Kevin James Bio

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Kevin James Pictures

Kevin James (born April 26, 1965) is an American comedian and actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of lead character Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens and periodically on Everybody Loves Raymond. He is also known for his lead roles in the films Hitch (2005), I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007), and Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009).

Kevin James: Early years

James was born Kevin George Knipfing in Stony Brook, New York, to Janet, a homemaker who also worked in a chiropractor's office, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing, who owned an insurance company. He was raised in the "S-Section" of Stony Brook and graduated from Ward Melville High School in 1983, where one of his teammates on the wrestling team was (professional wrestler) Mick Foley. James has two siblings, Gary Joseph Knipfing, known as Gary Valentine, also a comedian, and Leslie Knipfing. Leslie Knipfing works for James, helping raise money through charity events for retinitis pigmentosa, with which he is afflicted. James was a student at, but did not graduate from, the State University of New York at Cortland, where he was a member of Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity.

Kevin James: Career

Kevin James - Television

James began doing stand-up comedy, gaining popularity through numerous appearances on various talk shows, including Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Dennis Miller Live, The Late Late Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Live with Regis and Kelly. James was #89 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians. James has also done his stand-up routine on Just for Laughs, an annual comedy festival in Montreal.

A friend of Ray Romano, James guest-starred on a few episodes of Romano's hit CBS sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond. These appearances led to the development of his own sitcom, The King of Queens, which ran on the same network from September 21, 1998 to May 14, 2007. James played the lead as an overweight and hilarious delivery man who worked for a company known as IPS and was also Carrie's (Leah Remini's) husband, and as a result of his brilliant work on the show he was nominated for an Emmy for the most outstanding lead actor in a comedy show. Jerry Stiller plays Carrie's father Arthur Spooner, who lives in the Heffernans' basement. In 2001, James did his own stand-up special called Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff. He has also appeared as a musical guest on Just for Laughs. In 2007, James was considered a candidate to replace Bob Barker as host of The Price Is Right (which he is a major fan of), but the job went to fellow actor-comedian Drew Carey.

Kevin James - Film

James made his film debut in the 2005 romantic comedy, Hitch, which he got very high praises for alongside Will Smith and Eva Mendes. In 2006, he starred with old friend Ray Romano in the comedy Grilled and voiced characters in the animated films Monster House and Barnyard. The following year, he starred opposite Adam Sandler in the comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and made a cameo in Sandler's 2008 film You Don't Mess with the Zohan. His comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop was released January 16, 2009, by Columbia Pictures and opened as the #1 film in the country with a weekend gross of $39 million, far exceeding expectations, and eventually grossed over $180 million.

Kevin James - Web

A web series titled Dusty Peacock produced by James and starring his brother Gary Valentine began streaming on Crackle in July of 2009.

Kevin James: Personal life

On June 19, 2004, James married actress Steffiana de la Cruz. He has two daughters, Sienna-Marie (born September 30, 2005) and Shea Joelle (born June 14, 2007), who was named after the ballpark Shea Stadium. He is also a close friend of ex- MMA fighter Bas Rutten, and has accompanied him to the octagon on one occasion.