Kevin James facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin James
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James in 2011
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| Born |
Kevin George Knipfing
April 26, 1965 Mineola, New York, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| 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 as Kevin James, is a famous American comedian and actor. He started his career doing stand-up comedy in clubs on Long Island in the 1980s. He became very well-known for playing Doug Heffernan on the TV show The King of Queens (1998–2007). For this role, he was nominated for a top acting award in 2006.
Kevin James also starred in many popular movies. These include Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Grown Ups (2010), and Pixels (2015). He has also lent his voice to animated films like Monster House and the Hotel Transylvania movies. In 2017, he was nominated for a People's Choice Award for his role in the TV show Kevin Can Wait. He has also taken on serious acting roles in films like Becky.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Kevin George Knipfing was born in Mineola, New York, on April 26, 1965. His mother, Janet Klein, worked in an office, and his father, Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr., owned an insurance agency. Kevin grew up in Stony Brook, New York. He has a sister named Leslie and an older brother named Gary, who is also a comedian and actor.
Kevin James went to Ward Melville High School. He was a very good wrestler there, even becoming the top wrestler on his team. His friend, future professional wrestler Mick Foley, was also on the team. Both wrestled in the heavyweight class. Kevin had a back injury that ended his wrestling season. After high school, he went to the State University of New York at Cortland. He played football there until another back injury stopped his sports dreams for good.
Comedy Career
Stand-Up Comedy Beginnings
Kevin James started doing stand-up comedy in 1989. His first show was at Richie Minervini's East Side Comedy Club on Long Island. He joined a comedy group at the club. This is when he started using "James" as his stage name, honoring a favorite school teacher.
He became popular by appearing on many talk shows. These included The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Show with David Letterman. He was even ranked among the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians by Comedy Central. Kevin James has also performed at Just for Laughs, a big comedy festival in Montreal. In 2001, he had his own stand-up special called Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff. He released another special on Netflix in 2018 called Kevin James: Never Don't Give Up. In 2024, his third special, Kevin James: Irregardless, came out on Amazon Prime Video.
Television Roles
Kevin James' first TV job was in 1991 on The New Candid Camera. He used his comedy skills to play jokes on people. He also appeared on A&E's An Evening at the Improv in 1994. From 1994 to 1996, he was the announcer for the MTV sports show SandBlast.
Later, James moved to Los Angeles and became friends with Ray Romano. He appeared as a guest on a few episodes of Romano's popular TV show, Everybody Loves Raymond. These appearances led to his own TV show, The King of Queens. This show ran on CBS from 1998 to 2007.
On The King of Queens, James played Doug Heffernan. Doug was a parcel delivery man who worked for a company called IPS. He was married to Carrie (Leah Remini), a smart secretary. Carrie's funny and sometimes strange father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller), lived with them. Kevin James was nominated for a top acting award in 2006 for his work on the show.
Kevin James hosted the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 2010. He also starred in the TV show Kevin Can Wait, which started in 2016 and ran for two seasons. In 2021, he had a new show on Netflix called The Crew, which ran for one season. It was reported in 2024 that James will play golfer John Daly in an upcoming TV series.
Film Appearances
After a small role in 50 First Dates in 2004, Kevin James had his first main movie role in the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch. He starred alongside Will Smith. In 2006, he was in the comedy Grilled with Ray Romano. He also voiced characters in the animated movies Monster House and Barnyard.
James often worked with Adam Sandler. They starred together in comedies like I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) and You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008). Kevin James also starred in Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), which Sandler produced. This movie was a big hit, earning $39 million on its first weekend.
He also appeared in Grown Ups (2010), which was very successful and led to a sequel in 2013. In 2011, he had a main role in The Dilemma and then in Zookeeper, which he also wrote and produced. James played the main character in the 2012 mixed martial arts comedy Here Comes the Boom. He continued to voice Frankenstein in the first three Hotel Transylvania movies (2012–2018).
He also starred in Little Boy and Pixels (both 2015). In 2016, he was in the Netflix film True Memoirs of an International Assassin. In 2017, he worked with Adam Sandler again in another Netflix movie, Sandy Wexler.
In 2020, James took on a serious role in the thriller film Becky. In 2022, he played NFL coach Sean Payton in the movie Home Team. As of 2025, Kevin James is set to appear in several new comedy films, including Guns Up, Playdate, and Solo Mio.
Other Projects
Kevin James has been a grand marshal for NASCAR races several times. He promoted his movies by saying "Gentlemen, start your engines." Fans have voted his commands as some of the most memorable in NASCAR history.
In 2009, a web series called Dusty Peacock was produced by James. It starred his brother Gary Valentine. In 2020, Kevin James started making videos again on his YouTube channel. These short films often show funny or thoughtful moments from everyday life. By June 2020, his channel had over 535,000 subscribers.
Personal Life
Kevin James met his wife, Steffiana de la Cruz, on a blind date. She is a model and actress. They got married on June 19, 2004. They have four children and live in California.
Kevin James was raised in a Catholic home. He has said that he is still a strong Catholic. In 2019, he hosted a Catholic retreat. James is also a big fan of the New York Mets baseball team. He even threw out the first pitch at one of their games in August 2024.
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 | Firefighter 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 | President 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 |
| 2020 | Becky | Dominick | |
| Hubie Halloween | Sergeant Steve Downey | ||
| 2022 | Home Team | Sean Payton | |
| 2024 | Monster Summer | Edgar Palmer | |
| 2025 | Guns Up | Ray | |
Playdate  |
Brian | Post-production | |
| 2026 | Solo Mio | Matt | also writer and producer; post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-97 | A&E's An Evening at the Improv | Himself | 4 episodes |
| 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 | Kevin Hampton | Episode: "Nitro Man" | |
| 2001 | Arli$$ | Kevin | Episode: "Like No Business I Know" |
| 2007 | Elmo's Christmas Countdown | Santa Claus/ Kevin | TV special |
| 2015 | Liv and Maddie | Mr. Kevin 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) |
| TBA | Untitled John Daly limited series |
John Daly | Lead role |
Stand-up specials
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Sweat the Small Stuff | |
| 2018 | Never Don't Give Up | |
| 2024 | Irregardless |
Music Videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | "Nobody Likes Your Girlfriend" | Nate Smith & Hardy | Best Friend |
Awards and Nominations
Kevin James has been recognized for his acting and comedy. Here are some of the awards he has been nominated for:
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Worst Supporting Actor | Nominated | |
| Worst Screen Couple | ||||
| 2014 | Grown Ups 2 | Worst Screen Combo | Nominated | |
| 2016 | 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
In Spanish: Kevin James (actor) para niños
