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Kevin James
Kevin-james-dickste-freunde-berlin-17-01-11 (cropped).jpg
James in 2011
Born
Kevin George Knipfing

(1965-04-26) April 26, 1965 (age 59)
Occupation
  • Comedian
  • actor
Years active 1989–present
Spouse(s)
Steffiana de la Cruz
(m. 2004)
Children 4
Relatives Gary Valentine (brother)

Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), known professionally by his stage name Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. He began his career by performing stand-up at comedy clubs on Long Island in the 1980s. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for the role in 2006.

In 2004, James made his first film appearance in 50 First Dates, and the following year co-starred in Hitch with Will Smith. He went on to star in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Grown Ups (2010), Zookeeper (2011), Here Comes the Boom (2012), and Pixels (2015). He has also done voice work for Monster House, Barnyard (both 2006), and the first three films of the Hotel Transylvania franchise (2012–2018). He also was nominated for a People's Choice Award in 2017 for his role on the CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait (2016–2018). James also had roles in the drama films Little Boy (2015) and Becky (2020).

Early life

Kevin George Knipfing was born in Mineola, New York, on April 26, 1965, to American office worker Janet and German-American insurance agency owner Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr. He grew up in Stony Brook, New York. He has a sister named Leslie and an older brother named Gary, the latter of whom also became a comedian and actor under the name Gary Valentine. The siblings were raised Catholic. James graduated from Ward Melville High School, where he reached the top position on the wrestling team, one spot above his friend and future professional wrestler Mick Foley. Both wrestled in the Heavyweight weight class. When James suffered a season-ending back injury, Foley took over the first string position. Both men went on to study at the State University of New York at Cortland, where James played halfback on the varsity football team until another back injury permanently ended his sporting ambitions.

Career

Stand-up

Kevin-james-dickste-freunde-berlin-17-01-11
James in 2011

James began doing stand-up comedy in 1989, making his debut at Richie Minervini's East Side Comedy Club on Long Island. He also started performing comedy with a troupe at the club, during which time he adopted "James" as his stage surname in honor of his favorite school teacher. He gained popularity through numerous appearances on various talk shows, including The 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 Kathie Lee. James was listed at No. 76 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, Quebec. Later he was on commercials for Mazzio's Italian Eatery. 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 2018, James released another stand-up special on Netflix called Kevin James: Never Don't Give Up.

Television

James' first television job was in 1991 on The New Candid Camera, where he used his comedy timing and improvisation skills playing the actor that pulled the practical jokes on unsuspecting people. He appeared in A&E's An Evening at the Improv in 1994. James appeared on television as the announcer for the MTV sports game show SandBlast from 1994 to 1996.

James later moved to Los Angeles and befriended Ray Romano, and he 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 working class parcel delivery man Doug Heffernan who works for a company known as IPS. He is married to Carrie (Leah Remini), a sharp-tongued, ambitious secretary at a Manhattan law firm who is far less content with working-class life in Queens. Her obsessive, vindictive father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller), who is prone toward bizarre conduct, lives with them. For his work on the eighth season, James was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.

James hosted the 2010 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010.

James starred in the sitcom Kevin Can Wait, which premiered on September 19, 2016. The series was renewed for a second season, before being canceled at the season's end.

In 2021, James released a new show on Netflix called The Crew. It was canceled after one season.

Film

Kevin-james-at-set-burlington-mall
James on the set of Paul Blart: Mall Cop in 2008

After a cameo in 50 First Dates in 2004, James made his starring film debut in the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch, alongside Will Smith and Eva Mendes. In 2006, he co-starred with his Everybody Loves Raymond colleague Ray Romano in the straight-to-video comedy Grilled, and provided voice work in the animated films Monster House and Barnyard. James co-starred with Adam Sandler in the comedies I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) and You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), and starred in the Sandler-produced comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009). The latter film opened as the No. 1 film in North America with a weekend gross of $39 million, despite overwhelmingly negative reviews, and eventually grossed $219 million from ticket and home video sales. James also appeared in Grown Ups, which co-starred numerous Saturday Night Live alumni and was even more universally panned, yet was highly successful at the box office.

In 2011, he had a lead role with Vince Vaughn in the comedy-drama The Dilemma and then with Rosario Dawson in Zookeeper, which he wrote and produced. James also had the lead role in the 2012 mixed martial arts comedy film Here Comes the Boom. He starred as well in the movie Pixels in 2015 and the following year in True Memoirs of an International Assassin, directed by Jeff Wadlow and released by Netflix on November 11, 2016. In 2017, James co-starred with Adam Sandler in another Netflix film, Sandy Wexler.

James had a lead dramatic role in the 2020 thriller film Becky. He starred as NFL head coach Sean Payton in the 2022 biographical film Home Team. In May 2023, James will star in the upcoming action-comedy film Guns Up. The film will be directed by Edward John Drake.

Other work

In 2007, he was the grand marshal for the Pepsi 400 promoting I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and saying "Gentlemen, start your engines". He did it again in June 2010 with friend and fellow actor Adam Sandler to promote Grown Ups, in 2012 at the fall Talladega race to promote Here Comes the Boom, and in July 2013 at the Coke-Zero 400 with co-stars Sandler and Shaquille O'Neal to promote Grown Ups 2. Both the 2007 Pepsi 400 command and June 2010 command at Michigan with Sandler have since been voted as two of the best and most memorable NASCAR commands in history by fans.

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

In February 2020, James revived his YouTube channel which he had launched back on November 27, 2017 featuring short films "based on thin premises, like James eagerly waiting for a green light, misreading a hand wave, or spending birthdays by himself, but many carry a sense of melancholy and restraint." By June 2020, he had over 535,000 subscribers and 28 million total views.

Personal life

Steffiana-de-la-Cruz 2011-01-06 photoby Adam-Bielawski
James' wife Steffiana de la Cruz in 2011

James met actress Steffiana de la Cruz as part of a blind date, and they were married on June 19, 2004. They have four children together and reside in California.

Raised in a Catholic home, James stated in 2012 that he remains a devout Catholic. In 2019, he hosted a Catholic retreat featuring priest Chad Ripperger and theologian Scott Hahn.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Pinocchio Mangiafuoco English voice
2004 50 First Dates Factory Worker
2005 Hitch Albert Brennaman
2006 Grilled Dave Direct-to-video
Monster House Officer Landers Voice and motion capture
Barnyard Otis Voice
2007 I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry Larry Valentine
2008 You Don't Mess with the Zohan Himself Uncredited cameo
2009 Paul Blart: Mall Cop Paul Blart Also writer and producer
2010 Grown Ups Eric Lamonsoff
2011 The Dilemma Nick Brannen
Zookeeper Griffin Keyes Also writer and producer
2012 Here Comes the Boom Scott Voss
Hotel Transylvania Frankenstein Voice
2013 Grown Ups 2 Eric Lamonsoff
2015 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 Paul Blart Also writer and producer
Little Boy Dr. Fox
Pixels William Cooper
Hotel Transylvania 2 Frankenstein Voice
2016 True Memoirs of an International Assassin Sam Larson
2017 Sandy Wexler Ted Rafferty
2018 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Frankenstein Voice
Kevin James Never Don't give up Himself Stand-up Comedy
2020 Becky Dominick
Hubie Halloween Sergeant Steve Downey
2022 Home Team Sean Payton
2023 Leo Ace Voice
2024 Spaceman Kurák Post-production
2024 Guns Up Ray Post-production
2024 Kevin James: Irregardless Himself Post-production; Stand-Up Special

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994-97 A&E's An Evening at the Improv Himself Season 15, Episode 19, Season 16, Episode 3, Season 18, Episode 12, Season 19, Episode 10
1996, 1998–1999 Everybody Loves Raymond Kevin Daniels / Doug Heffernan 8 episodes
1998–2007 The King of Queens Doug Heffernan Lead role (207 episodes)
1998 Cosby Episode: "Judgment Day"
1999 Becker Episode: "Drive, They Said"
Martial Law Dallas Hampton Episode: "Nitro Man"
2001 Arli$$ Kevin Episode: "Like No Business I Know"
Kevin James: Sweat The Small Stuff Himself Stand-up comedy special
2007 Elmo's Christmas Countdown Santa Claus TV film
2015 Liv and Maddie Mr. Clodfelter Episode: "Cook-a-Rooney"
2016–2018 Kevin Can Wait Kevin Gable Lead role (48 episodes)
2021 The Crew Kevin Gibson Lead role (10 episodes)

Accolades

Teen Choice Awards

Year Nominated work Category Result Ref.
2005 Hitch Choice Movie: Dance Scene Nominated
Choice Movie: Liplock
2015 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 Choice Movie Actor: Comedy Nominated

Primetime Emmy Awards

Year Nominated work Category Result Ref.
2006 The King of Queens; episode: "Pole Lox" Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated

Golden Raspberry Awards

Year Nominated work Category Result Ref.
2007 I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry Worst Supporting Actor Nominated
Worst Screen Couple
2013 Grown Ups 2 Worst Screen Combo Nominated
2015 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 Worst Actor Nominated
Worst Picture
Worst Screenplay
Pixels Worst Supporting Actor Nominated

People's Choice Awards

Year Nominated work Category Result Ref.
2017 Kevin Can Wait Favorite Actor in a New TV Series Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Kevin James (actor) para niños

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