Jeff Anderson

Last updated
Jeff Anderson
Jeff Anderson Photo Op GalaxyCon Richmond 2020 (cropped).jpg
Anderson at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2020
Born
Jeffrey Allan Anderson

(1970-04-21) April 21, 1970 (age 54)
Connecticut, United States
Other namesJabbroni
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • writer
Years active1994–present
Spouses
(m. 1998;div. 1999)
[1]
Barbara Jacques
(m. 2009)

Jeffrey Allan Anderson (born April 21, 1970) is an American film and television actor, director, and screenwriter best known for starring as Randal Graves in Clerks, Clerks II, and Clerks III . In between, he has appeared in other Kevin Smith-directed films and has written, directed, and starred in Now You Know . [2]

Contents

Early life

Born in Connecticut and raised in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, Anderson attended Henry Hudson Regional High School, with his friend, aspiring writer Kevin Smith; they graduated in 1988. [3]

While Anderson was working at AT&T, Smith was working on his debut movie Clerks . As a joke, Anderson auditioned for the role of "Jay,"[ citation needed ] and based on this audition, Smith later offered Anderson a lead role as video store employee Randal Graves, a foul-mouthed apathetic slacker, who patronized, angered, and mocked his customers while avoiding any real work opportunities.

Career

For his role in Clerks, Anderson was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. [4]

In 2002, Anderson wrote, directed, and starred in Now You Know . The writing process lasted only three months. Anderson received a nomination for Best Male Performance at the Chicago Film Festival for his role in Love 101 , and has been seen in Peter Bergstrom's Something Cool. Anderson also started his own production company in Hollywood.

Anderson was initially reluctant to reprise his role as Randal, but changed his mind after reading Kevin Smith's screenplay for Clerks II , and in 2006 appeared in the sequel.

In 2008, Anderson appeared in Smith's romantic comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno as Deacon, the cameraman and film editor for the porno made by leading actors Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.

On September 14, 2010, Anderson made his first appearance on Smith's SModcast filling in for Scott Mosier on SModcast #134. In his podcast, Anderson stated he had moved out of Los Angeles and into a "retirement community in the mountains" where he is "the youngest person there by 20 years." He also said he remarried in 2009, to an actress named Barbara Jacques [5] he met while house sitting for Kevin Smith. [1]

In April 2017, Anderson declined to reprise his role as Randal for Clerks III ; the reasons have not been made public. An $8 million budget had been obtained, locations were being scouted in Philadelphia and a crew was being assembled, and the start of production was less than two months away. Due to Anderson's decision, production on the film was halted indefinitely, with Smith saying he would not recast the role. [6] [7] On October 1, 2019, Smith announced on Instagram that Clerks III was happening and that Anderson agreed to reprise his role as Randal. "It'll be a movie that concludes a saga. It'll be a movie about how you're never too old to completely change your life. It'll be a movie about how a decades-spanning friendship finally confronts the future. It'll be a movie that brings us back to the beginning — a return to the cradle of civilization in the great state of #newjersey. It'll be a movie that stars Jeff and Brian O'Halloran, with me and Jay in supporting roles. And it'll be a movie called CLERKS III!" [8] Clerks III was released in 2022, completely rewritten from the 2017 version. [9]

Filmography

Film

Film work by Jeff Anderson
YearTitleRoleNotes
1994 Clerks Randal Graves
1999 Dogma Gun Salesman
2000 Love 101 Phil
2000 Vulgar Surly DuckVoice role; uncredited
2001 Stealing Time Buddy
2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Randal Graves
2002 Now You Know Gilalso director and writer
2002 The Flying Car Randal GravesShort film
2004 Clerks: The Lost Scene Randal GravesShort film; voice role
2006 Clerks II Randal Graves
2008 Zack and Miri Make a Porno Deacon
2014Finding LondonSamShort film
2022 Clerks III Randal GravesAlso executive producer
2024The 4:30 MovieDad in Theater Concession Stand Line
TBANasa SealsDr. Jay Lavelyfilming

Television

Television work by Jeff Anderson
YearTitleRoleNotes
2000-2001 Clerks: The Animated Series Randal GravesMain role; 6 episodes, voice role
2011 Star Wars: The Clone Wars SmugEpisode: "Wookiee Hunt"; voice role

Video games

Video game work by Jeff Anderson
YearTitleRoleNotes
2014 Randal's Monday Randal HicksVoice role

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Smith</span> American filmmaker (born 1970)

Kevin Patrick Smith is an American director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared 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.

<i>Clerks</i> (film) 1994 film by Kevin Smith

Clerks is a 1994 American black-and-white comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith in his feature directorial debut. Starring Smith along with Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonauer, Jason Mewes, and Scott Mosier, it presents a day in the lives of store clerks Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Anderson) as well as their acquaintances. It is the first of Smith's View Askewniverse films, and introduces several recurring characters, notably Jay and Silent Bob.

View Askew Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Ethan Suplee are people that frequently appear in projects under the View Askew banner.

Scott A. Mosier is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, SModcast.

<i>Clerks II</i> 2006 American comedy film directed by Kevin Smith

Clerks II is a 2006 American black comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film Clerks, and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Jason Mewes, and Smith, and picks up with the original characters from Clerks: Dante Hicks, Randal Graves and Jay and Silent Bob ten years after the events of the first film. Unlike the first film, which was shot in black and white, this film was shot mostly in color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">View Askewniverse</span> Fictional universe and media franchise by Kevin Smith

The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media, and characters from one story often reappear or are referred to in others. Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film; Smith himself portrays the character of Silent Bob.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Schwalbach Smith</span> American actress

Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, podcaster and former reporter for USA Today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Fehrman</span> American actor and writer

Trevor Gregory Fehrman is an American actor and writer best known for his portrayal of Elias in the 2006 comedy film, Clerks II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Flanagan</span> American actor

Walter Flanagan is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and it was Flanagan who turned Smith on to comic books. He formerly managed Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Spoonauer</span> American actress (1972–2017)

Lisa Ann Spoonauer was an American character actress best known for the role of Caitlin Bree in Clerks, which she reprised for an episode of Clerks: The Animated Series.

<i>Zack and Miri Make a Porno</i> 2008 comedy film by Kevin Smith

Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a 2008 American sex comedy film written, directed and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It was released on October 31, 2008. The film follows the lives of friends Zack and Miri, who are facing financial troubles and decide to make an adult film to solve their problems. The film was produced by Scott Mosier and was released by The Weinstein Company. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

SModcast Podcast Network is a podcast network owned by Kevin Smith. The network was started in January 2010 to host the podcast SModcast alongside the popular Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! and Highlands: A Peephole History.

<i>My Boring Ass Life</i>

My Boring Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith is the second book composed of writings by filmmaker Kevin Smith, the first being Silent Bob Speaks.

SModcast Pictures is an American film distribution company and a film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith in 2011. Kevin Smith announced at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival that he would release his latest movie Red State himself under his own distribution company SModcast Pictures by touring the film instead of having a traditional release.

<i>Tusk</i> (2014 film) Body horror comedy film by Kevin Smith

Tusk is a 2014 American independent body horror comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, based on a story from his SModcast podcast. The film stars Michael Parks, Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Lily-Rose Depp and Johnny Depp. The film is the first in Smith's planned True North trilogy, followed by Yoga Hosers (2016).

<i>Yoga Hosers</i> 2016 film by Kevin Smith

Yoga Hosers is a 2016 American comedy horror film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is a spin-off of Smith's 2014 horror film Tusk and stars Smith's daughter Harley Quinn Smith, Lily-Rose Depp, and her father, Johnny Depp. The second film in Smith's True North trilogy, it had its world premiere on January 24 at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival before being released on September 2, 2016, by Invincible Pictures. The film was a commercial flop and was panned by critics, who viewed it as a low point in Smith's career.

<i>Shooting Clerks</i> 2023 film directed by Christopher Downie

Shooting Clerks is a British-American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Christopher Downie and starring Brian O'Halloran, Mark Frost, Jason Mewes, Scott Schiaffo, Matthew Postlethwaite and Kevin Smith. It was produced by Auld Reekie Media. It had a preview screening in Orlando, Florida on October 22, 2016. The film had a special screening in Kevin Smith's home town of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey on November 11, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Smith's unrealized projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced Kevin Smith projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director Kevin Smith mostly has worked on projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects are officially cancelled and scrapped or fell into development hell.

<i>Clerks III</i> 2022 comedy film by Kevin Smith

Clerks III is a 2022 American black comedy-drama film written, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson and Smith. It serves as a sequel to the 1994 and 2006 Clerks films, and is the ninth overall feature film set in the View Askewniverse. In the film, Randal Graves, after surviving a massive heart attack, enlists his friends and fellow clerks Dante Hicks, Elias Grover, and Jay and Silent Bob to make a movie about their lives at the Quick Stop Convenience store that started it all.

References

  1. 1 2 "SMODCAST #134". Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. "Jeff Anderson". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  3. Cahillane, Kevin. "For the Stars of 'Clerks,' It's Take Two", The New York Times , July 16, 2006. Accessed October 25, 2007. "Mr. Anderson's film career was a happy accident. While he and Mr. Smith graduated together in 1988 from Henry Hudson Regional High School in Highlands, they were not close until Mr. Anderson began to rent movies from the video store where Mr. Smith worked."
  4. "Film Independent Spirit Awards 33 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF).
  5. "Jeff Anderson" . Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  6. "Kevin Smith Reveals Why Clerks 3 And Mallrats 2 Will Never Happen". LRM. June 27, 2001.
  7. "Kevin Smith Says Without Jeff Anderson, There Is No Clerks 3". LRM. August 7, 2009.
  8. "Kevin Smith Announces Clerks 3". comicbook.com. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  9. Gardner, Chris. "Kevin Smith Details Plot of Original Script for 'Clerks III': "Mercifully, We Never Made It"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 September 2022.