Kevin Smith

Kevin Patrick Smith is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, public speaker, comic book writer, author, and podcaster. Kevin Smith was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, the son of Grace (née Schultz), a homemaker, and Donald E. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo “Jay & Silent Bob”. Jay and Silent Bob have appeared in Smith’s follow-up films Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back which were mostly all set in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films frequently featured crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon described by fans as the “View Askewniverse”, named after his production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.

Smith is an avid hockey fan and loyal New Jersey Devils fan. He is also a fan of the Edmonton Oilers. Smith also directed and produced films such as the buddy cop action comedy Cop Out (2010), the horror film Red State (2011), and the horror comedy Tusk(2014), the first film in the True North trilogy.