History Creator / KevinSmith

Smith got his start by making ''Film/{{Clerks}}'', a black and white film shot on location in the [[SarcasmMode scenic]] convenience store where he worked at the time and financed by maxing out his credit cards and putting his comic book collection up for collateral. It starred various lifelong friends and local amateur actors, notably childhood friends Jason "Jay" Mewes and Jeff "Randall Graves" Anderson. Released in 1994, ''Clerks'' became an instant cult favorite and one of the pioneers of the independent genre.

* BadassBeard: He has a very nice one. He says that, without it, he [[OlderThanTheyLook looks like a teenager.]]

* A witness on ''Series/LawAndOrder'' (a part which his agent got him after he complained that she didn't get him any acting roles).

* ''Masters of the Universe: Revelation'', a Netflix animated series taking place after the ''[[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'' 80s cartoon.

Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970 in Red Bank, New Jersey) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, comic book writer, podcast host and comedian best known for his "View Askewniverse" films, notably ''Film/{{Clerks}}'', ''Film/ChasingAmy'' and ''Film/{{Dogma}}''. Smith is a proud native of New Jersey and most of his films take place in the state. He married journalist Jennifer Schwalbach in 1999. They have one daughter, Harley Quinn Smith (yes, named after the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' character; he is close friends with writer Creator/PaulDini).

Not to be confused with the late Kevin Smith, best known for playing Ares in ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' and its various spin-offs. Also not to be confused with another Kevin Smith, the $1,000,000 winner on the show Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire.

** In the forward to the Black Cat trade he wrote, Smith mocks his notorious ScheduleSlip, comparing himself unfavorably to BrianMichaelBendis [[note]]Who he notes was writing multiple titles at the same time and meeting all his deadlines.[[/note]] and lets the fanbase know that [[LaserGuidedKarma his contract stipulated that he didn't get paid until after he completed the story.]]

Smith is best known for the [[TrilogyCreep six-film New Jersey Trilogy]] set in Film/TheViewAskewniverse; his non-Askewniverse productions ''Film/JerseyGirl'' and ''Film/ZackAndMiriMakeAPorno'' have not been as successful (or at least no more successful). As a result, he tends to go back to the Askewniverse trough, often self-aware of its approaching FranchiseZombie status.

* OneOfUs: Arguably his most signature trait. One of the most influential [=writers/directors=] in the rise of independent film in the 1990s is probably best known for his endless love of superheroes and ''Star Wars''.

* ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Moose Jaws]]'' - ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' [[RecycledINSPACE but with a moose]], set in the real Saskatchewan city of [[DoubleMeaningTitle Moose Jaw]]. Final installment of the "True North" Trilogy. Smith promises to [[spoiler:kill off Silent Bob]] in this one.

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Whenever Smith deals with faith, [[RaisedCatholic it's inevitably the faith that he grew up with and says that he currently adheres to]], Catholicism. Somewhat ironic, in that one of the interest groups most opposed to him is [[MoralGuardians The Catholic League]], which started opposing him at first due to his amusing take on the fallibility of mortal religion while simultaniously exalting divine infallibility in ''Film/{{Dogma}}''. Other religions are not dealt with extensively, and it's a loophole in Catholic doctrine that ends up endangering the entire universe in the aforementioned film. He has promised, however, to avert this trope if he ever makes a ''Dogma II''. Averted with ''Film/RedState'' - the Five Points Trinity church is [[WordOfGod based]] on the Westboro Baptist Church

* TaughtByExperience: He went to film school for a few months but dropped out because he would ultimately not be in control of his own final project. In that time, he met Scott Mosier, who tends to [[TechnicianVersusPerformer handle the more technical side of things]]. It's evident from his films that he has a gift for story and dialogue but not much else.

* SirSwearsALot: Smith may be a good guy in real life but he has one of the foul mouths you'll ever hear. In some of his podcasts, he can say "Fuck" several times in just 15 seconds, or pretty much any dirty word imaginable.

** He also feels the same way about [[WeUsedToBeFriends his former friend and mentor]] [[Creator/MiramaxFilms Harvey Weinstein]]. Especially after Weinstein's disrespectful behavior at the ''Red State'' premiere. He would eventually disown Weinstein completely after news broke of his sexual assault history.

Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, comic book writer, podcast host and comedian best known for his "View Askewniverse" films, notably ''Film/{{Clerks}}'', ''Film/ChasingAmy'' and ''Film/{{Dogma}}''. Smith is a proud native of New Jersey and most of his films take place in the state. He married journalist Jennifer Schwalbach in 1999. They have one daughter, Harley Quinn Smith (yes, named after the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' character; he is close friends with writer Creator/PaulDini).

** In the forward to the Black Cat trade he wrote, Smith mocks his notorious ScheduleSlip, comparing himself unfavorably to BrianBendis [[note]]Who he notes was writing multiple titles at the same time and meeting all his deadlines.[[/note]] and lets the fanbase know that [[LaserGuidedKarma his contract stipulated that he didn't get paid until after he completed the story.]]

Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, comic book writer, podcast host and comedian best known for his "View Askewniverse" films, notably ''Film/{{Clerks}}'', ''Film/ChasingAmy'' and ''Film/{{Dogma}}''. Smith is a proud native of New Jersey and most of his films take place in the state. He married journalist Jennifer Schwalbach in 1999. They have one daughter, Harley Quinn Smith (yes, named after the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' character; he is close friends with writer Creator/PaulDini.)

* ''[=MallBrats=]'' - An attempted ''Film/Mallrats'' sequel which also fell into DevelopmentHell. Smith is also planning to turn this one into a mini-series.
* '' Clerks III'' - The final episode of the ''Film/Clerks'' trilogy. SavedFromDevelopmentHell after Jeff Anderson (Randal) had been holding out for years.

* SirSwearsALot: Smith may be a good guy in real life but he has the foulmouth. In some of his podcasts, he can say "Fuck" several times in just 15 seconds, or pretty much any dirty word imaginable.

!!Directed Films:

* ''Film/JayAndSilentBobReboot'' - Second sequel to an Askewniverse film and the first film in TheVerse since ''Clerks II''.

!!Planned Films

* ''[=MallBrats=]'' - An attempted ''Mallrats'' sequel which also fell into DevelopmentHell. Smith is also planning to turn this one into a mini-series.
* '' Clerks III'' - The final episode of the Clerks trilogy. SavedFromDevelopmentHell after Jeff Anderson (Randal) had been holding out for years.

!!Other Projects:

* ''ComicBook/SpiderManBlackCatTheEvilThatMenDo', a miniseries mainly remembered for having long delays between the first and second half of the story and adding controversy to ComicBook/BlackCat's backstory with the revelation she was raped in college.

!!Actor-Only Roles:

* ''Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do'', a miniseries mainly remembered for having long delays between the first and second half of the story and adding controversy to Black Cat's backstory with the revelation she was raped in college.
* Series/{{Arrowverse}}: Ever since 2016, he's been a regular director for ''Series/TheFlash2014'' and later ''Series/Supergirl2015'':

* ''Film/JayAndSilentBobReboot''[[note]]Yes, that's the actual title.[[/note]] - Second sequel to an Askewniverse film and the first film in TheVerse since ''Clerks II''.

* ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'' - First studio film. Was not as well-receive, but has since been VindicatedByHistory.
* ''Film/ChasingAmy'' - Widely considered his best film.
* ''Film/{{Dogma}}'' - A supernatural religious horror/comedy. Protests from Christian groups (one of which he ''joined'' as a joke) [[OvershadowedByControversy received more attention than the film itself]] during it's release.

* ''Film/JayAndSilentBobReboot''[[note]]Yes, that's the actual title.[[/note]] - Second sequel to an Askewniverse film.

* * ''Film/RedState'' - Second religious film and first to be straight horror, and the first of many self-distributed indie films.