Kevin James : American Actor
Kevin James (born Kevin George Knipfing on April 26, 1965) 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.
James was born 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. He was raised in the “S-Section” of Stony Brook and graduated from Ward Melville High School in 1983, 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 she is afflicted. James also has a cousin named Bryan aka b-unit. 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. 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.
He is an avid New York Mets fan.
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.
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.
Other Information
- Born Kevin George Knipfing
- April 26, 1965 (1965-04-26)
- Stony Brook, New York, U.S.
- Occupation Actor/Comedian
- Years active 1991–present
- Spouse : Steffiana De La Cruz (19 June 2004 – present)
- Children : 2
Trivia
- April 2000 – lives in an L.A. bachelor pad with his brother, Gary Valentine, who is also a stand-up comedian.
- He was raised in Stony Brook, NY and graduated from Ward Melville High School (Long Island, New York) in 1983. One of his wrestling teammates at Ward Melville High School was future WWE star and author Mick Foley (“Mankind”). He also attended Cortland University with Mick Foley.
- His big break came in 1996 when he won at the “Just for Laughs” Montreal Comedy Festival.
- In June 1999 and 2000, he hosted the Florida Sports Awards, the official sports award show for the state of Florida, in Jacksonville, Fla. This event raises funds for the Otis F. Smith Foundation.
- He met his wife on a blind date arranged by his interior decorator.
- 19 June 2004 – He married his longtime girlfriend, model Steffiana De La Cruz, before 180 friends – including Ray Romano – and family members in Dana Point, California.
- Is a New York Jets and a New York Mets fan.
- His wife, Steffiana gave birth to their first child, Sienna-Marie on Friday September 30, 2005.
- Is an avid golfer and an avid fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
- Attended Cortland University, along with former wrestler and current best selling author Mick Foley (whom he also attended high school with).
- His now-wife Steffiana De La Cruz appears in 4 episodes of his sitcom “The King of Queens” (1998) (in small roles).
- Daughter, Sienna-Marie.
- One of his teammates on the wrestling team at Ward Melville High School was future WWE star and author Mick Foley.
- Born to Janet and Joseph Valentine Knipfing.
- Kevin and Steffiana became the parents of a second girl, Shea Joelle James, on June 14, 2007 in Los Angeles.
- Close friends with Ray Romano. They met while doing stand up comedy, on the comedy circuit.
- Is a member of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.
- Claims to have run a 4.6 sec. 40-yard dash in high school.
Links
- Official website
- Kevin James at the Internet Movie Database
Incoming search terms:
- kevin james
- Doug Heffernan
- ward melville
Lani Pillinger