Kevin James (actor)
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| Kevin James | |
|---|---|
 James in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 2007 |
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| Born | Kevin George Knipfing April 26, 1965 Mineola, New York, USA |
| Years active | 1996-present |
| Official website | |
Kevin James (born April 26, 1965) is an American comedian and Emmy Award-nominated actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of lead character Doug Heffernan on the television sitcom The King of Queens.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
James was born Kevin George Knipfing in Mineola, New York, the son of Janet, a homemaker who also worked in a chiropractor's office, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing, who owned an insurance company.[1][2][3] He was raised in the "S-Section" of Stony Brook, New York and graduated from Ward Melville High School in 1983,[4] where one of his teammates on the wrestling team was (professional wrestler) Mick Foley. James has two siblings, Gary Joseph Knipfing, known as Gary Valentine, also a comedian, and Leslie Knipfing. Leslie Knipfing works for James, helping raise money through charity events for retinitis pigmentosa, with which she is afflicted, while Gary Valentine plays his cousin, Danny, on The King of Queens. James was a student at, but did not graduate from, the State University of New York at Cortland, where he was a member of Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity.
[edit] Television career
James began doing stand-up comedy, gaining popularity through numerous appearances on various talk shows, including 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 Kelly. James was #89 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.
In 2001, James did his own stand up special called Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff for Comedy Central. A close friend of Ray Romano, James guest-starred on a few episodes of the hit television show Everybody Loves Raymond. These appearances led to the development of his own sitcom, The King of Queens that debuted on September 21, 1998 and ended on May 14, 2007. James was cast as the lead character, Doug Heffernan. Leah Remini was cast as his sharp-tongued wife Carrie while Jerry Stiller was cast in the supporting role of Carrie's semi-psychotic father, Arthur Spooner, who lives in the Heffernans' basement. In 2006, Kevin James received his first Emmy Award nomination, as Outstanding Lead Actor in a television series. He has also appeared as a musical guest on "Just for Laughs".
[edit] Film career
James made his film debut in the 2005 romantic comedy, Hitch, alongside Will Smith and Eva Mendes. The film grossed more than $179 million in the United States. In 2006, James starred with old friend Ray Romano in the comedy Grilled and voiced a character in the animated hit Barnyard. James also voiced a character in the 2006 movie Monster House. In 2007, he starred opposite Adam Sandler in the comedy film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and made a cameo in Sandler's 2008 film You Don't Mess with the Zohan. In March of 2008, he was spotted in Braintree, Massachusetts filming for the film Mall Cop. It is rumoured that he will star in John Carpenter's Time Chef, due for release in 2011.[citation needed]
[edit] Personal life
James married model Steffiana de la Cruz on June 19, 2004, after meeting her on a blind date. They have two daughters, Sienna-Marie, born September 30, 2005 and Shea Joelle, born on June 14, 2007.
Since he named daughter Shea Joelle, after his beloved Mets' home stadium, Kevin James promised his wife Steffiana De La Cruz first dibs on naming their next child. Her choice, though, may skew more towards entertainment than sports, he reveals on The Late Show with David Letterman.
"I told her she can name our next child after something she likes. I think we're looking at a Grey's Anatomy coming out."
Kevin says fatherhood the second time around is a lot less nervewracking.
"I was so nervous with the first child, taking her home from the hospital and everything and you kinda loosen up with the second child a little bit, which is nice. The first child, I remember they just give it to you at the hospital, you're supposed to put her in the carseat and drive home. And I was so nervous. I was 10-2 on the wheel in the right lane 30 miles an hour on the highway with the flashers going. Second kid, I had the top down. I was steering with my knees. I think I hit a drive-thru. I didn't go straight home."
As for being a hands-on parent, Kevin says he gets involved, but is glad he doesn't have to breastfeed, although Shea might want him to.
"My wife does the breastfeeding, thank God. It's awkward because at night the baby will sleep with us and my wife will leave in the middle of the night right after the breastfeeding and the baby's still hungry and she'll roll over and just look at me. I'm like, 'No, no. These don't function.' She doesn't believe me. She's just looking at me like, 'If you don't want to give me any, that's fine. Those are bigger than mom's."
Steffiana's breasts were sore for a bit from feeding, and a nurse advised her to stuff a bag of popsicles in her bra to alleviate the pain, an idea of which Kevin approves.
"I'm thinking, 'Wow! Now I really wanna get in there.' There's no better combination in the world than a boob and a popsicle."[5]
James is also a corner man for MMA legend Bas Rutten.
On July 22, 2007, TMZ.com reported that James named his second daughter after Shea Stadium saying, "I honestly...honestly did. I have been a New York Mets fan my whole life and have such good memories of going to Shea Stadium", he told Chris Yandek of TheSportsInterview.com. "Her middle name is Joelle after my dad Joe who passed away. I brought it in because he used to take me to Shea all the time. I can't believe this got by my wife. She ended up liking the name just for the name itself."[6]
On July 20, 2007, James introduced Shea on the morning talk show program Live! With Regis and Kelly with worries on how the public would react.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Kevin James Biography - Yahoo! Movies
- ^ 1
- ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/52/Kevin-James.html
- ^ Konig, Susan. "L.I.'s Biggest Export? Try Standup Comedy", The New York Times, November 14, 1999. Accessed October 27, 2007. "Mr. James was born in Mineola, but his family soon moved to Stony Brook, where he graduated from Ward Melville High School."
- ^ Kevin James and wife Steffiana welcome second daughter : Celebrity Baby Blog
- ^ Kevin James explains meaning of daughter Shea Joelle's name : Celebrity Baby Blog
- ^ Introducing Shea Joelle James : Celebrity Baby Blog
