Kevin Smith is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, coproduced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob (of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob fame). Clerks won the Award of the Youth and the Mercedes-Benz Award at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival, and was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards (Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, and Best Debut Performance for Jeff Anderson).

Jay and Silent Bob have also appeared in Smith’s later films Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and Clerks III, which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the “View Askewniverse,” named after Smith’s production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.

In 2024, Smith released The 4:30 Movie  through Saban. In May of 2025, Dogma returned to the Cannes Film Festival as part of their Cannes Classics Program.
 
Smith owns Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey, a comic book store which was used as the setting for the reality television show “Comic Book Men” (2012–2018). As a podcaster, Smith co-hosts several shows on his SModcast Podcast Network, including SModcast, Fat Man Beyond, and the live show Hollywood Babble-On. He is known for participating in long, humorous Q&A sessions that are often filmed for DVD release, beginning with An Evening with Kevin Smith.