aversion, 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 UK, British Gezira Sche ...
''.
Impressed that Linklater set and shot the film in his hometown of
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, rather than on a soundstage in a major city, Smith was inspired to become a filmmaker, and to set films where he lived.
[ He has said: "It was the movie that got me off my ass; it was the movie that lit a fire under me, the movie that made me think, 'Hey, I could be a filmmaker.' And I had never seen a movie like that before ever in my life." He assembled a library of independent filmmakers like Linklater, ]Jim Jarmusch
James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician.
He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...
, Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...
and Hal Hartley to draw from.
Smith attended Vancouver Film School for four months, where he met longtime collaborators Scott Mosier and Dave Klein. Unlike them, Smith left halfway through the course, figuring he knew enough to proceed and wanting to save money for his first film.
Smith moved back to New Jersey and got his old job back at a convenience store in Leonardo.[ He decided to set his film, '']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 administ ...
'', at the store, borrowing the a-day-in-the-life structure from the Spike Lee film '' Do the Right Thing''. Smith maxed out more than a dozen credit cards, and sold his much-treasured comic book collection, to raise $27,575 to make the film, while saving money by casting friends and acquaintances in most roles. ''Clerks'' was screened at the Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023.
The festival has acted ...
in 1994, where it won the Filmmaker's Trophy. At a restaurant following the screening, Miramax Films executive Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...
invited Smith to join him at his table, where he offered to buy the film. In May 1994, it went to the Cannes International Film Festival, where it won both the Prix de la Jeunesse and the International Critics' Week Prize. Released in October 1994 in two cities, the film went on to play in 50 markets, never playing on more than 50 screens at any given time. Despite the limited release, it was a critical and financial success, earning $3.1 million.[ Initially, the film received an NC-17 rating from the ]MPAA
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, the mini-major Amazon MGM Studios, as well as the video streaming services Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. F ...
for sexually graphic language. Miramax hired Alan Dershowitz
Alan Morton Dershowitz ( ; born September 1, 1938) is an American lawyer and law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law, U.S. constitutional and American criminal law, criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law Sc ...
to sue the MPAA. At an appeals screening, a jury of members of the National Association of Theatre Owners reversed the MPAA's decision, and the film was given an R rating. The movie had a profound effect on the independent film community. According to producer and author John Pierson, it is considered one of the two most influential film debuts in the 1990s, along with '' The Brothers McMullen''.[
Smith's second film, '' Mallrats'', Jason Lee's debut as a leading man, did not fare as well as expected. It received a critical drubbing and earned only $2.2 million at the box office despite playing on more than 500 screens. ''Mallrats'' was more successful in the home video market.][
Widely hailed as Smith's best film, 1997's '' Chasing Amy'' marked what ]Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
called "a quantum leap forward" for Smith. Starring ''Mallrats'' alumni Jason Lee, Joey Lauren Adams and Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...
, the $250,000 film earned $12 million at the box office, wound up on a number of critics' year-end best lists, and won two Independent Spirit Awards (for Screenplay and Supporting Actor for Lee). The film received some criticism from members of the lesbian community, who felt that it reinforced the perception that lesbians merely need to find the right man. Smith, whose brother Donald is gay, found this accusation frustrating, as he has endeavored to be a pro-LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
filmmaker, believing that sexuality is more fluid, with social taboos, not sexual desire, preventing more people from expressing bisexuality
Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, ...
.[
Smith's fourth film, '']Dogma
Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...
'' (1999), featured an all-star cast and was mired in controversy. A religious-themed comedy that starred a post-'' Good Will Hunting'' Ben Affleck and Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...
, as well as Chris Rock, Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( , ; ; born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa (1989 TV series), Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well a ...
, George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...
, Alan Rickman, Linda Fiorentino, and Lee and Mewes, it was criticized by the Catholic League. The film debuted at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, out of competition. Released on 800 screens in November 1999, the $10 million film earned $30 million.
Smith then focused the spotlight on the two characters who had appeared in supporting roles in his previous four films. '' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' featured an all-star cast, with many familiar faces returning from those four films. Affleck and Damon appear as themselves filming a mock sequel to ''Good Will Hunting''. The $20 million film earned $30 million at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics.
'' Jersey Girl'', with Affleck, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, and Raquel Castro, Smith's first film outside the View Askewniverse, marked a new direction in Smith's career. The film took a critical beating as it was seen as, in Smith's own words, "'' Gigli 2''", because it co-starred Affleck and his then girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
. Smith heavily reedited the film to reduce Lopez's role to just a few scenes, but the film did poorly at the box office. Budgeted at $35 million, it earned $36 million.
In the 2006 sequel '' Clerks II'', Smith revisited the Dante and Randal characters from his first film. Roundly criticized before its release, the film won favorable reviews as well as two awards (the Audience Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Orbit Dirtiest Mouth Award at the MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie & TV Awards is a film and television awards show previously presented annually on MTV. It began as the MTV Movie Awards in 1992, when its 1992 MTV Movie Awards, first edition was held, and adopted its current name in 2017, beginnin ...
). It marked Smith's third trip to the Cannes International Film Festival, where it received an eight-minute standing ovation. The $5 million film, starring Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Rosario Dawson, Mewes, Jennifer Schwalbach and Smith reprising his role as Silent Bob, earned $25 million.
'' Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' was originally announced in March 2006 as Smith's second non-Askewniverse film. The film began shooting on January 18, 2008, in Monroeville, Pennsylvania
Monroeville is a Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a suburb with mixed residential and commercial developments located about east of Pittsburgh. As of the 202 ...
, and wrapped on March 15, 2008. It stars Seth Rogen
Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...
and Elizabeth Banks as the title characters who decide to make a low-budget pornographic film to solve their money problems. It was released on October 31, 2008, and ran into many conflicts getting an "R" rating. Rogen said:
Smith took the film through the MPAA's appeals process and received an R rating without having to make any edits. ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' was considered a box-office "flop". It was hurt by "tepid media advertising for a movie with the title PORNO". In the aftermath of the film's performance, Smith's and Weinstein's business relationship became "frayed". ''Zack and Miri'' opened #2 behind '' High School Musical 3: Senior Year'' with $10,682,000 from 2,735 theaters, an average of $3,906. The "bankable" Rogen experienced his "worst box-office opening ever". In an interview with Katla McGlynn of the ''Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...
'', Smith said:
It was announced in 2009 that Smith had signed on to direct ''A Couple of Dicks'', a buddy-cop comedy written by the Cullen Brothers and starring Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...
and Tracy Morgan. Due to controversy surrounding the original title, it was changed to ''A Couple of Cops'', then reverted to its original title due to negative reaction, before finally settling on the title '' Cop Out''. The film, shot from June to August 2009, involves a pair of veteran cops tracking down a stolen vintage baseball card, and was released on February 26, 2010, to poor reviews; it was the first film Smith directed but did not write. ''Cop Out'' opened at number two at the box office and was mired in controversy, mostly over reported conflicts on the set between Smith and Willis. It was the last time Smith worked with a major studio, leading him to return to his independent film roots.
In September 2010, Smith started work on '' Red State'', an independently financed horror film loosely inspired by the Westboro Baptist Church
The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is an American unaffiliated Primitive Baptists, Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, that was founded in 1955 by pastor Fred Phelps. It is widely considered a hate group and a cult, and is known for Prot ...
and its pastor, Fred Phelps
Fred Waldron Phelps Sr. (November 13, 1929 – March 19, 2014) was an American Minister (Christianity), minister and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, worked as a civil rights attorney, ...
. Weinstein and his brother Bob, who had been involved in the distribution of Smith's films except ''Mallrats'' and ''Cop Out'', declined to support ''Red State''. The film stars Michael Parks, John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...
and Melissa Leo. Smith had said he would auction off rights to the $4 million film at a controversial event following its debut screening at Sundance but instead kept the rights to the film himself and self-distributed it under the SModcast Pictures banner. The January 2011 premiere drew protests from a half-dozen members of the church, along with many more who counter-protested Westboro members. Smith explained his decision as a way to return to an era when marketing a film did not cost four times as much as the film itself, a situation he called "decadent and deadening".''Red State'' was a box office bomb, earning just $1,104,682, and opened to poor reviews; the critical consensus (according to Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
) was "''Red State'' is an audacious and brash affair that ultimately fails to provide competent scares or thrills." In April 2011, Smith said that ''Red State'' had made its budget back by making $1 million on the first leg of the tour, $1.5 million from a handful of foreign sales and $3 million from a domestic distribution deal for VOD.
Smith had said before ''Red State'' that he would soon retire from directing, and announced that his last movie would be '' Clerks III''. In December 2013, he said he would continue to make films, but only ones that were uniquely his, as opposed to generic ones "anybody could make".
In 2013, Smith directed ''Tusk
Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine tooth, canine teeth, as with Narwhal, narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, ...
'', a horror film inspired by a story Smith and Mosier read about a Gumtree ad for a man who rents out a room in his house for free on the condition that the respondent dresses as a walrus for two hours per day. The project began pre-production in September 2013, and was shot in November of that year. Released September 19, 2014, it received mixed reviews.
Before ''Tusk'' release, Smith wrote the script for a spin-off of the film, which he titled '' Yoga Hosers''. The film began filming in August 2014, and was released in 2016. It stars Smith's daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, and Lily-Rose Depp, reprising their two minor characters from ''Tusk'', with Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
playing his inspector character from the earlier film.
Smith revealed at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
that he had written the script for a film called '' Moose Jaws'', which he described as "'' Jaws'' with a moose", and which is planned to be the third film in his ''True North'' trilogy.
Smith wrote and directed one segment, ''Halloween'', of the 2016 horror anthology film ''Holidays
A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...
'', in which each segment takes place during a different holiday.
In June 2017, Smith started shooting '' KillRoy Was Here'', a horror film based on the graffiti phenomenon. Directed by Smith, the script was co-written with Andrew McElfresh, marking the first time he shared writing credit. It represents a retooling of their ''Anti-Claus'' film, which was initially canceled after the release of '' Krampus'', due to the two stories' similarity. The film crew was mostly made up of students of the Ringling College of Art and Design, with shooting continuing over every semester break.
In 2017, due to obstacles getting ''Clerks 3'' or ''Mallrats 2'' produced, Smith decided to write and direct a '' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' sequel instead, '' Jay and Silent Bob Reboot''. It was scheduled to be filmed in September 2017, but shooting was postponed to February and March 2019. The first trailer for the film was released on July 18, 2019. Smith announced a tour to accompany the film.
On October 1, 2019, Smith announced on Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
that '' Clerks III'' was happening and that Jeff Anderson, who had retired, had agreed to reprise his role as Randal. The film released on September 13, 2022.
In 2024, Smith released '' The 4:30 Movie'', focusing on a group of teenagers in the 1980s who spent a day "theatre-hopping", in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Relationship with Harvey Weinstein
With the exception of ''Mallrats'', all of Smith's films until 2008 were financed and/or distributed by Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...
and his brother Bob, via their companies Miramax
Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...
, Dimension Films
Dimension Films was an American independent film and television production and distribution label founded in 1992, and currently owned by independent studio Lantern Entertainment. Formally one of the American " mini-majors" (i.e., small to m ...
, and The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the larg ...
. In 2008 Smith's relationship with Harvey Weinstein soured due to the financial failure of ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'', which Smith blamed on a lack of marketing. Nonetheless, they continued to discuss potential funding for other Smith projects, and The Weinstein Company co-produced Smith's 2016 talk show '' Geeking Out''. Smith named the independent production company he created for the 2011 film ''Red State'' "The Harvey Boys" in Weinstein's honor. Smith is considered one of the writer-directors whose career Weinstein nurtured, a group that also includes Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
and David O. Russell.
Smith severed professional ties with Weinstein when he was informed of his assault on Rose McGowan. Soon after allegations of rape and sexual assault by Weinstein publicly surfaced in October 2017, Smith said on Twitter that he was "ashamed" of his relationship with Weinstein. On his ''Hollywood Babble-On'' podcast, he said: "My entire career is tied up with the man", adding: "No fucking movie is worth all this." He lamented that in addition to working with Weinstein, "I sat out there talking about this man like he was a hero, like he was my friend, like he was my father." He pledged to donate all his future residuals from his Weinstein-produced films to the nonprofit organization Women in Film, which advocates for the inclusion of more women in film production. Smith later announced that, due to the declining appeal of his earlier films, the residuals from Weinstein-funded films may be lower than expected; he decided that he would instead donate $2,000 a month to Women in Film.
Frequent collaborators
Smith regularly casts the same actors in his film projects. Jason Mewes has been in nine of his films, his wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith in eight and Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...
in seven.
Writer
In 1997, New Line Cinema
New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
hired Smith to rewrite '' Overnight Delivery'', which was expected to be a blockbuster teen film. Smith's then-girlfriend Joey Lauren Adams almost took the role of Ivy in the movie, instead of the female lead in '' Chasing Amy''. Eventually, she lost out to Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Aw ...
, and ''Overnight Delivery'' was quietly released directly to video in April 1998. Smith was not credited for his contributions. He has said that the only scene that really used his dialogue was the opening scene, which includes a reference to longtime Smith friend Bryan Johnson.
Smith was an uncredited screenwriter on the 2000 comedy-drama film '' Coyote Ugly''.
Comics and magazines
Smith has been a regular contributor to ''Arena
An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
'' magazine. In 2005, Miramax Books
Miramax Books was an American publishing company started by Bob and Harvey Weinstein of Miramax Films to publish movie tie-ins. Between 2000 and 2005, while Jonathan Burnham was its president and editor-in-chief, the imprint published the memoir ...
released Smith's first book, '' Silent Bob Speaks'', a collection of previously published essays (most from ''Arena'') dissecting pop culture, the film business, and Smith's personal life. His second book, ''My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith'', published by Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of the British entertainment company Titan Entertainment, which was established as Titan Books in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cine ...
, was another collection of previously published essays (this time blogs from Smith's website silentbobspeaks.com) and reached No. 32 on ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' Best Sellers List. Titan released Smith's third book, ''Shootin' the Sh*t with Kevin Smith: The Best of the SModcast'', on September 29, 2009.
A lifelong comic book fan, Smith's early forays into comic books dealt with previously established View Askew characters, and were published by Oni Press. He wrote a short Jay and Silent Bob story about Walt Flanagan's dog in ''Oni Double Feature'' No. 1, and followed it with a Bluntman and Chronic story in ''Oni Double Feature'' #12. He followed these with a series of ''Clerks'' comics. The first was ''Clerks: The Comic Book'', which told of Randal's attempts to corner the market on ''Star Wars'' toys. The second was ''Clerks: Holiday Special'', where Dante and Randal discover that Santa Claus lives in an apartment between the Quick Stop and RST Video. Third was ''Clerks: The Lost Scene'', showing what happened inside Poston's Funeral Parlor. This story was later animated in the TV series style and included as an extra on the 10th Anniversary ''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 administ ...
'' DVD.
Smith wrote the miniseries '' Chasing Dogma'', which tells the story of Jay and Silent Bob between the films '' Chasing Amy'' and ''Dogma
Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...
''. He has written the trade paperback '' Bluntman and Chronic'', published by Image
An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
, which purports to be a collection of the three issues of the series done by Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards (of ''Chasing Amy''). It includes a color reprinting of the story from ''Oni Double Feature'' No. 12, purported to be an early appearance by McNeil and Edwards. These stories have been collected in ''Tales From the Clerks'' (Graphitti Designs, ), which includes a new ''Clerks'' story tying into the ''Clerks 2'' material, and the story from ''Oni Double Feature'' #1. They were previously collected by Image Comics in three separate volumes, one each for ''Clerks'', ''Chasing Dogma'' and ''Bluntman and Chronic''. In 1999, Smith won a Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...
, for Best New Talent in comic books.
In 1999, Smith wrote " Guardian Devil", an eight-issue story arc of '' Daredevil'' for Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
illustrated by Joe Quesada
Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, ...
. He produced a 15-issue tenure on ''Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
'' for DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
that saw the return of Oliver Queen from the dead and the introduction of Mia Dearden, a teenage girl who would become Speedy after Smith's run had ended.
Smith returned to Marvel for two miniseries, '' Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do'' and '' Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target'', both of which debuted in 2002. The former was six issues long, but problems arose when the third issue was published two months after the initially scheduled release date. As a result, the final issues were delayed for at least three years, prompting Marvel to release an "in case you missed it" reprinting of the first three issues as one book before the remaining issues were released. The delay in part was due to Smith's work on ''Jersey Girl'' and ''Clerks II'', causing him to shelve completion of the miniseries until the films were completed. He was announced as the writer of an ongoing '' Black Cat'' series and ''The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...
'' in 2002, but because of the delays on ''Evil That Men Do'' and ''The Target'', the plan was changed so that Smith would start a third Spider-Man title, launched in 2004 by Mark Millar
Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series ''The Authority (comics), The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ext ...
instead. ''Spider-Man/Black Cat'' was completed in 2005, but ''Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target'' remains unfinished, with one issue published.
Smith wrote the limited series '' Batman: Cacophony'', with art by friend Walt Flanagan
Walter Flanagan is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and (according to Smith's book '' Silent Bob Speaks'') it was Flanagan who tur ...
, which ran from November 2008 to January 2009. The series featured the villains Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia (or rarely echoism) is a type of word, or the process of creating a word, that phonetics, phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Common onomatopoeias in English include animal noises such as Oin ...
(a character created by Smith during his run at Green Arrow), The Joker, Maxie Zeus
Maximilian "Maxie" Zeus is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a minor enemy of Batman. He is depicted as a mentally ill former history professor who is obsessed with Greek mythology and believes ...
, and Victor Zsasz. The trade paperback of ''Batman: Cacophony'' became a ''New York Times'' Bestseller in their Hardcover Graphic Books section.
In 2010, Smith wrote a six-issue Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
miniseries, '' The Widening Gyre'', for DC, drawn by Walt Flanagan. The series was initially planned as 12 issues, with a long break planned between issues six and seven. After issue six was published, Smith and Flanagan's work on their reality show, '' Comic Book Men'', extended this planned break longer than expected. It was decided in the interim to release the remaining issues as a separate series, '' Batman: Bellicosity'', scheduled for 2016, but it remains unreleased.
Also in 2010, Smith published a Green Hornet story for Dynamite Entertainment based on an unused script he wrote for a ''Green Hornet'' film that never came to fruition.[
In August 2011, Dynamite Entertainment debuted Smith's '' The Bionic Man'', which was based on a 1998 script he wrote that Universal rejected for being "more like a comic book than a movie."
In 2014, Smith and Ralph Garman released a six-issue '' Batman '66'' crossover featuring Batman and Green Hornet, ''Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet''.
On March 7, 2022, it was announced that Dark Horse and Smith would be teaming up to publish the books of Secret Stash Press, a new publishing line by Smith. The first two books of the line include ''Maskerade'', written by Smith and Andy Mcelfresh and ''Quick Stops'', written by Smith and set within the View Askewniverse.
]
Television
In 1998, Smith shot two TV commercials for Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
in New Jersey.[
In 2000, Smith and Mosier teamed up with television writer David Mandel to develop an animated television show based on ''Clerks'' called '' Clerks: The Animated Series''. Only the first two episodes aired, on ABC in May 2000, before the series was canceled due to poor ratings. The six produced episodes were released on DVD in 2001.
During the mid-1990s, Smith directed and starred in a series of commercials for MTV, alongside Jason Mewes, in which they reprised their roles as Jay and Silent Bob. In 1998, he directed Mewes as "Gary Lamb – Ground Activist" in a series of Nike commercials. That same year, he shot commercials for Diet Coke. Two years later, he directed ''Star Wars'' toy commercials for Hasbro. He has directed and starred in commercials for ]Panasonic
is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and c ...
. In 2004, he shot a public service announcement
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...
for the Declare Yourself organization, which promotes youth voter registration. These advertisements brought Jay and Silent Bob out of their "semi-retirement."
On February 27, 2002, Smith released a short film for ''The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...
'', '' The Flying Car''.
Smith directed the pilot for The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
supernatural comedy series '' Reaper''. He described it as "less '' Brimstone'' or '' Dead Like Me'' and more like '' Shaun of the Dead'' than anything else". He added that he took the job because he had always wanted to direct something he did not write, but never had an interest in doing it on the big screen.
Smith produced and appeared in the AMC reality television series '' Comic Book Men'', which is set inside Smith's comic book shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, in Red Bank, New Jersey. The show ran for seven seasons, from 2012[Seidman, Robert (January 14, 2012)]
"AMC's New Unscripted Series, 'Comic Book Men' Debuts February 12 at 10pm"
TV by the Numbers. to 2018.
A second series of ''Spoilers'' aired on The Comedy Network in Canada.
Smith has directed three episodes of ''The Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' ("The Runaway Dinosaur", "Killer Frost", and "Null and Annoyed"), four episodes of ''Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
'' ("Supergirl Lives", "Distant Sun", "Damage" and "Bunker Hill") and three episodes of '' The Goldbergs'' ("The Dynamic Duo", "Graduation Day" and "Our Perfect Strangers").
In February 2017, Smith was announced to write, direct, and executive produce a TV series based on the Image Comics title '' Sam and Twitch'' for BBC America
BBC America is an American basic cable network that is owned by AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary series).
Unlike the BBC's ...
.
In February 2019, Smith was announced to cowrite, with Dave Willis, an animated web series based on Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
' '' Howard the Duck'' for Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
. In January 2020, it was announced that the ''Howard the Duck'' series was scrapped.
In 2022, Smith guest starred as himself on the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
sitcom '' Warped!'', in the episode "Plagiarized!"; in the episode, Smith announces to the lead characters what his new film would be, and the two leads believe Smith stole their similar idea and try to stop him.
Abandoned and stalled TV and film projects
In 1996, Smith worked on a script for a planned Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
film tentatively titled '' Superman Lives''. He wrote several drafts but was dropped from the project when Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...
was hired to direct and brought his own team to write the script; Burton's attempt was later abandoned as well. Smith publicly discussed his experience working on the script at a Q&A session at Clark University shown on the 2002 DVD '' An Evening with Kevin Smith''. In the Q&A, he said the experience was positive overall, since he loves Superman and was paid well. But he listed a number of unusual demands that producer Jon Peters made, including that Superman not be shown flying or wearing tights, and that he should battle a giant spider at the end of the film. Smith noted that he went to see the 1999 film '' Wild Wild West'', which Peters produced, and was surprised to see a giant mechanical spider at the end of the film, presumably Peters's handiwork. Smith's description of his experience gained a life of its own, with film critic A.O. Scott of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' calling it "extraordinary". In the 2007 direct-to-DVD animated film '' Superman: Doomsday'', Smith has a cameo as an onlooker in a crowd that alludes to this anecdote: after Superman defeats The Toyman's giant mechanical robot, Smith scoffs, "Yeah, like we really needed him to defeat that giant spider. Heh. ''Lame!''"
In the early '00s, Smith was said to be writing '' Fletch Won'', a prequel to the Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1976), where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment b ...
film '' Fletch'', and was set to direct with Jason Lee in the lead role, but the plans ultimately came to nothing. Smith cited Miramax not seeing Lee's box-office appeal (in an ''Entertainment Weekly'' article covering the delays, Smith claimed Harvey Weinstein continually refused it personally or suggested he focus more on the disguises of the character in a matter similar to ''Austin Powers
''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...
'', Smith admitting incredulity that Harvey refused even after Lee was frequently seen in billboards and posters in the city at the time, to promote his new show ''My Name is Earl
''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia (producer), Greg Garcia for NBC. It aired for four seasons from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, with a total of List of My Name Is Earl episodes, 96 episodes. It wa ...
'', but admitting that Harvey's vision for the film clearly did not include Lee) as a reason for its abandonment. For a time, Ben Affleck was considered for the role, with Chase framing the action as the narrator, looking back on his early adventures.
In 2004, Smith wrote a screenplay for a film adaptation of ''The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell.
Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas i ...
'', and announced that he intended to direct it. The project died after the poor box office of '' Jersey Girl''; the screenplay was later turned into a ''Green Hornet'' comic book miniseries. (A live-action film adaptation, ''The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell.
Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas i ...
'', was released in 2011, with no involvement from Smith.)
At the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
, it was announced that Smith would write and direct an episode of the '' Heroes'' spin-off '' Heroes: Origins'', but the project was canceled because of the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike.
Smith planned to direct a hockey drama-comedy based on Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer and songwriter. His most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". All t ...
's song " Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)". The song, about a hockey player famous for fighting in the rink, was co-written by Mitch Albom, who worked with Smith on the project. Smith announced at the 2011 Sundance premiere of '' Red State'' that ''Hit Somebody'' would be the last film he directed, but that he would continue to tell stories in other media.[Stewart, Sara (March 3, 2011)]
"Kevin can wait"
. ''New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative
daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
''. In August 2011, ''Hit Somebody'' was announced as a two-part film titled ''Hit Somebody: Home'' and ''Hit Somebody: Away'', with part one rated PG-13 and part two rated R, but later it became one film again. In December 2012, Smith announced that, due to difficulties finding funding, ''Hit Somebody'' would be a six-part miniseries on an as-yet unknown network. Smith announced in March 2015 that ''Hit Somebody'' would film from September to Christmas 2015, but this did not happen.
On March 12, 2015, Smith said he would film ''Clerks III'' in May 2015, followed in early 2016 by ''Moose Jaws'' and ''Anti-Claus'' (a story inspired by the Krampus tradition), which he confirmed the next day.
On April 8, 2015, Smith said that ''Mallrats 2'' would instead be his next film. Most of the original film's cast (16 of the 18) signed on to appear in the sequel. In June 2016, Smith revealed that because Universal owns the rights to the ''Mallrats'' title a sequel would not be made; instead, it would be turned into a ten-episode TV series produced by Universal Television
Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is ...
. He also confirmed that the film's entire cast would reprise their roles in the series. Toward the end of the month, Smith announced that he had closed a deal with Universal Television to pitch the series to networks and streaming services in August.
In January 2016, Smith wrapped production on a pilot episode for a planned half-hour comedy series, ''Hollyweed''. He wrote and directed the pilot, which starred Smith and Donnell Rawlings, along with Kristin Bauer van Straten, Frankie Shaw
Rachel Frances Shaw (born ) is an American actress, writer and director. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime (TV network), Showtime series ''SMILF,'' based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, dire ...
, Jason Mewes, Ralph Garman, Adam Brody, Hina Abdullah, Pete Pietrangeliand and Harley Quinn Smith. The pilot was not picked up. In July 2018, it was released as the inaugural pilot on the new TV crowdsourcing site Rivit TV, in hopes of getting funded as a web series.
In May 2016, Smith announced that he was adapting the 1984 film '' The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'' for television through MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
and said he and the company were shopping it around to networks. In July 2016, it was revealed that Amazon Studios was close to closing a deal to produce the series, but in November 2016, during a Facebook Live Stream, Smith said he would walk away from the series after MGM filed a lawsuit against the original creators, but would be willing to come back on board if they wanted him.
Acting roles
As an actor, Smith is best known for his role as Silent Bob 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 administ ...
'', '' Mallrats'', '' Chasing Amy'', ''Dogma
Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...
'', '' Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back'', and '' Clerks II''. He made a cameo appearance in the horror film '' Scream 3'', and was featured along with Jason Mewes in several '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' episodes, including a special, "Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi" (also as a fictional version of himself).
Smith played the role of Paul, a cynical divorced man, in a Showtime television series pilot, ''Manchild'', filmed in December 2006. It was not picked up by the network.
From 1995 to 1999, Smith played small roles in the View Askew films '' Drawing Flies'', '' Vulgar'', and '' Big Helium Dog''.
In 2001, he appeared in friend Jeff Anderson's film '' Now You Know''.
In 2003, Smith appeared in a cameo role as coroner Jack Kirby in the film '' Daredevil''. In 2006, he voiced the Moose in the CGI cartoon '' Doogal''.
In early 2005, Smith appeared in three episodes of the Canadian-made teen drama '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. He wrote his own dialogue for the episodes. An avid fan of the original '' Degrassi'' series '' Degrassi Junior High'' and '' Degrassi High'', Smith references them in some of his early films. In the episodes, portraying a fictionalized version of himself, he visited the school to work on the fictional film ''Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!'' All three episodes were collected on the DVD ''Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi''. Smith and Mewes reappeared in two episodes the following season, in which they returned to Degrassi for the Toronto premiere of the movie. Smith also appeared in the 2009 made-for-TV movie '' Degrassi Goes Hollywood''.
In 2007, Smith appeared in a number of films, co-starring as Sam in ''Catch and Release
Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture the fish is Fish hook, unhooked and returned live to the water. Originally adopted in the United Kingdom by Coarse fishing, coarse fishermen to Overfishing, preser ...
'', starring Jennifer Garner, and appearing as The Warlock, a hacker, in the fourth installment of the ''Die Hard
''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart (writer), Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, based on the 1979 novel ''Nothing Lasts Forever (Thorp novel), Nothing Lasts Forever'' by Roderick ...
'' franchise, '' Live Free or Die Hard''. At year's end, he appeared briefly in friend and fellow writer-director Richard Kelly's '' Southland Tales'', in which he played the legless conspiracy theorist General Simon Theory. The same year, Smith did voicework for the CGI film '' TMNT'' as a diner chef and was seen as Rusty (a friend of lead Jason Mewes) in '' Bottoms Up'' with co-star Paris Hilton.
Smith cameoed in the second-season premiere of the sitcom '' Joey'', playing himself, on an episode of ''Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
'' (2000, episode " Black, White and Blue"), '' Duck Dodgers'' (2003 as Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...
, voice only) and '' Yes, Dear'' (2004, as himself and as Silent Bob behind the end credits). He appeared in the second episode of season two of ''Veronica Mars
''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen neo-noir Mystery fiction, mystery Drama (film and television), drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas (writer), Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional city, fictional town of Ne ...
'', playing a store clerk. Before it aired, Smith watched the show's first season and raved about it in his "online diary", calling it one of the best shows in the history of television.
Smith does a voice cameo in '' Superman: Doomsday'' as a bystander. He had a cameo appearance as "Bob the Security Guard" alongside Jason Mewes as "Jay the Security Guard" on ''The Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' episode, "Null and Annoyed", which he also directed.
Smith played himself in the video game '' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham'' as a playable character.
Smith appears as himself in '' Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare'', as a cameo and a playable character in the map Rave in the Redwoods.
In 2017, he appeared as himself in the animated film '' Teen Titans: The Judas Contract'' from the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series.
Smith had a voice cameo in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and an on-screen cameo in '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker''.
Q&A documentaries and other specials
Smith has appeared in five Q&A documentaries: '' An Evening with Kevin Smith'' (2002), '' An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder'' (2006), '' Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith'' (2007), '' Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40'' (2010) and '' Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell'' (2012). All five have been released on DVD, and the last two were broadcast on the cable channel Epix.
The first is a collection of filmed appearances at American colleges, while the sequel was shot at two Q&A shows held in Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
and London. The third and fourth were filmed in Red Bank, New Jersey at the Count Basie Theater on Smith's 37th and 40th birthdays, respectively. The fifth was filmed in Austin, Texas at the Paramount Theater. The first two DVD sets were released by Sony Home Video, while the third was put out by the Weinstein Company.
A stand-up special, entitled ''Kevin Smith: Silent But Deadly'', filmed a mere hour before Smith's heart attack, premiered in 2018 on the cable channel Showtime and was later released to DVD.
Smith appears with Marvel Comics' Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
in ''Marvel Then & Now: An Evening With Stan Lee and Joe Quesada, hosted by Kevin Smith''. The film is similar in tone to the ''Evening with Kevin Smith'' series. Proceeds from the film benefit The Hero Initiative, a charitable organization that aids ill or aging comic book creators.
Other film and television appearances
After an August 2001 appearance on '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' to promote ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', Smith returned to the show for monthly segments as a correspondent. The "Roadside Attractions" segments featured him traveling to places around the country, including Howe Caverns in upstate New York and the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. At least 12 of these segments were aired, and Smith regularly appeared on the program to introduce the pre-taped pieces. Five of the segments were also included on the '' Jersey Girl'' DVD.
Smith appeared in the 2006 mtvU
MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. MTVU programming initially served 750 college and univ ...
show '' Sucks Less with Kevin Smith''. The show gives college students ideas for things to do on the weekends.
In 2006, Smith guest reviewed on '' Ebert & Roeper'', in place of Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
, who was recovering from thyroid cancer
Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck, ...
treatment. These spots were notable for the arguments between Smith and Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'', where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television s ...
over certain films, with Smith often citing Roeper's negative review of ''Jersey Girl'' to discredit his review of the film at hand. On one appearance, Smith compared Craig Brewer's '' Black Snake Moan'' to the works of William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...
.
Smith was featured as one of the interview subjects in ''This Film Is Not Yet Rated
''This Film Is Not Yet Rated'' is a 2006 American documentary film about the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system and its effect on American culture, directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Eddie Schmidt. It premiered at the ...
'', a 2006 documentary about the Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the Major film studios, five major film studios of the Cinema of the United States, United States, the Major film studios#Mini-majors, mini-major Amazon MGM Stud ...
's process of rating films. Smith discussed how '' Jersey Girl'' receiving an R rating, on the basis of a conversation two characters in that film have about masturbation, which MPAA head Joan Graves told Smith she would not feel comfortable having her 16-year-old daughter watching. Smith's response was to question whether Graves' daughter had not already masturbated or learned about masturbation, arguing that his film was not teaching 16-year-olds anything they did not already know.
Smith teamed with AMC and The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the larg ...
to co-host a late night talk show with Greg Grunberg, '' Geeking Out'', which premiered in July 2016, covering San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
with 8 subsequent episodes running weekly.
In February 2019, he made his second appearance on ''The Big Bang Theory
''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady for CBS. It aired from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes.
The show originally centered on five charact ...
'' in season 12 episode 16, "The D&D Vortex", alongside other guests stars, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...
, William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
, and Joe Manganiello in a storyline where they get together at the home of recurring star Wil Wheaton, to play ''Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
''. His first appearance was in season 8 episode 20, "The Fortification Implementation", when he joins Wil Wheaton on a podcast, voice only.
On November 16, 2019, Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...
published "Bonus: Kevin Smith Explains ''The Expanse''" as a forerunner to series 4 of '' The Expanse'', in which Smith helps explain the action that unfolded during the first three seasons. Two days later, it was published on YouTube.
Public appearances
Smith's longest Q&A session took place April 2, 2005, at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey. The sold-out event was over seven hours long, took place from 8 pm through 3 am (which due to daylight saving time
Daylight saving time (DST), also referred to as daylight savings time, daylight time (Daylight saving time in the United States, United States and Daylight saving time in Canada, Canada), or summer time (British Summer Time, United Kingdom, ...
, was actually 4 am). Following the Q&A, he opened Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash for a meet-and-greet with the numerous remaining audience members, which ended around 6:30 am. Smith then hopped on a plane and did another Q&A at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake, Illinois, that night. Planned for two hours, it lasted just over five hours, ending a little after 1 am Central time.
Smith made sold-out appearances at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
in 2009 and the Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
in 2010.
On the Internet
Smith has a website, The View Askewniverse, which went online in late 1995. He has an online blog, "My Boring-Ass Life", the contents of which were published in a book by the same name. '' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' fictional website MoviePoopShoot.com became real in 2002. It became Quick Stop Entertainment and was the home of SModcast until it was sold and SModcast moved to a dedicated website SModcast.com, which carries the other SModcast network podcast
A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
s in early 2010.
On February 5, 2007, Smith and Scott Mosier began SModcast, a regular comedy podcast. SModcast has since spawned into a podcast network called the SModcast podcast network which began in 2010, its own digital radio
Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services. This should not be confused with In ...
station called SModcast Internet Radio (S.I.R) in 2011 and an internet television channel SModCo Internet Television (S.I.T.) in 2012.
On June 4, 2012, Smith premiered his Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
weekly series '' Spoilers'', described as an "anti-movie review" series, where Smith takes a group of people to a new film and has them comment on what they have seen. Other segments on the show include interviews with celebrities, and the "Criterion Lounge", where Smith discusses a Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of arthouse film distributo ...
film available on DVD and the Hulu Plus service.
On December 14, 2015, Smith began posting his ''Fatman on Batman'' series on YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.
In late 2015, Smith and Jason Mewes began the web series ''What's in the Box?'' on the '' Screen Junkies'' website, through the site's streaming service.
Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash
Smith owns and operates Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey, a comic book store largely dedicated to merchandise related to his films and comics. He purchased the original store in January 1997 for $30,000, using the money he earned from ''Clerks''.[ The current location is its third. The original store was moved to a defunct ice cream parlor at 35 Broad St. after Smith sold the Monmouth Street property. The New Jersey location was managed by Smith's long-time friend ]Walt Flanagan
Walter Flanagan is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and (according to Smith's book '' Silent Bob Speaks'') it was Flanagan who tur ...
, who appears frequently in Smith's films. On November 25, 2020, Smith announced on his Twitter account that he was closing the Red Bank store at 35 Broad Street on December 28, and moving the store down the block to a long-vacant corner location at 65 Broad Street. The new location opened on February 22, 2021.
A second Secret Stash in the Westwood section of Los Angeles was opened in September 2004 and was managed by long-time friend and associate Bryan Johnson, who has appeared in Smith's films as Steve-Dave.[Smith, Kevin (September 12, 2007)]
"Some pity-oral, who is and isn't 'Zack', and the shuttering of a comic book emporium"
. My Boring Ass Life. Smith had announced that he would close after his lease expired and Johnson wanted to resign, but eventually relocated to Laser Blazer, a now-defunct laserdisc and DVD store in Los Angeles. In January 2009, the Los Angeles store closed, leaving the Red Bank store as Smith's only operating store.
Personal life
After the success of his first films, Smith moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, though he felt homesick due to being away from Red Bank, New Jersey. He dated actress Joey Lauren Adams, and declared his desire to marry her in ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine. Smith and Adams' relationship was tested by their working together on '' Chasing Amy'', and the two had a heated argument while on the film's set. They broke up in June 1997.[
]
Smith is married to Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, whom he met while she was interviewing him for ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''.[Plus One, podcast, smodcast.com, retrieved April 2013] They got married at Skywalker Ranch on April 25, 1999. He photographed her for a nude pictorial in ''Playboy
''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
''. Their daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, was born June 26, 1999, and was named after the character from '' Batman: The Animated Series''. They live in the Hollywood Hills[ in a house Smith purchased from his longtime friend ]Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...
in 2003.
Smith is an avid hockey fan and supports the New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
. He is also a fan of the Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
.
Health
Smith never smoked until his debut film, ''Clerks'', in which he used the cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...
s as a prop, but did not inhale. He quit smoking cigarettes in 2008, when he took up smoking cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
after working with Seth Rogen
Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...
on '' Zack and Miri Make a Porno''.
Smith has had a history of yo-yo dieting. He lost upon meeting his wife. During production of '' Clerks II'' in 2005, he went from to . After watching '' Fed Up'', he eliminated sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
from his diet and took up juice fasts in 2014, lowering his weight from to .
On February 25, 2018, after performing a stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...
show at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California
Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles.
As of 2024, Glendale ha ...
, Smith suffered a severe heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
caused by a total blockage of the left anterior descending artery. An ambulance rushed him to the nearby Glendale Adventist Medical Center for emergency surgery, from which he recovered. Following the episode, his doctor told him he needed to lose another . He adopted a vegan diet, also joining Weight Watchers and becoming a paid spokesperson for the brand.
On the fifth anniversary of his heart attack, Smith confirmed that he had quit using marijuana in early 2023 and had experienced a mental health crisis earlier in the year that led him to reassess his livelihood and identify as co-dependent.
Religious beliefs
Though raised Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, Smith began to become disillusioned about his beliefs in his early 20s, and came to see Catholic Mass
The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ ...
as "dry and lip-servicey". Seeking out advice, Smith spoke to a priest, who analogized faith to liquid filling a shot glass, and explained that the glass grows in size as a person grows older, and thus the same knowledge that satisfies a person as a child can be insufficient as an adult.
Smith researched Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
thoroughly, explored other religions, read the Biblical apocrypha
The Biblical apocrypha () denotes the collection of ancient books, some of which are believed by some to be of doubtful origin, thought to have been written some time between 200 BC and 100 AD.
The Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Ori ...
, and tried joining a Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
congregation. The thoughts and ideas he explored during this time formed the inspiration for his film ''Dogma
Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...
'', the beginning of which features characters using the shot glass metaphor used by the priest. Though Smith still regularly attended Mass as late as 1998, he stated on "Back to the Well", a feature on the ''Clerks II'' documentary, that he only goes to Mass on the day before he starts production of a film, and the day before it premieres. In September 2014, Smith said that he believed in God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
, stating: "Proof of God is that I have a career."
In a 2015 interview, Smith said that he had left both Catholicism and theism
Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of at least one deity. In common parlance, or when contrasted with '' deism'', the term often describes the philosophical conception of God that is found in classical theism—or the co ...
behind, citing the death of his dog. He said that upon the dog's death, he realized that dogs do not have religious beliefs. This in turn made him decide that religion was something meant to comfort children who were afraid of death. As an adult, Smith decided he no longer needed religion if his dog did not. When asked about his religious beliefs in 2017, Smith said that he "believes in people".
Philanthropy
Smith co-founded "The Wayne Foundation", a charity supporting women affected by human trafficking and exploitation in 2010; as of 2025 it had its tax exempt status revoked by the IRS due to failure to file for 3 consecutive years. In February 2019, he donated some of his previously worn jerseys to be auctioned off for the charity.
In 2018, Vancouver Film School announced three "Kevin Smith Scholarships" in Acting, Writing and Film Production covering full-tuition. Thirteen partial scholarships were awarded, funded by Smith. He personally selected the recipients from over nine hundred applications.
Filmography
Smith has directed sixteen feature films since 1994; he was the screenwriter for all but one of them, '' Cop Out'' (2010).
He has created and executive produced the TV series '' Clerks: The Animated Series'' (2000–2001), '' Sucks Less with Kevin Smith'' (2006), '' Comic Book Men'' (2012–2018) and '' Geeking Out'' (2016). Since 2016, he has regularly directed episodes for a number of television shows.
Smith has had many small acting roles in films and television, often playing himself or otherwise making a cameo appearance.
Recognition
In 2019, ''Clerks'' was selected by the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Bibliography
''View Askewniverse''
* Oni Press:
**'' Oni Double Feature'' (anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
):
*** " Walt Flanagan's Dog" (with Matt Wagner, in #1, 1998)
*** " The Derris Affair" (with Mike Allred, in #12, 1999)
**'' Clerks: The Comic Books'' (tpb, 112 pages, 2000, ) collects:
*** ''Clerks: The Comic Book'' (with Jim Mahfood, one-shot, 1998)
*** ''Clerks Holiday Special'' (with Jim Mahfood, 1998)
*** ''Clerks: The Lost Scene'' (with Phil Hester, one-shot, 1999)
**'' Jay and Silent Bob'' #1–4 (with Duncan Fegredo, 1998–1999) collected as ''Jay and Silent Bob: Chasing Dogma'' (tpb, 112 pages, 1999, )
*'' Bluntman and Chronic'' (with Michael Avon Oeming and Neil Vokes; includes "The Derris Affair", graphic novel
A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
, 96 pages, Image
An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
, 2001, )
*'' Tales from the Clerks'': "Where's the Beef?" (with Jim Mahfood, new story for the collection, tpb, 400 pages, 2006, Graphitti Designs, )
** In addition to the new story, this collection reprints all of the '' View Askewniverse'' comics published by Oni Press and Image between 1998 and 2001.
** Graphitti Designs also released "Where's the Beef?" with some non-comics extras as a standalone, WWCC-exclusive one-shot titled '' Tales from the Clerks II'' (2006)
*'' Jay and Silent Bob's Blueprints for Destroying Everything'' (co-written by Smith and Jason Mewes, illustrated by Steve Stark, 112 pages, Gallery Books, 2014, )
Marvel Comics
* Daredevil ( Marvel Knights):
**
Daredevil #0
' (with Joe Quesada
Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, ...
, 17-panel cybercomic, 1998)
**'' Daredevil'' vol. 2 #1–8, ½: " Guardian Devil" (with Joe Quesada, 1998–1999) collected as ''Daredevil: Guardian Devil'' (hc, 232 pages, 2008, ; tpb, 2010, )
**'' Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target'' #1 (of 4) (with Glenn Fabry — and Adam Kubert as the artist for the following issue, 2003)
*'' Heroes'': "A Hero's Thoughts" (short poem with an illustration by Joe Quesada, one-page segment in the magazine-sized benefit comic, 2001)
*'' A Moment of Silence'': "Periphery" (with John Romita, Jr., anthology one-shot, 2002)
*'' Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do'' #1–6 (with Terry Dodson, 2002–2006) collected as ''Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do'' (hc, 176 pages, 2006, ; tpb, 2007, )
** This limited series (initially announced as a one-shot) was supposed to lead in to an ongoing '' Black Cat'' series and a run on ''The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...
'',[ both to be written by Smith and published concurrently.][
** As a result of the three-year delay between issues #3 and 4 of ''The Evil That Men Do'' and the changes in ]Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
's status quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...
during that period, neither project eventually materialized.
DC Comics
*''Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
'' vol. 3 (with Phil Hester, 2001–2002) collected as:
**''Quiver
A quiver is a container for holding arrows or Crossbow bolt, bolts. It can be carried on an archer's body, the bow, or the ground, depending on the type of shooting and the archer's personal preference. Quivers were traditionally made of leath ...
'' (collects #1–10, hc, 232 pages, 2002, ; tpb, 2003, )
**''Sounds of Violence'' (collects #11–15, hc, 128 pages, 2003, ; tpb, 2004, )
**''Green Arrow by Kevin Smith'' (collects #1–15, '' Absolute Edition'', 384 pages, 2015, ; tpb, 2016, )
*'' The Brave and the Bold'' vol. 3 (with Phil Hester, unreleased ongoing series — initially announced in 2001)
*Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
:
**'' Batman: Cacophony'' #1–3 (with Walt Flanagan
Walter Flanagan is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and (according to Smith's book '' Silent Bob Speaks'') it was Flanagan who tur ...
, 2008–2009) collected as ''Batman: Cacophony'' (hc, 144 pages, 2009, ; tpb, 2010, )
**'' Batman: The Widening Gyre'' #1–6 (of 12)[ (with Walt Flanagan, 2009–2010) collected as ''Batman: The Widening Gyre'' (hc, 200 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2011, )
**'' Batman: Bellicosity'' (with Walt Flanagan, unreleased 6-issue limited series repurposed from the second arc of ''Batman: The Widening Gyre'' — initially announced in 2012)]
**''Detective Comics
''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...
'' #1000: "Manufacture for Use" (with Jim Lee
Jim Lee (; born August 11, 1964) is a Korean-born American comic book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. As of 2023, he is the President, Publisher, and Chief creative officer, Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. In recognition of his work ...
, co-feature, 2019) collected in ''Batman: 80 Years of the Bat Family'' (tpb, 400 pages, 2020, )
Dynamite Entertainment
* Green Hornet:
**'' Green Hornet'' vol. 3 (with Jonathan Lau, 2010) collected as:
*** ''Sins of the Father'' (collects #1–5, hc, 144 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2010, )
*** ''Wearing o' the Green'' (collects #6–10, hc, 144 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2011, )
**'' Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet'' #1–12 (co-written by Smith and Ralph Garman, art by Ty Templeton
Tyrone Templeton is a Canadians, Canadian comic book artist and writer who has drawn a number of mainstream titles, TV-associated titles, and his own series.
Career
Templeton first received attention for ''Stig's Inferno'' (Vortex Comics), now ...
, digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Businesses
*Digital bank, a form of financial institution
*Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company
*Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...
, 2014)
*** The series was first published in print as a 6-issue limited series titled ''Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet'' (2014–2015)
*** Collected as ''Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet'' (hc, 144 pages, 2015, ; tpb, 2015, )
*'' The Bionic Man'' #1–10 (script by Phil Hester on the basis of Smith's unused ''The Six Million Dollar Man
''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...
'' screenplay, art by Jonathan Lau, 2011–2012)
*'' Yoga Hosers: A Sundance Super Special'': "When Colleens Collide!" (with Jeff Quigley, 2016)
Other publishers
*''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'':
My Date with Destiny!
(with Joe Quesada, webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...
, The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company is an American mass media corporation that publishes ''The New York Times'' and its associated publications such as ''The New York Times International Edition'' and other media properties. The New York Times Company's ...
, 2001)
*'' Hit-Girl: Season Two'' #1–4: "Hollywood" (with Pernille Ørum, Image
An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
, 2019) collected as ''Hit-Girl in Hollywood'' (tpb, 112 pages, 2019, )
*'' Masters of the Universe: Revelation'' #1–4 (script by Tim Sheridan from a story by Smith and Rob David, art by Mindy Lee, Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...
, 2021)
Non-fiction
*'' Silent Bob Speaks: The Collected Writings of Kevin Smith'' (sc, 352 pages, Miramax Books
Miramax Books was an American publishing company started by Bob and Harvey Weinstein of Miramax Films to publish movie tie-ins. Between 2000 and 2005, while Jonathan Burnham was its president and editor-in-chief, the imprint published the memoir ...
, 2005, )
*'' My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith'' (sc, 480 pages, Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of the British entertainment company Titan Entertainment, which was established as Titan Books in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cine ...
, 2007, )
*'' Shootin' the Sh*t with Kevin Smith: The Best of SModcast'' (sc, 384 pages, Titan Books, 2009, )
*'' Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good'' (hc, 480 pages, Gotham Books, 2012, ; sc, 2013, )
See also
* Kevin Smith's unrealized projects
* Smodcastle Cinemas (Smith-owned movie theater in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey)
References
External links
*
View Askew Productions
*
*
The Unmade Films of Kevin Smith
by Den of Geek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Kevin
1970 births
20th-century American comedians
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American writers
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American writers
Actors from Monmouth County, New Jersey
American bloggers
American comics writers
American male bloggers
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male screenwriters
American male television actors
Comedians from Monmouth County, New Jersey
American comedy film directors
Film directors from New Jersey
Former Roman Catholics
Harvey Award winners for Best New Talent
Henry Hudson Regional High School alumni
American horror film directors
Inkpot Award winners
Living people
Maker Studios people
Male actors from New Jersey
Marvel Comics people
New Jersey culture
People from Highlands, New Jersey
People from Red Bank, New Jersey
Postmodernist filmmakers
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Sundance Film Festival award winners
American television show creators
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View Askewniverse
Unrealized
Writers from Monmouth County, New Jersey
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