Kevin James (born Kevin George Knipfing,April 26, 1965) in Mineola, New York is an American comedian and actor.
James was raised in Stony Brook, New York. He was a one-time student at the State University of New York at Cortland (where James played football for three years and was a major in sports management), he was a star in stand-up comedy before trying his hand in television. After an appearance on Star Search, his comedy career took off, and he would appear as a guest on other shows like The Tonight Show.
A close friend of Ray Romano, the star of Everybody Loves Raymond, James was cast as the lead character on The King of Queens in 1998. He plays Doug Heffernan, a slow-witted delivery-truck driver who lives with his wife Carrie (Leah Remini) and father-in-law Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller). Doug's best friend, Deacon, is portrayed by Victor Williams. His cousin on the show, Danny, is played by his brother in real life Gary Valentine, who is also a stand-up comedian.
James co-starred with Will Smith in the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch, as a schlub getting pointers from Smith's date doctor.
James and his wife, Steffiana De La Cruz, had their first child on September 30, 2005. They named their daughter Sienna-Marie.
He is number 89 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time.
