Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), better known by his stage name, Kevin James, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He the is widely known for playing Doug Heffernan on the hit CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998-2007). He is also known for his lead roles in the comedy films Hitch (2005), I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007), Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Grown Ups (2010), Zookeeper (2011), Here Comes the Boom (2012), Grown Ups 2 (2013), Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) and Pixels (2015).
Kevin James was born Kevin George Knipfing in Mineola, New York, and was raised from a young age in Stony Brook, both on Long Island. He is the second son of Janet, a homemaker who also worked in a chiropractor's office, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr., who owned an insurance agency. He is of German descent. He has a brother, Gary Joseph Knipfing, known as Gary Valentine, who is also a comedian and actor, and one sister, Leslie Knipfing. Leslie works for James and helped raise money through charity events for retinitis pigmentosa, with which she is afflicted. Kevin James was raised Catholic, and stated in 2012 that he is involved in his faith.