Kevin James Biography

Kevin James is a veteran actor, comedian, screenwriter and film producer who has been active in the entertainment industry since 1989. He is best known for his role as Doug Heffernan in CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007). Some of his popular screen credit includes Hitch (2005), I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry(2007), Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) and Grown Ups.

Born in Mineola, Long Island

Kevin James was born as Kevin George Knipfing on April 26, 1965, in Mineola, Long Island, New York, U.S. He is the second son of Janet James, a chiropractor's office, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr., who owned an insurance agency.

He was raised with her elder brother Gary Joseph Knipfing, who is also a renowned comedian and actor. and younger sister Leslie Knipfing in Stony Brook.

James is of German descent. He graduated from  Ward Melville High School and he reached the number one spot on the wrestling team in the school. 

Movie and Television Career

Kevin James started his career as a stand-up comedy in 1989, making his debut at the East Side Comedy Club on Long Island. He rose to fame after appearing in the various talk shows, including Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Dennis Miller Live,  The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 

James starred in commercials for Mazzio's Italian Eatery. In 2001, he did his own stand-up special,  Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff.  He got his first television job in 1991 on The New Candid Camera. Then the hosted the MTV sports game show SandBlastfrom 1994-96. 

Later, James moved to Los Angeles in search of better opportunities. He guest-starred on a few episodes of Romano's hit CBS sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond.

In 1998, he got his major role in CBS sitcom, The King of Queens where he played the role of Doug Heffernan for which he earned Primetime Emmy nomination. In 2010, he anchored  Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.   

Kevin James debuted in films in 2005 in the romantic comedy, Hitch.  Then he appeared in a number of films including,  I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan,  Paul Blart: Mall Cop,  The Dilemma,  Sandy Wexler.

In 2007, he was the grand marshal for the Pepsi 400 ad which was popular for its NASCAR commands, "Gentlemen, start your engines".

In 2018, he released a stand-up special on Kevin James: Never Don’t Give Up which aired on Netflix.

Whopping Net Worth of $80 Million

Kevin James is one of the highest-paid stand-up comedians and has gathered a handsome sum of money throughout his career. According to Celebrity Net Worth, James has a whopping net worth of $80 million, as of 2020.

As for his salary, James earns more than $12 million from a film and $3-$4 million from a television show on average. 

His career took off in his early 30s when he met fellow comedian Ray Romano, and making recurring appearances on the popular TV sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond.” That role led to a spinoff of his own, “King of Queens” from 1998 to 2007.

Some of his highest grossing movies are enlisted below, with their budges and box office collections.

Year	Movie	Budget (US Dollar)	Box-office Collection (US Dollar)	IMDb rating	Starring
2009	Paul Blart: Mall Cop	$183.3 million	$26 million	5.2 stars	Jayma Mays, Keir O'Donnell,  Bobby Cannavale
2010	Grown Ups	$80 million	$271.4 million	6 stars	Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider
2011	Zookeeper	$169.8 million	$80 million	5.2 stars	Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb
2012	Here Comes the Boom	$42 million	$73.1 million	6.4 stars	Salma Hayek, Henry Winkler, Greg Germann, Joe Rogan

Awards and Honors

James won an NRJ Ciné award in 2005 for Best Kiss in the film “Hitch.” Nominations include Teen Choice Awards for “Hitch” (2005) and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” (2015).

His first comedy series, “The King of Queens,” was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2006. James was ranked #89 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians. 

James provided his voice in Hotel Transylvania (2012) for which he was nominated for a Behind the Voice Actors Award. He was nominated for a People’s Choice Awards in 2017 for Favorite Actor in a new TV Series, “Kevin Can Wait.”

Married Life With Wife Steffiana de la Cruz

Moving towards the relationship status of Kevin James, he is a  married man. He has been married to renowned actress Steffiana de la Cruz who is best known for her roles in Eddie Money, Damned Yanky, Black List and Affair Trade.

Kevin and Steffiana first met on a blind date arranged by his interior decorator, and eventually started a romantic relationship.

After dating for several months, the couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in California on June 19, 2004. Nearly 180 guests, including close friends and family members, attended the wedding.

Father of Four Children

Husband-wife duo Kevin James and Steffiana de la Cruz are proud parents of four children; three daughters Shea Joelle James, Sienna-Marie James and Sistine Sabella James, and a son Kannon Valentine James.

James shares a good bonding with standup comedian, Ray Romano who is a member of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.

Body Measurements and Quick Facts

• In the years 2012, he said that he was practicing Catholic.
• He has a tall height of 5 feet 8 inches(1.73 m).
• Although he has a heavyweight he is actively involved in athletics. He loves to play gulf. 
• Once he also claimed that during his high school days he runs a 4.6 sec. 40-yard dash.