1. Kevin James began his career by performing stand-up comedy at clubs on Long Island in the 1980s.
35 Facts About Kevin James
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Kevin James rose to prominence for his portrayal of Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens, for which he received the nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.
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In 2004, James made his first film appearance in 50 First Dates, and the following year co-starred in Hitch with Will Smith.
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Kevin James has done voice work for Monster House, Barnyard, and the first three films of the Hotel Transylvania franchise.
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Kevin James was nominated for a People's Choice Award in 2017 for his role on the CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait.
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Kevin James has appeared in several dramatic roles, including The Dilemma, Little Boy, and Becky.
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Kevin James George Knipfing was born in Mineola, New York, on April 26,1965, to office worker Janet Klein and insurance agency owner Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr.
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Kevin James has German, Ashkenazi Jewish, Sephardic Jewish, and Italian ancestry.
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Kevin James has a sister named Leslie and an older brother named Gary, who became a comedian and actor.
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Kevin James graduated from Ward Melville High School, where he reached the top position on the wrestling team, one spot above his friend and future professional wrestler Mick Foley.
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When Kevin James suffered a season-ending back injury, Foley took over the first string position.
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Kevin James began doing stand-up comedy in 1989, making his debut at Richie Minervini's East Side Comedy Club on Long Island.
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Kevin James started performing comedy with a troupe at the club, during which time he adopted "James" as his stage surname in honor of his favorite school teacher.
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Kevin James 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.
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Kevin James was listed at No 76 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians.
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Kevin James has done his stand-up routine on Just for Laughs, an annual comedy festival in Montreal, Quebec.
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Kevin James has appeared as a musical guest on Just for Laughs.
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Kevin James appeared on television as the announcer for the MTV sports game show SandBlast from 1994 to 1996.
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Kevin James later moved to Los Angeles and befriended Ray Romano, and he guest-starred on a few episodes of Romano's hit CBS sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond.
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Kevin James is married to Carrie, a sharp-tongued, ambitious secretary at a Manhattan law firm who is far less content with working-class life in Queens.
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Kevin James hosted the 2010 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 27,2010.
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Kevin James was nominated to be the inaugural member of the "Arm Fart Hall of Fame" in the following year's show, with host Jack Black calling him Kevin "Not-Quite-As-Good-As-Me" James.
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James starred in the sitcom Kevin Can Wait, which premiered on September 19,2016.
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In 2021, Kevin James released a new show on Netflix called The Crew.
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In 2024, Deadline reported that Kevin James is set to portray John Daly, in the upcoming series.
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Kevin James appeared in Grown Ups, which co-starred numerous Saturday Night Live alumni and was even more universally panned, yet was highly successful at the box office and led to a sequel in 2013.
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Kevin James had the lead role in the 2012 mixed martial arts comedy film Here Comes the Boom.
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Kevin James again provided voice work in the first three films of the Hotel Transylvania franchise.
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Kevin James starred as well in the movies Little Boy and Pixels, and the following year in True Memoirs of an International Assassin, directed by Jeff Wadlow and released by Netflix on November 11,2016.
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In 2017, Kevin James co-starred with Adam Sandler in another Netflix film, Sandy Wexler.
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Kevin James had a lead dramatic role in the 2020 thriller film Becky.
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Kevin James starred as NFL head coach Sean Payton in the 2022 biographical film Home Team.
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Kevin James did it again in June 2010 with friend and fellow actor Adam Sandler to promote Grown Ups, in 2012 at the fall Talladega race to promote Here Comes the Boom, and in July 2013 at the Coke-Zero 400 with co-stars Sandler and Shaquille O'Neal to promote Grown Ups 2.
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Kevin James met actress Filipina-American model and actress Steffiana de la Cruz as part of a blind date, and they were married on June 19,2004.
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Kevin James is a fan of the New York Mets baseball team, throwing out the first pitch at a game in August 2024.