Kevin Smith
Birthday:
Birthplace:
Red Bank, New Jersey, USA
One of the most unique voices to emerge during the American independent filmmaking renaissance of the 1990s, Kevin Smith was born in New Jersey on August 2, 1970. Smith later attended the New School for Social Research's creative writing program, dropping out after administrators contacted his parents to report that their son had been caught launching water balloons out of his dormitory window. He subsequently enrolled in the Vancouver Film School, but again ended his stay after just four months. Returning home to New Jersey, Smith accepted a job in a local convenience store and began plotting his next move. Inspired by the success of director Richard Linklater's 1991 low-budget hit Slacker, he contacted former film-school comrade Scott Mosier, and together the duo began discussing producing their own feature.After rounding up just over 27,000 dollars -- collected from parents, credit-card advances, and the sale of Smith's beloved comic book collection -- they shot Clerks, a hilariously scabrous look at American consumer culture steeped in Smith's own experiences behind the cash register. Shooting each night in the same convenience store where the director worked by day, they completed production in just three weeks and began promoting the feature on the festival circuit. In 1994, Clerks debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, becoming the breakout hit of the event. Suddenly Smith, with his flair for raunchy yet heavily stylized dialogue, colorful characterizations, and keen cultural perceptiveness, was the toast of the indie community, swiftly acquiring Creative Artists Agency representation and a distribution deal with Miramax. After winning a court battle to replace the often-vulgar movie's NC-17 rating with a more commercially palatable R, Clerks hit the arthouse circuit, where it recouped its initial investment many times over and became a critical smash. Soon Smith was at work on the 1995 comedy Mallrats, the second chapter in his self-described "New Jersey trilogy." Despite reprising a number of characters from the previous film -- including the director's own onscreen alter ego, Silent Bob -- Mallrats was both a commercial and critical disaster, and while members of his avid cult audience remained enthusiastic, he publicly "apologized" for making the movie at the 1995 Independent Spirit Awards ceremony. In 1997, Smith resurfaced with Chasing Amy, the final film in the trilogy and his most mature effort to date. Unlike its predecessor, the film won wide critical acclaim, with many critics praising Smith's insightful exploration of love and loss.In 1999, Smith was back in the spotlight with Dogma, a film centering on the last living descendent of Jesus Christ, a woman named Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) who works as a clerk in an abortion clinic. Unsurprisingly, the film, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, garnered more than its share of controversy even before being released theatrically. Dogma's distributor, the Disney-owned Miramax Pictures, announced that they would not release the picture and intended to sell it to another distributor. They did so, as Smith all the while maintained that the film -- which also starred Alanis Morissette as God -- was about the importance of faith, rather than an attempt to ridicule it.Scaling down his themes somewhat, Smith dedicated his next film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, to the stoner duo who appeared on the sidelines in each of his first four efforts. Prepped for a wide, late-August 2001 release, the 20-million-dollar road comedy seemed affable in terms of overall concept, until a sneak preview left representatives of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) up in arms over the film's derogatory language and recurring gay-sex jokes. Stopping short of issuing an apology, Smith again defended his right to portray uncouth characters: Jay and Silent Bob's homophobia, he argued, further illustrated their idiocy. Unconvinced, Smith's detractors co
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
MOVIES
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | BOX OFFICE | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | Killroy Was Here |
|
— | 2021 |
No Score Yet | Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time Volume 3: Comedy and Camp |
|
— | 2020 |
No Score Yet | Shooting Clerks |
|
— | 2019 |
No Score Yet | Making Fun: The Story of Funko |
|
— | 2018 |
83% | Teen Titans: The Judas Contract |
|
— | 2017 |
23% | Yoga Hosers |
|
— | 2016 |
94% | Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny |
|
— | 2016 |
80% | Out of Print |
|
— | 2016 |
52% | Holidays |
|
— | 2016 |
No Score Yet | DC Films Presents: Dawn of the Justice League |
|
— | 2016 |
85% | The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? |
|
— | 2015 |
No Score Yet | Clerks III |
|
— | 2015 |
No Score Yet | Chronic-Con, Episode 420: A New Dope |
|
— | 2015 |
No Score Yet | Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery |
|
— | 2015 |
36% | Misery Loves Comedy |
|
$5.8k | 2014 |
No Score Yet | Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie |
|
— | 2013 |
No Score Yet | The Rep |
|
— | 2012 |
No Score Yet | BearCity 2: The Proposal |
|
— | 2012 |
No Score Yet | Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell |
|
— | 2012 |
No Score Yet | Jay and Silent Bob Get Old: Tea Bagging in the UK |
|
— | 2012 |
No Score Yet | SModimations |
|
— | 2011 |
60% | Red State |
|
$1.1M | 2011 |
19% | Cop Out |
|
$44.1M | 2010 |
No Score Yet | Bear Nation |
|
— | 2010 |
No Score Yet | Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40! |
|
— | 2010 |
No Score Yet | Popcorn Porn |
|
— | 2009 |
No Score Yet | Don't You Forget About Me |
|
— | 2009 |
65% | Zack and Miri Make a Porno |
|
$31.4M | 2008 |
32% | Fanboys |
|
$0.8M | 2008 |
No Score Yet | Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith |
|
— | 2008 |
No Score Yet | Suck My Geek! |
|
— | 2007 |
No Score Yet | The Junior Defenders |
|
— | 2007 |
39% | Southland Tales |
|
$0.3M | 2007 |
50% | Superman: Doomsday |
|
— | 2007 |
82% | Live Free or Die Hard |
|
$134.6M | 2007 |
100% | Small Town Gay Bar |
|
— | 2007 |
No Score Yet | Marvel Then and Now: An Evening with Stan Lee and Joe Quesada |
|
— | 2007 |
No Score Yet | Manchild |
|
— | 2007 |
22% | Catch and Release |
|
$15.3M | 2007 |
No Score Yet | Train Wreck! |
|
— | 2006 |
No Score Yet | Bottoms Up |
|
— | 2006 |
84% | This Film Is Not Yet Rated |
|
— | 2006 |
63% | Clerks II |
|
$24M | 2006 |
No Score Yet | An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder |
|
— | 2006 |
8% | Doogal |
|
$7.4M | 2006 |
No Score Yet | Back to the Well: Clerks II |
|
— | 2006 |
No Score Yet | Warriors of Virtue 2: The Return to Tao |
|
— | 2005 |
56% | Fuck (F*ck) |
|
— | 2005 |
No Score Yet | Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi The Next Generation |
|
— | 2005 |
No Score Yet | Legends of the Dark Knight: The History of Batman |
|
— | 2005 |
No Score Yet | Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight - The Legend Reborn |
|
— | 2005 |
No Score Yet | Snowball Effect: The Story of Clerks |
|
— | 2004 |
No Score Yet | Clerks: The Lost Scene |
|
— | 2004 |
42% | Jersey Girl |
|
— | 2004 |
No Score Yet | Oh, What a Lovely Tea Party |
|
— | 2004 |
44% | Daredevil |
|
$102.5M | 2003 |
No Score Yet | The Men Without Fear: Creating Daredevil |
|
— | 2003 |
23% | Vulgar |
|
— | 2002 |
No Score Yet | The Flying Car |
|
— | 2002 |
No Score Yet | Roadside Attractions |
|
— | 2002 |
No Score Yet | Now You Know |
|
— | 2002 |
No Score Yet | Spider-Man: The Mythology of the 21st Century |
|
— | 2002 |
100% | An Evening with Kevin Smith |
|
— | 2001 |
53% | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back |
|
$29.9M | 2001 |
No Score Yet | Lawless: Beyond Justice |
|
— | 2001 |
80% | Starwoids |
|
— | 2001 |
No Score Yet | Chasing Kevin |
|
— | 2000 |
No Score Yet | Lucy You Love It |
|
— | 2000 |
67% | Dogma |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | The Blair Clown Project |
|
— | 1999 |
98% | Good Will Hunting |
|
— | 1997 |
87% | Chasing Amy |
|
— | 1997 |
No Score Yet | Hiatus |
|
— | 1996 |
40% | Drawing Flies |
|
— | 1996 |
No Score Yet | McLeod's Daughters |
|
— | 1996 |
57% | Mallrats |
|
— | 1995 |
No Score Yet | Gospel According to Matthew |
|
— | 1994 |
No Score Yet | Mae Day: The Crumbling of a Documentary |
|
— | 1992 |
No Score Yet | Deadly |
|
— | 1991 |
No Score Yet | My Daughter's Keeper |
|
— | 1991 |
No Score Yet | Last Train Home |
|
— | 1990 |
No Score Yet | Screamtime |
|
— | 1985 |
No Score Yet | The Shattered Mind |
|
— | |
No Score Yet | Crime - It's a Way of LIfe |
|
— |
TV
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
85% |
The Simpsons
1989
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Match Game
2016-2020
|
|
|
67% |
What Just Happened??! With Fred Savage
2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
2015
|
|
|
81% |
The Big Bang Theory
2007-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Snoop Dogg Presents the Joker's Wild
2017-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The $100,000 Pyramid
2016-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
This Is Not Happening
2015-2019
|
|
|
90% |
Supergirl
2015
|
|
|
89% |
The Flash
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Comic Book Men
2012-2018
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
StarTalk
2015-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Goldbergs
2013
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
@midnight With Chris Hardwick
2014-2017
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Ask the StoryBots
2016-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Hollywood Game Night
2013
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Talking Dead
2011-2020
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Comedy Bang! Bang!
2012-2016
|
|
|
80% |
The Wil Wheaton Project
2014
|
|
|
38% |
Brand X with Russell Brand
2012-2013
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Last Call With Carson Daly
2007-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
1992-2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
CBS This Morning
2012
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Face Off
2011-2017
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Spoilers With Kevin Smith
2012
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Chelsea Lately
2007-2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Real Time with Bill Maher
2003
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The View
1997
|
|
|
80% |
Reaper
2007-2009
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Degrassi
2001-2015
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Henry Rollins Show
2006-2007
|
|
|
50% |
Joey
2004-2006
|
|
|
88% |
Project Greenlight
2001-2015
|
|
|
92% |
Veronica Mars
2004-2007
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
MADtv
1995-2009
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Yes, Dear
2000-2006
|
|
|
67% |
Clerks
2000-2002
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Law & Order
1990-2010
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
1995-1999
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Xena: Warrior Princess
1995-2001
|
|
|
Quotes from Kevin Smith's Characters
Jay: | Yo man, tell me something about me. |
Rufus: | You masturbate more than anyone on the planet. |
Jay: | Aw fuck, everyone knows that. Tell me something nobody knows. |
Rufus: | When you do it, you're thinking about guys. |
Silent Bob: | !!!! |
Jay: | Dude, not all the time. |
Silent Bob: | There's a million fine looking girls in the world. But they don't all bring you lasagna to work. Most of them just cheat on you. |
John McClane: | "Nice poster." |
John McClane: | Nice poster. |
Warlock: | "What are you a fan of the Fett?" |
Warlock: | What are you a fan of the Fett? |
John McClane: | "No, I was always more of a Star Wars person." |
John McClane: | No, I was always more of a Star Wars person. |
Silent Bob: | Bitch, what you don't know about me I could just about squeeze in the Grand fuckin' Canyon. Did you know I always wanted to be a dancer in Vegas? No? Bet you didn't even know that shit did you? |
Silent Bob: | Chasing Amy... |
Holden McNeil: | What? What did you say? |
Silent Bob: | You're chasing Amy. |
Jay: | Whadda you look so shocked for, man? Fat bastard does this all the time. He thinks just 'coz he don't say anything it'll have some huge impact when he does open his fucking mouth- |
Silent Bob: | Jesus Christ, why don't you shut up? Always yap-yap--yappin' all the time, gimme a fucking headache. |
Silent Bob: | You know, there's a million fine lookin' women in the world dude. But they don't all bring you lasagne at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you. |
Silent Bob: | [after throwing Bartleby and Loki off a train; a la Indiana Jones] - No Ticket. |
Silent Bob: | [after throwing Bartleby and Loki off a train; a la Indiana Jones] No Ticket. |