Kevin James (born Kevin George Knipfing; April 26, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his role as Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998-2007), for which he was nominated for a 2006 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He starred in another CBS sitcom, Kevin Can Wait (2016–2018) for which he was nominated for a 2017 People's Choice Award.
James has appeared in the films Hitch (2005), I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Grown Ups (2010), Zookeeper (2011), Here Comes the Boom (2012), and Pixels (2015). He has also done voice work for Barnyard (2006), Monster House (2006), and the Hotel Transylvania film series (2012–present).
James was born Kevin George Knipfing on April 26, 1965, in Mineola, New York. He grew up in Stony Brook, New York. He is the second son of office worker Janet and insurance agency owner Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr. His father is German-American. James has an elder brother, comedian and actor Gary Valentine, and a sister, Leslie. He and his siblings were raised Catholic. James graduated from Ward Melville High School. While there, he reached the number one spot on the wrestling team, just ahead of friend and future professional wrestler Mick Foley. Both wrestled at the 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.