Kevin George Knipfing Wiki Biography
Kevin George Knipfing, was born on 26 April 1965, in Mineola, New York State USA, of part-German descent through his father. Commonly known as Kevin James, he is an actor and voice actor, film and television producer, as well as a comedian, and is perhaps best recognised for portraying the character of Doug Heffernan in the popular television show “The King of Queens”, aired on screens between 1998 and 2007.
So just how rich is Kevin James, as of mid-2017? Authoritative sources state that James’ net worth is estimated to be $90 million. Undoubtedly, Kevin’s varied career in the entertainment industry – which began in the late 1980s – is the main source of his net worth.
Kevin James Net Worth $90 Million
Kevin attended Ward Melville High School, where he was also a keen wrestler, and later continued his studies at the State University of New York at Cortland, but he did not graduate from it. James’ career started with performing stand-up comedy at various clubs, which eventually earned him invitations to appear on television shows, firstly in “The New Candid Camera” in 1991, in which his talent for comedy gelled perfectly with the pranks endemic to the show, and then as a guest on such programs as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, “The Rosie O’Donnell Show”, “The Late Show with David Letterman” and many more, which certainly gained him wider recognition, and boosted his net worth.
Kevin James made his acting debut in a sitcom entitled “Everybody Loves Raymond” with Ray Romano, whom he befriended shortly after moving out to Los Angeles. James’ talent and comedic abilities then landed him a main role in a popular sitcom “The King of Queens”, which helped him jump-start his acting career. Over the years, James starred alongside Leah Remini, Jerry Stiller, Lisa Rieffel and Victor Williams, all of whom played main roles in the series. The show also featured guest appearances from noted actorsincluding William Hurt, Ben Stiller, Vanna White, Allen Covert, Kirstie Alley and many others. The series remained popular among its audience during the nine season run, as the first season was watched by 12.5 million viewers, while the last one gathered an audience of 11.4 million viewers. The series also helped Kevin James establish himself as an actor and earned him a nomination for an Emmy Award for Best Lead Actor in Comedy Series.
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After his acclaimed performance in “The King of Queens”, Kevin James featured in many other television projects, including “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” with Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi and Jessica Biel, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”, in which he portrayed the main character, “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”, as well as two upcoming films, namely “Pixels” with Adam Sandler, Peter Dinklage and Ashley Benson, and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2”, directed by Andy Fickman, all of which enhanced his reputation, and added steadily to his net worth.
Most recently, in 2016 James starred in “True Memoirs of an International Assassin”, directed by Jeff Wadlow, , and in 2017, James appeared in “Sandy Wexler“, another Netflix film, alongside Adam Sandler. Kevin has now appeared in over 20 films, and been involved in more than a dozen TV productions, while maintaining his stand-up comedy routine..
In his personal life, Kevin James has been married to actress Steffiana de la Cruz since 2004; they have four children and reside in Los Angeles, California.
Full Name | Kevin James |
Net Worth | $90 Million |
Salary | $80 million |
Date Of Birth | April 26, 1965 |
Died | January 24, 1990, Los Angeles, California, United States |
Place Of Birth | Mineola, New York, United States |
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
Profession | Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film Producer, Television producer, Screenwriter, Voice Actor |
Education | Ward Melville High School, State University of New York at Cortland |
Nationality | American |
Spouse | Steffiana de la Cruz (m. 2004) |
Children | Kannon Valentine James, Sienna-Marie James, Shea Joelle James, Sistine Sabella James |
Parents | Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr., Janet Knipfing |
Siblings | Gary Valentine, Leslie Knipfing |
Nicknames | Kevin George Knipfing |
https://www.facebook.com/KevinJames | |
https://twitter.com/KevinJames | |
https://www.instagram.com/officialkevinjames/ | |
IMDB | www.imdb.com/name/nm0416673 |
Allmusic | www.allmusic.com/artist/kevin-james-mn0001368101 |
Awards | NRJ Ciné Awards – Best Kiss (2005) |
Nominations | Emmy Award for Best Lead Actor in Comedy Series, MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (1998), Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (2006), Behind the Voice Actors Awards, Teen Choice Awards, MovieGuide Awards, Razzie Awards |
Movies | “Pixels” (2015), “Cubed”, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” (2007), “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” (2009), “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”, “Pixels”, , “Zookeeper” (2011), “Here Comes the Boom” (2012), “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” (2015) |
TV Shows | “Sweat the Small Stuff” (2013-2015), “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, “The Rosie O’Donnell Show”, “The Late Show with David Letterman”,”Star Search” (1983), “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (1992), “Just for Laughs” (1996, Montreal Comedy Festival), “Everybody Loves Raymond” (1996), “Th… |
Title | Salary |
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The King of Queens (1998) | $500,000 per episode (2006-2007 Season) |
Quote | |
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1 | Once a year my back will go out and it’ll be… it’s like a sciatic thing and it’s the smallest thing. Like I could be leaning over the sink to brush my teeth in a weird way and it happens. |
2 | I’ve always been the guy who doesn’t necessarily get it with women. A woman would have to say, ‘I like you, I want to go out with you, you can ask me.’ And still I would question it. Did she mean it? |
3 | I want to do movies that I’m proud of where my kids, at some point, can see and I can feel comfortable sitting there watching it with them. And just that move people. That make people feel a little bit better about themselves when they leave the theatre. |
4 | As American as an apple is and as American as baseball is, they don’t go together. You can’t be chewing an apple at a baseball game. You’ve got to let go of the diet that day. |
5 | You think school ends when it ends, but it doesn’t. |
6 | Teachers have a chance to mold someone, inspire them. I hope all teachers realize that. |
7 | Now I’m starting to jog. But every time I do jog I have 9-1 pressed into my phone, with the next ‘1’ ready to be launched in case I drop. |
8 | My favorite movie of all time is ‘Rocky.’ |
9 | Just me onstage with a mike having an intimate relationship with the audience. I don’t get nervous for that. I just get excited. |
10 | It’s always cool to meet people who can do things that you have no capacity to do. |
11 | If I do a movie where I have to have a son and it’s a chubby kid, my mother is always like, ‘You were never like that.’ She gets so upset about it. |
12 | I’ve always had something in my heart where I root for guys who struggle with women. |
13 | I’m not a Hollywood guy. |
14 | I would always love to be an athlete, but it’s got to be a tough day when you have to hang up those cleats. |
15 | I try to connect with the everyday, every guy. |
16 | I took a public speaking class in college and managed to make the class laugh a little bit. |
17 | I think I invented the phrase ‘Don’t overdo it.’ |
18 | I really wasn’t a class clown. |
19 | I never played music, but it’s an important thing … the studying, the inspiration. |
20 | I never played a musical instrument growing up but I knew kids who did and took it very seriously. |
21 | I had my boy in Boston on Easter Sunday. That kills me, from a sports perspective. He’s a Boston baby and I’m a New York guy. |
22 | I don’t want to be known as this goody-two-shoes who can only do comedies where puppies are licking peanut butter off my face. |
23 | I could never be James Bond. |
24 | From there, I tried out for a community theatre play, joined an improv group… it all started opening up. |
25 | For some reason and I don’t know why, but I don’t think that I’m funny in California. So I always want to do my movies east somewhere. |
26 | Every time I do a movie where it gets physical, I say never again. |
27 | Every few months I’ll pop into a comedy club or go to Vegas. |
28 | Back in ’93 I saw my first UFC fight and just became enamored by it then. |
29 | A song can take you to a special time in your life. |
30 | I just want to put some positive stuff out there. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, no problem. |
31 | I had many teachers that were great, positive role models and taught me to be a good person and stand up and be a good man. A lot of the principles they taught me still affect how I act sometimes and it’s 30 years later. |
32 | Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants. |
33 | There’s no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box on your lap. |
34 | It was fun because, after shooting, Will and I would eat a jar of pickles and tell each other secrets. It was so much fun! – On Hitch (2005). |
Fact | |
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1 | In the King of Queens, Doug Heffernan’s parents are named Janet and Joe, which are also Kevin James’ parents’ names. |
2 | His wife, ‘Steffiana De La Cruz’, gave birth to their fourth child, a daughter named Sistine Sabella James in late January 2015 weighed in at 9 lbs., 8 oz. |
3 | Is a Republican. |
4 | He has German ancestry. |
5 | His wife, ‘Steffiana De La Cruz’, gave birth to their third child, a boy named Kannon Valentine James, on April 24, 2011 (Easter Sunday). |
6 | Helped corner Bas Rutten for his comeback fight (win by KO — Leg Kicks) vs. Ruben Villareal at an MMA event (Inside MMA (2007)) held on July 22, 2006. |
7 | Claims to have run a 4.6 sec. 40-yard dash in high school. |
8 | Is a member of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. |
9 | Close friends with Ray Romano. They met while doing stand-up comedy, on the comedy circuit. |
10 | Kevin and ‘Steffiana De La Cruz’, became the parents of a second girl, Shea Joelle James, on June 14, 2007, in Los Angeles. Was named after New York’s Shea Stadium. |
11 | Born to Janet and Joseph Valentine Knipfing. |
12 | One of his teammates on the wrestling team at Ward Melville High School was future WWE star and author Mick Foley. |
13 | His now-wife ‘Steffiana De La Cruz’ appears in 4 episodes of his sitcom The King of Queens (1998) (in small roles). |
14 | Attended Cortland University, along with former wrestler and current best selling author Mick Foley (with whom he also attended high school). |
15 | Is an avid golfer and fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. |
16 | His wife, ‘Steffiana De La Cruz’, gave birth to their first child, daughter Sienna-Marie James, on Friday September 30, 2005. |
17 | Is a New York Jets and a New York Mets fan. |
18 | 19 June 2004 – He married his longtime girlfriend, model ‘Steffiana De La Cruz’, before 180 friends – including Ray Romano – and family members in Dana Point, California. |
19 | He met his wife on a blind date arranged by his interior decorator. |
20 | In June 1999 and 2000, he hosted the Florida Sports Awards, the official sports award show for the state of Florida, in Jacksonville, Fla. This event raises funds for the Otis F. Smith Foundation. |
21 | His big break came in 1996 when he won at the “Just for Laughs” Montreal Comedy Festival. |
22 | He was raised in Stony Brook, NY, and graduated from Ward Melville High School (Long Island, New York) in 1983. One of his wrestling teammates at Ward Melville High School was future WWE star and author Mick Foley (“Mankind”). He also attended Cortland University with Mick Foley. |
23 | April 2000 – lives in an L.A. bachelor pad with his older brother, Gary Valentine, who is also a stand-up comedian. |
Actor
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Sandy Wexler | 2017 | post-production | |
Kevin Can Wait | 2016-2017 | TV Series | Kevin Gable |
True Memoirs of an International Assassin | 2016 | Sam Larson / Mason Carver | |
Hotel Transylvania 2 | 2015 | Frankenstein (voice) | |
Pixels | 2015 | President Will Cooper | |
Little Boy | 2015 | Dr. Fox | |
Liv and Maddie | 2015 | TV Series | Mr. Clodfelter |
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | 2015 | Paul Blart | |
Grown Ups 2 | 2013 | Eric Lamonsoff | |
Here Comes the Boom | 2012 | Scott Voss | |
Hotel Transylvania | 2012 | Frankenstein (voice) | |
Zookeeper | 2011 | Griffin Keyes | |
The Dilemma | 2011 | Nick Brannen | |
Grown Ups | 2010 | Eric Lamonsoff | |
Paul Blart: Mall Cop | 2009 | Paul Blart | |
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan | 2008 | Hacky Sack Tournament Celebrity Judge (uncredited) | |
Elmo’s Christmas Countdown | 2007 | TV Movie | Santa Claus |
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | 2007 | Larry Valentine | |
The King of Queens | 1998-2007 | TV Series | Doug Heffernan / Ed, Jr. |
Barnyard | 2006 | Otis the Cow (voice) | |
Grilled | 2006 | Dave | |
Monster House | 2006 | Officer Landers (voice) | |
Hitch | 2005/I | Albert | |
50 First Dates | 2004 | Factory Worker | |
Pinocchio | 2002 | Giant (English version, voice) | |
Arli$$ | 2001 | TV Series | Kevin |
Becker | 1999 | TV Series | Doug Heffernan |
Martial Law | 1999 | TV Series | Dallas Hampton |
Everybody Loves Raymond | 1996-1999 | TV Series | Kevin Doug Heffernan Kevin Daniels |
Cosby | 1998 | TV Series | Doug Heffernan |
Producer
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Kevin Can Wait | 2016 | TV Series executive producer – 4 episodes | |
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | 2015 | producer | |
Here Comes the Boom | 2012 | producer | |
Zookeeper | 2011 | producer | |
Paul Blart: Mall Cop | 2009 | producer | |
The King of Queens | TV Series executive producer – 156 episodes, 2000 – 2007 producer – 25 episodes, 1999 – 2000 | ||
Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff | 2001 | TV Special documentary executive producer |
Writer
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Kevin Can Wait | TV Series created by – 13 episodes, 2016 – 2017 written by – 1 episode, 2016 | ||
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | 2015 | characters / written by | |
Here Comes the Boom | 2012 | written by | |
Zookeeper | 2011 | screenplay | |
Paul Blart: Mall Cop | 2009 | written by | |
The King of Queens | TV Series written by – 5 episodes, 1999 – 2003 story by – 3 episodes, 1999 – 2002 teleplay by – 1 episode, 2000 | ||
Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff | 2001 | TV Special documentary | |
Everybody Loves Raymond | 1997 | TV Series written by – 1 episode |
Miscellaneous
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The King of Queens | 1998-1999 | TV Series creative consultant – 24 episodes |
Soundtrack
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Hotel Transylvania | 2012 | performer: “Where Did the Time Go Girl”, “Where Did The Time Go Girl”, “The Zing” | |
Barnyard | 2006 | performer: “Down on the Farm They All Ask for You” | |
The King of Queens | 1999-2005 | TV Series performer – 9 episodes |
Thanks
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The Meddler | 2015 | special thanks |
Self
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Up Close with Carrie Keagan | 2010 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
2010 CMT Music Awards | 2010 | TV Special | Himself |
2010 MTV Movie Awards | 2010 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter |
Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2010 | 2010 | TV Special | Himself – Host |
Biography | 2001-2009 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
TV total | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
The Justin Lee Collins Show | 2009 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
The Paul O’Grady Show | 2009 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly | 2008 | TV Movie | Himself |
Big Night of Stars | 2008 | TV Movie | Himself |
Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert for Autism Education | 2008 | TV Movie | Himself |
ESPN Friday Night Fights | 2008 | TV Series | Himself – Audience Member |
Inside MMA | 2007 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
Corazón de… | 2007 | TV Series | Himself |
Late Night with Conan O’Brien | 1999-2007 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
HBO First Look | 2007 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Guys Choice | 2007 | TV Movie | Himself |
Method Acting with Kevin James | 2006 | Video documentary short | Himself |
Utter Talent: Voices of Barnyard | 2006 | Video documentary short | Himself |
Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Event for Autism Education | 2006 | TV Special | Himself (uncredited) |
Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards ’06 | 2006 | TV Special | Himself |
CBS Cares | 2001-2006 | TV Series | Himself |
The Tony Danza Show | 2005 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
‘Hitch’: Dance Steps Made Easy | 2005 | Video documentary short | Himself |
‘Hitch’: Love in New York | 2005 | Video documentary short | Himself |
‘Hitch’: Style | 2005 | Video documentary short | Himself |
Will Smith’s Red Carpet Race | 2005 | Video documentary short | Himself (uncredited) |
The Ultimate Fighter | 2005 | TV Series | Himself |
Otro rollo con: Adal Ramones | 2005 | TV Series | Himself |
The Oprah Winfrey Show | 2005 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
Making the Cut: The Road to Pebble Beach | 2005 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
Dinner for Five | 2001-2004 | TV Series | Himself – Special Guest / Himself |
Just for Laughs | 2003 | TV Series | Himself |
Intimate Portrait | 2003 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Bitter Jester | 2003 | Documentary | Himself |
The 45th Annual Grammy Awards | 2003 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter |
Reel Comedy | 2002 | TV Series | Himself |
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | 1999-2002 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
UFC 40: Vendetta | 2002 | TV Special | Himself – Fan |
The Daily Show | 1998-2002 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
The Honeymooners 50th Anniversary Celebration | 2002 | TV Movie | Himself |
The Rosie O’Donnell Show | 1999-2002 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
The 28th Annual People’s Choice Awards | 2002 | TV Special | Himself – Host |
The 27th Annual People’s Choice Awards | 2001 | TV Special | Host |
The 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 2001 | TV Special | Himself |
Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff | 2001 | TV Special documentary | Himself |
Hollywood Squares | 1999-2001 | TV Series | Himself |
Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer | 2001 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Turn Ben Stein On | 2001 | TV Series | Himself |
Dennis Miller Live | 2000 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
Funny Flubs & Screw-Ups | 2000 | TV Series | Host |
The 26th Annual People’s Choice Awards | 2000 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter: Favorite New Television Comedy Series |
The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Jerry Stiller | 1999 | TV Movie | Himself |
The 25th Annual People’s Choice Awards | 1999 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter: Favorite Comedy Motion Picture |
Celebrity Profile | 1998 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Sandblast | 1994 | TV Series | Himself – Announcer |
Candid Camera | 1992 | TV Series | Himself |
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 2015-2016 | TV Series | Himself / ‘Last Call Saloon’ Bar Fighter |
Harry | 2016 | TV Series | Himself |
Entertainment Tonight | 2007-2016 | TV Series | Himself |
Good Morning America | 2012-2016 | TV Series | Himself – Guest / Himself |
Live with Kelly and Michael | 2005-2016 | TV Series | Himself – Guest / Himself |
CBS This Morning | 2016 | TV Series | Himself |
CBS Fall Preview | 2016 | TV Short | Himself – Host |
Janela Indiscreta | 2010-2015 | TV Series | Himself |
Extra | 2003-2015 | TV Series | Himself |
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2: No Animals Were Harmed | 2015 | Short | Himself |
Rachael Ray | 2015 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
The Real | 2015 | TV Series | Himself |
Late Show with David Letterman | 1998-2015 | TV Series | Himself – Guest / Himself |
Today | 2015 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
Mike & Mike | 2010-2015 | TV Series | Himself – Actor / Himself / Himself – Guest |
Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2015 | 2015 | TV Special | Himself / Paul Blart |
Fight Spirit Pride | 2014 | Documentary | Himself |
Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 2007-2013 | TV Series | Himself – Guest / Himself – Guest (segment “Mean Tweets”) |
Made in Hollywood | 2010-2013 | TV Series | Himself |
Katie | 2012-2013 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives | 2013 | TV Series | Himself |
Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show | 2003-2013 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
UFC Ultimate Insider | 2012 | TV Series | Himself |
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | 1996-2011 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
Big Morning Buzz Live | 2011 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
Wetten, dass..? | 2005-2011 | TV Series | Himself |
Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards 2011 | 2011 | TV Special | Himself |
CMT Insider | 2011 | TV Series | Himself |
CMT Hot 20 Countdown | 2011 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
The One Show | 2010 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
Cubed | 2010 | TV Series | Himself |
Archive Footage
Won Awards
Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | NRJ Ciné Award | NRJ Ciné Awards | Best Kiss (Meilleur baiser) | Hitch (2004) |
Nominated Awards
Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Razzie Award | Razzie Awards | Worst Actor | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) |
2016 | Razzie Award | Razzie Awards | Worst Supporting Actor | Pixels (2015) |
2016 | Razzie Award | Razzie Awards | Worst Screenplay | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) |
2016 | Razzie Award | Razzie Awards | Worst Screen Combo | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) |
2015 | Teen Choice Award | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Comedy | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) |
2013 | BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award | Behind the Voice Actors Awards | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film | Hotel Transylvania (2012) |
2013 | Grace Award | MovieGuide Awards | Most Inspiring Performance in Movies | Here Comes the Boom (2012) |
2009 | EDA Special Mention Award | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Most Egregious Age Difference Between the Leading Man and the Love Interest | Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) |
2008 | Razzie Award | Razzie Awards | Worst Supporting Actor | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) |
2008 | Razzie Award | Razzie Awards | Worst Screen Couple | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) |
2006 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | The King of Queens (1998) |
2005 | Teen Choice Award | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Liplock | Hitch (2005) |
2005 | Teen Choice Award | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Dance Scene | Hitch (2005) |
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