Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), known professionally as Kevin James, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his role as Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007), for which he was nominated for a 2006 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He starred in another CBS sitcom, Kevin Can Wait (2016–2018) for which he was nominated for a 2017 People's Choice Award.
James has appeared in the films Hitch (2005), I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Grown Ups (2010), Zookeeper (2011), Here Comes the Boom (2012), and Pixels (2015). He has also done voice work for Barnyard (2006), Monster House (2006), and the Hotel Transylvania film series (2012–present).
James was born Kevin George Knipfing on April 26, 1965, in Mineola, New York. He grew up in Stony Brook, New York. He is the second son of office worker Janet and insurance agency owner Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr. His father is German-American. James has an elder brother, comedian and actor Gary Valentine, and a sister, Leslie. He and his siblings were raised Catholic. James graduated from Ward Melville High School. While there, he reached the number one spot on the wrestling team, just ahead of friend and future professional wrestler Mick Foley. Both wrestled at the 145 lb weight class. A season-ending back injury to James resulted in Foley taking over the first string position. James, as well as Foley, went on to study at the State University of New York at Cortland, where he played halfback on the varsity football team until another back injury permanently ended his sports hopes.
James began doing stand-up comedy in 1989, making his debut at the East Side Comedy Club on Long Island, managed by Richie Minervini. 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 #76 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. In 2018, James released another stand-up special on Netflix called Kevin James: Never Don’t Give Up.
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Funny 50
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50
% Not Funny
Funniest 50
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% Not even Top 100
I love this comedy 50
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50
% Although funny not a fan
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