Kevin James | |
|---|---|
 James in 2011 | |
| Born | Kevin George Knipfing (1965-04-26)April 26, 1965 (age 59) Mineola, New York, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Gary Valentine (brother) |
| Website | www |
Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), known professionally asKevin James, is an American comedian and actor. He began his career by performing stand-up comedy at clubs onLong Island in the 1980s. He rose to prominence for his portrayal ofDoug Heffernan on theCBS sitcomThe King of Queens (1998–2007), for which he received the nomination forPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.
In 2004, James made his first film appearance in50 First Dates, and the following year co-starred inHitch withWill Smith. He went on to star inI Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007),Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009),Grown Ups (2010),Zookeeper (2011),Here Comes the Boom (2012), andPixels (2015). He has also done voice work forMonster House,Barnyard (both 2006), and the first three films of theHotel Transylvania franchise (2012–2018). He also was nominated for aPeople's Choice Award in 2017 for his role on the CBS sitcomKevin Can Wait (2016–2018). James has also appeared in several dramatic roles, includingThe Dilemma (2011),Little Boy (2015), andBecky (2020).
Kevin George Knipfing was born inMineola, New York, on April 26, 1965,[1] to office worker Janet Klein and insurance agency owner Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr. He has German, Ashkenazi Jewish, Sephardic Jewish, and Italian ancestry.[1][2][3] He grew up inStony Brook, New York.[4] He has a sister named Leslie and an older brother namedGary, who also became a comedian and actor (adopting the stage name Gary Valentine).[5] The siblings were raisedCatholic. James graduated fromWard Melville High School,[6] where he reached the top position on thewrestling team, one spot above his friend and future professional wrestlerMick Foley. Both wrestled in the Heavyweight weight class. When James suffered a season-ending back injury, Foley took over the first string position.[7] Both men went on to study at theState University of New York at Cortland, where James played halfback on the varsityfootball team until another back injury permanently ended his sporting ambitions.[6][8]
James began doingstand-up comedy in 1989, making his debut at Richie Minervini's East Side Comedy Club onLong Island.[6] He also started performing comedy with a troupe at the club, during which time he adopted "James" as hisstage surname in honor of his favorite school teacher.[9] He gained popularity through numerous appearances on various talk shows, includingThe 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, andLive with Regis and Kathie Lee. James was listed at No. 76 onComedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians. James has also done his stand-up routine onJust for Laughs, an annual comedy festival inMontreal, Quebec. Later he was on commercials forMazzio's Italian Eatery. In 2001, James did his own stand-up special calledKevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff. He has also appeared as a musical guest onJust for Laughs. In 2018, James released another stand-up special onNetflix calledKevin James: Never Don't Give Up. In 2024, James released his third special onAmazon Prime Video calledKevin James: Irregardless.[10]
James' first television job was in 1991 onThe New Candid Camera, where he used his comedy timing and improvisation skills playing the actor that pulled practical jokes on unsuspecting people. He appeared inA&E's An Evening at the Improv in 1994.[11] James appeared on television as the announcer for theMTV sports game showSandBlast from 1994 to 1996.
James later moved to Los Angeles and befriendedRay Romano, and he guest-starred on a few episodes of Romano's hitCBS sitcom,Everybody Loves Raymond. These appearances led to the development of his own sitcom,The King of Queens, which ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, James playedworking class parcel delivery manDoug Heffernan who works for a company known as IPS. He is married toCarrie (Leah Remini), a sharp-tongued, ambitious secretary at aManhattan law firm who is far less content with working-class life inQueens. Her obsessive, vindictive father,Arthur (Jerry Stiller), who is prone toward bizarre conduct, lives with them. For his work on theeighth season, James was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.[12]
James hosted the 2010Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010. He was nominated to be the inaugural member of the "Arm Fart Hall of Fame" in thefollowing year's show, with host Jack Black calling him Kevin "Not-Quite-As-Good-As-Me" James. He and fellow nomineeKaley Cuoco lost in fan voting toJosh Duhamel.[13][14]
James starred in the sitcomKevin Can Wait, which premiered on September 19, 2016.[15][16] The series was renewed for a second season,[17] before being canceled at the season's end.
In 2021, James released a new show on Netflix calledThe Crew.[18] It was canceled after one season.[19]
In 2024,Deadline reported that James is set to portrayJohn Daly, in the upcoming series.
After a cameo in50 First Dates in 2004, James made his starring film debut in the 2005 romantic comedyHitch, alongsideWill Smith andEva Mendes. In 2006, he co-starred with hisEverybody Loves Raymond colleagueRay Romano in the straight-to-video comedyGrilled, and provided voice work in theanimated filmsMonster House andBarnyard, released on July 21 and August 4, respectively, of that year. James co-starred withAdam Sandler in the comediesI Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) andYou Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), and starred in the Sandler-produced comedyPaul 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,[20] and eventually grossed $219 million from ticket and home video sales. James also appeared inGrown Ups (2010), which co-starred numerousSaturday Night Live alumni and was even more universally panned, yet was highly successful at the box office[21] and led to asequel in 2013.
In 2011, he had a lead role withVince Vaughn in the comedy-dramaThe Dilemma and then withRosario Dawson inZookeeper, which he wrote and produced. James also had the lead role in the 2012mixed martial arts comedy filmHere Comes the Boom.[22] He again provided voice work in the first three films of theHotel Transylvania franchise (2012–2018). He starred as well in the moviesLittle Boy andPixels (both 2015), and the following year inTrue Memoirs of an International Assassin, directed byJeff Wadlow and released by Netflix on November 11, 2016.[23][24] In 2017, James co-starred withAdam Sandler in another Netflix film,Sandy Wexler.[25]
James had a lead dramatic role in the 2020 thriller filmBecky. He starred asNFL head coachSean Payton in the 2022 biographical filmHome Team. As 2024, James is set to appear three comedy films, includingGuns Up,Playdate andSolo Mio.
In 2007, he was the grand marshal for thePepsi 400 promotingI Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and saying "Gentlemen, start your engines".[26] He did it again in June 2010 with friend and fellow actorAdam Sandler to promoteGrown Ups, in 2012 at the fall Talladega race to promoteHere Comes the Boom,[27] and in July 2013 at the Coke-Zero 400 with co-stars Sandler andShaquille O'Neal to promoteGrown Ups 2.[28] 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 memorableNASCAR commands in history by fans.
A web series titledDusty Peacock produced by James and starring his brother Gary Valentine began streaming onCrackle in July 2009.[29]
In February 2020, James revived hisYouTube channel which he had launched back on November 27, 2017[30] 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."[31] By June 2020, he had over 535,000 subscribers and 28 million total views.[32]
James met actress Filipina-American model and actress Steffiana de la Cruz as part of ablind date, and they were married on June 19, 2004.[33] They have four children together and reside inCalifornia.[34]
James is a fan of theNew York Mets baseball team, throwing out the first pitch at a game in August 2024.[35]
Raised in aCatholic home, James stated in 2012 that he remains a devout Catholic.[36] In 2019, he hosted a Catholicretreat featuring priestChad Ripperger and theologianScott Hahn.[37]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| 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[38] | |
| 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 | Post-production |
| TBA | Playdate† | Brian | Post-production |
| Solo Mio† | Matt | also writer and producer;Post-production |
| 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 |
| Yeah | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Sweat the Small Stuff | |
| 2018 | Never Don't Give Up | |
| 2024 | Irregardless |
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | "Nobody Likes Your Girlfriend" | Nate Smith &Hardy | Best Friend |
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Hitch | Choice Movie: Dance Scene[A] | Nominated | [39] |
| Choice Movie: Liplock[A] | ||||
| 2015 | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | Choice Movie Actor: Comedy | Nominated | [40] |
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The King of Queens; episode: "Pole Lox" | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | [41] |
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Worst Supporting Actor | Nominated | [42] |
| Worst Screen Couple[B] | ||||
| 2014 | Grown Ups 2 | Worst Screen Combo[C] | Nominated | [43] |
| 2016 | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | Worst Actor | Nominated | [44] |
| Worst Picture | ||||
| Worst Screenplay | ||||
| Pixels | Worst Supporting Actor | Nominated |
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kevin Can Wait | Favorite Actor in a New TV Series | Nominated | [45] |
A^ Shared withWill Smith
B^ Shared withAdam Sandler andJessica Biel
C^ Shared with the entire cast
Mr. James was born in Mineola, but his family soon moved to Stony Brook college, where he graduated from Ward Melville High School.
Mr. James was born in Mineola, but his family soon moved to Stony Brook college, where he graduated from Ward Melville High School.
