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

Personal life

James was born Kevin George Knipfing in Stony Brook, New York, the son of Janet, a homemaker who also worked in a chiropractor's office, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing, who owned an insurance company.[1][2][3] He was raised in the "S-Section" of Stony Brook and graduated from Ward Melville High School in 1983,[4] 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.

On June 19, 2004, he married actress Steffiana de la Cruz.[5] He has two daughters, Sienna-Marie (born September 30, 2005)[6] and Shea Joelle (born June 14, 2007), who was named after the ballpark Shea Stadium.[7]

A keen sports fan, James supports the New York Mets and this is often referenced with his character Doug Heffernan in King of Queens. He is also a New York Jets fan along with fellow comedian/actor friends Adam Sandler and Ray Romano.

Television career

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.

In 2001, James did his own stand-up special called Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff for Comedy Central. 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 character, IPS deliveryperson Doug Heffernan, with Leah Remini as his sharp-tongued wife, Carrie, and Jerry Stiller as Carrie's father, Arthur Spooner, who lives in the Heffernans' basement. In 2006, James received his first Emmy Award nomination, as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Television Series. 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.

Film career

James made his film debut in the 2005 romantic comedy, Hitch, 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 movies Barnyard and Monster House. 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. The film has now grossed more than $100 million. His wife also appeared briefly as "Shopper with kids" in this film.

Filmography

1998    Cosby    Doug Heffernan    
1999    Martial Law    Dallas Hampton    
Becker    Doug Heffernan    
Everybody Loves Raymond    Kevin/Doug Heffernan    6 episodes as Kevin
3 episodes as Doug Heffernan 1996-1999
2001    Arli$    Kevin    
2002    Pinocchio    Mangiafuoco    Voice: English version
2004    50 First Dates    Factory Worker    
2005    Hitch    Albert Brennaman    Co-star
2006    Monster House    Officer Landers    Voice
Grilled    Dave    
Barnyard    Otis the Cow    Voice
2007    The King of Queens    Doug Heffernan    Main role (1998-2007)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry    Larry Valentine    Co-star
Elmo's Christmas Countdown    Santa Claus    
2008    You Don't Mess with the Zohan    Celebrity Judge    (uncredited)
2009    Paul Blart: Mall Cop    Paul Blart    Lead role
2010    Phantom Five       pre-production
The Zookeeper       pre-production

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