Kevin James

Kevin James
James on February 1, 2011
Born	Kevin George Knipfing (1965-04-26) April 26, 1965 (age 51) Mineola, New York, U.S.
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer
Years active	1989–present
Known for	The King of Queens (1998-2007) Paul Blart: Mall Cop Kevin Can Wait (2016-present)
Spouse(s)	Steffiana de la Cruz (m. 2004)
Children	4

Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), known professionally by his stage name Kevin James, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for playing Doug Heffernan on the hit CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007). He is also known for his roles in comedy films including Hitch (2005), I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007), Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Grown Ups (2010), Zookeeper (2011), Here Comes the Boom (2012), and Pixels (2015).

Kevin James was born Kevin George Knipfing in Mineola, New York, and was raised from a young age in Stony Brook, both on Long Island. 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. He is of German descent. He has a brother, Gary Joseph Knipfing, known as Gary Valentine, who is also a comedian and actor, and one sister, Leslie Knipfing. Leslie works for James and helped raise money through charity events for retinitis pigmentosa, with which she is afflicted.

James graduated from Ward Melville High School. While there, he reached the number one spot on the wrestling team, just ahead of friend and WWE star Mick Foley. Both wrestled at 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 sporting hopes.