Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, co-edited, and acted in as the character Silent Bob. Silent Bob and his partner in delinquency, Jay, also appear in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022), 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. He is a supporting actor in film, his most prominent role playing a rogue computer hacker in Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and has made cameos in other movies. His other non-"View Askewniverse" films written and directed by Smith include the comedy-drama Jersey Girl (2004), the sex comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), Cop Out (2010), the horror Red State (2011), and the comedy horror Tusk (2014). He has directed numerous episodes of television for series such as The Flash (2016–2018), Supergirl (2017–2018), and The Goldbergs (2017–2019), and created the animated television series Clerks: The Animated Series (2000) and Netflix's Masters of the Universe (2021–2024). Smith owns Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey, a comic book store which became 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, Fatman Beyond, and the live show Hollywood Babble-On. He is known for participating in long, humorous Q&A sessions that are often filmed for release, beginning with the DVD release of An Evening with Kevin Smith (2002).