Kevin Smith was born on August 2, 1970, in New Jersey. The same state that would be prominently featured in many of his movies. His siblings included a sister, Virginia, and a brother, Donald. Smith is married to Jennifer Schwalbach Smith and the two have a daughter, Harley Quinn.
In 1994, Clerks, premiered at Sundance to a small audience, but word spread and quickly Miramax picked up the film. Due to a great deal of profanity, Clerks received an NC-17 rating. Smith battled Miramax in court to keep the film from being censored, but the studio prevailed with an R-rating for its theatrical release. The movie was the first in the “Jersey Trilogy” and followed the lives of two convenience store clerks who espouse about their lives, movies, customers, etc. The film introduces Smith as Silent Bob and Jason Mewes as Jay, who portray small time marijuana dealers in View Askewniverse (a fictional universe created by Smith). The two will be featured again in subsequent films by Smith. Clerks became a cult favorite.
Mallrats followed in 1995 and was the second installment in the Jersey Trilogy and followed two slackers at the mall. The movie featured Jason Lee, Jeremy London, and Ben Affleck. Silent Bob and Jay again make an appearance. Chasing Amy in 1997 once again featured Ben Affleck and tells the story of two comic book artists, one who falls for lesbian. 1999’s Dogma was billed as a “religious comedy” and riled up the religious right. Matt Damon joined Ben Affleck and Smith returns as Silent Bob.
Smith’s last film set in View Askewniverse was Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back in 2001 and was not without controversy. GLAAD criticized the film for its humor at the expense of homosexuals.
Jersey Girl in 2004 was poorly received by Smith’s fans and considered too sappy for their tastes. Smith later summed up his thoughts of the movie by saying “I think Jersey Girl was just one of those flicks that was the wrong time, the wrong guy, the wrong everything. But I still love it.” The movie starring Ben Affleck, and featuring Jenifer Lopez in a supporting role, was released on the heels of the Gigli debacle.
Smith’s appearances at comic book conventions and colleges were captured on the 2006 DVD release An Evening with Kevin Smith. This coincided with the release of Clerks II which caught up with original cast members ten years later. Oh, and he loves all things Star Wars.
