Kevin James
Kevin James | |
|---|---|
| File:KevinjamesVegas07.jpg James in November 2007 | |
| Born | Kevin George Knipfing |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, writer, producer |
| Years active | 1991 – present |
| Spouse | Steffiana de la Cruz (2004–present) |
| Website | http://www.kevinjames.tv/ |
Kevin James (born April 26, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, writer and producer, perhaps best known for his playing Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcoms The King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond. He is also known for his roles in the comedy films Hitch, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Paul Blart: Mall Cop. He hosted the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010.
Early years
James was born Kevin George Knipfing in Mineola, New York at Winthrop-University Hospital, to Janet, a homemaker who also worked in a chiropractor's office, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing, who owned an insurance company.[1][2][3] James has two siblings, Gary Joseph Knipfing, known as Gary Valentine, also a comedian, and Leslie Knipfing; Leslie works for James, helping raise money through charity events for retinitis pigmentosa, with which he is afflicted. James 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. He 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.
Career
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 Kathy Lee. 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.
James is a friend of 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 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 work on the show he was nominated for an Emmy for the most outstanding lead actor in a comedy show. 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.
James was named on February 15, 2010 as the host of the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards.[5]
Film
James made his film debut in the 2005 romantic comedy, Hitch, which he got very high praise 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 $219 million dollars from box office, and home video sales. James will also be featured in the upcoming Happy Madison comedy Grown Ups, along with Chris Rock, Adam Sandler,Rob Schnider,and Tim Meadows, all Saturday Night Live alma mater. It can be said that he is playing a role that would be played by Chris Farley had he not died on December 18, 1997.
Web
A web series titled Dusty Peacock produced by James and starring his brother Gary Valentine began streaming on Crackle in July of 2009.[6]
Award shows
James hosted the 2010 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010 on Nick.
Personal life
On June 19, 2004, James married actress Steffiana de la Cruz.[7] He has two daughters, Sienna-Marie (born September 30, 2005)[8] and Shea Joelle (born June 14, 2007), who was named after the ballpark Shea Stadium.[9]
He is a close friend of ex-MMA fighter Bas Rutten, and has accompanied him to the octagon on one occasion.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Kevin | 6 episodes; 1996–1998 |
| 1998 | Doug Heffernan | "The Lone Barone" (Season 3, Episode 9) "Ray Home Alone" (Season 3, Episode 18) "Be Nice" (Season 3, Episode 23) 1998–1999 | |
| 1998 | The King of Queens | Doug Heffernan | Main role (1998–2007) |
| 1999 | Martial Law | Dallas Hampton | |
| Becker | Doug Heffernan | ||
| 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 | Voice | |
| Barnyard | Otis | Voice | |
| 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 | |
| 2009 | Paul Blart Mall Cop | Paul Blart | Lead role, Writer and Producer |
| 2010 | Grown Ups | Eric Lamonsoff | post-production |
| 2010 Kids' Choice Awards | Himself | Host | |
| 2011 | Cheaters | ||
| Zookeeper |
References
- ^ Kevin James Biography – Yahoo! Movies
- ^ 1
- ^ Kevin James Biography (1965–)
- ^ Konig, Susan. "L.I.'s Biggest Export? Try Standup Comedy", The New York Times, November 14, 1999. Accessed October 27, 2007. "Mr. James was born in Mineola, but his family soon moved to Stony Brook, where he graduated from Ward Melville High School."
- ^ Monica Rizzo, Kevin James to Host Kids' Choice Awards, People, February 15, 2010
- ^ "Kevin James, Gary Valentine Get Reckless on 'Dusty Peacock'". Tilzy.tv. July 17, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416673/bio
- ^ http://www.tv.com/kevin-james/person/1596/summary.html
- ^ http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2009/01/i_went_to_the_big.html
External links
- Official website
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Kevin James Interview on Jets Insider.com
- Kevin James Interview on PR.com