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Kevin James

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For other people named Kevin James, see Kevin James (disambiguation).

Kevin James
James receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, February 1, 2011
Birth nameKevin George Knipfing
Born (1965-04-26) April 26, 1965 (age 59)
Mineola, New York, United States
MediumStand-up, film, television
NationalityAmerican
GenresPhysical comedy, surreal humour, observational comedy, musical comedy
Subject(s)Everyday life, self-deprecation, body image, family
Spouse
Steffiana de la Cruz
​
​
(m. 2004)​
Children3
Notable works and rolesThe King of Queens

Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), better known by his stage name, Kevin James, is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. James is widely known for playing Doug Heffernan on the hit CBS sitcom The King of Queens. He is also known for his lead roles in the comedy films I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, Zookeeper, Here Comes the Boom, and Hitch.

Early life

James was born Kevin George Knipfing in Mineola[1] and raised from a young age in nearby Stony Brook, New York, both on Long Island.[2] He is the second son of Janet, a homemaker who also worked in a chiropractor's office, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing, Jr, who owned an insurance agency.[1][3] He is of German descent.[4] He has one brother, Gary Joseph Knipfing, known as Gary Valentine, also a comedian and actor, and one sister, Leslie Knipfing.[5] Leslie works for James and helped raise money through charity events for retinitis pigmentosa, with which she is afflicted. James was raised Catholic, and stated in 2012 that he is involved in his faith.[6] He graduated from Ward Melville High School.[2] James was a student at, but did not graduate from, the State University of New York at Cortland.[2]

Career

James began doing stand-up comedy in 1989, making his debut at the East Side Comedy Club on Long Island, managed by Richie Minervini.[2] 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 #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, 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.

Television

James first television job was in 1991 on The New Candid Camera, where he used his comedy timing & improv skills playing the actor that pulled the practical jokes on unsuspecting people. 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 later 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 a middle-class parcel delivery man, Doug Heffernan, who works for a company known as IPS and is married to Carrie (Leah Remini). They live with his father-in-law, Arthur (Jerry Stiller). For his work on the eighth season, James was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series[7] in 2006. In 2007, he was the grand marshal for saying the most famous line in auto racing "Gentlemen, start your engines" for NASCAR racing in the 2007 Pepsi 400.[clarification needed] 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 Adam Sandler and Shaquille O'Neal .

Film

James on the set of Paul Blart: Mall Cop: Burlington Mall, Burlington, Massachusetts

James made his 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 comedy Grilled, and provided voice work in the animated films Monster House and Barnyard. James co-starred with Adam Sandler in the badly reviewed[8] comedies I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007), You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), and Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009). In the latter film, his character patrolled the West Orange Pavilion Mall on a Segway PT. The film opened as the #1 film in North America with a weekend gross of $39 million, despite overwhelmingly negative reviews,[9] and eventually grossed $219 million from ticket and home video sales. More recently, James 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.[10] In 2011, he had a lead role with Vince Vaughn in the comedy-drama, The Dilemma, and in Zookeeper, which he wrote and produced. In 2012, James had the lead role in the mixed martial arts comedy film Here Comes the Boom.[11]

Web

A web series titled Dusty Peacock produced by James and starring his brother Gary Valentine began streaming on Crackle in July 2009.[12]

Award shows

James hosted the 2010 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010 and was a nominee into the Arm Fart Hall of Fames of the next year's show as Kevin "Not-Quite-As-Good-As-Me" James; but lost to Josh Duhamel.

Personal life

In 2004, James married actress Steffiana de la Cruz in California.[13] Their first child, daughter Sienna-Marie, was born in 2005. Their second daughter, Shea Joelle, was born in 2007; she was named after the New York ballpark Shea Stadium.[14] They welcomed their first son and third child, Kannon Valentine, 2011.[15] James is the younger brother of comedian Gary Valentine (born Gary Knipfing), who played Doug's cousin Danny Heffernan on King of Queens. He is a close friend of retired MMA fighter Bas Rutten, and trains with him at his school in Thousand Oaks, California. James is also known for being a big sports fan, particularly of the New York Knicks, New York Jets, New York Mets, and New York Islanders, as well as the UFC. James attended high school with former, professional wrestler Mick Foley. Both wrestled in high school. James was varsity, while Foley was JV. James, a Catholic, appeared on Catholic-themed channel EWTN's The World Over Live in 2012.[16]

Filmography

Film and Television
Year Title Role Notes
1996, 1998–1999 Everybody Loves Raymond Kevin Daniels, Doug Heffernan 8 episodes (1996–99)
1998–2007 The King of Queens Doug Heffernan Lead Role
Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
1998 Cosby Doug Heffernan Episode: Judgment Day
1999 Becker Doug Heffernan Episode: Drive, They Said
1999 Martial Law Dallas Hampton Episode: Nitro Man
2001 Arli$$ Kevin Episode: Like No Business I Know
2002 Pinocchio Mangiafuoco Voice: English version
2004 50 First Dates Fireman Cameo
2005 Hitch Albert Brennaman Co-star
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Dance Scene (shared with Will Smith)
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liplock (shared with Will Smith)
2006 Monster House Officer Landers Voice
2006 Grilled Dave
2006 Barnyard Otis the Cow Voice
2007 I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry Larry Valentine Co-star
Nominated – Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor
Nominated – Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (shared with Adam Sandler and Jessica Biel)
2007 Elmo's Christmas Countdown Santa Claus
2008 You Don't Mess with the Zohan Hacky Sack Tournament Celebrity Judge Uncredited
2009 Paul Blart: Mall Cop Paul Blart Lead role, writer and producer
2010 Grown Ups Eric Lamonsoff
2011 The Dilemma Nick Brannen Co-star
2011 Zookeeper Griffin Keyes Lead role, writer and producer
2012 Here Comes the Boom Scott Voss Lead role, writer and producer
2012 Hotel Transylvania Frank Voice
2013 Grown Ups 2 Eric Lamonsoff Nominated – Razzie Award for Worst Screen Combo (shared with the entire cast)
2015 Little Boy Dr. Fox
2015 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 Paul Blart Lead role, writer and producer, filming
2015 Pixels William Cooper Co-star, filming
2015 Hotel Transylvania 2 (voice)

Awards and nominations

Kevin James received one Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal of Doug Heffernan on The King of Queens.

Television Season Award Category Television Program Result Notes
2005–2006 Emmy Award Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series The King of Queens
(Episode: "Pole Lox") 		Nominated Lost to Tony Shalhoub (Monk)

References

  1. ^ a b "Kevin James Biography". FilmReference.com.
  2. ^ a b c d Konig, Susan (November 14, 1999). "L.I.'s Biggest Export? Try Standup Comedy". The New York Times. Mr. James was born in Mineola, but his family soon moved to Stony Brook, where he graduated from Ward Melville High School.
  3. ^ "Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  4. ^ "Kevin James: "Bleib dir treu"". Showbiz.de. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  5. ^ "Kevin James Biography". Yahoo! Movies.
  6. ^ Mark Pattison (October 9, 2012). "Comic actor Kevin James wants to 'glorify God in every way'". TheCatholicSpirit.com. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  7. ^ "Kevin James Emmy Nominated". Emmys.com. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  8. ^ "Critics' reviews for I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry". metacritic.com.
  9. ^ "Critics' reviews for Paul Blart:Mall Cop". metacritic.com.
  10. ^ "Critics' reviews for Grown Ups". metacritic.com.
  11. ^ "MMA-Themed Movie 'Here Comes the Boom' Starring Kevin James Releases New Trailer". Bleacher Report. June 27, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  12. ^ "Kevin James, Gary Valentine Get Reckless on 'Dusty Peacock'". Tilzy.tv. July 17, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  13. ^ Bacardi, Francesca (November 20, 2014). "Kevin James Expecting Baby No. 4 With Wife Steffiana de la Cruz!". E! Online. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  14. ^ [1] [dead link]
  15. ^ "Kevin James Welcomes Son Kannon Valentine – Moms & Babies". Celebritybabies.people.com. December 13, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  16. ^ Kevin, James. "World Over 2012-10-11". YouTube.
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