The name of Kevin George Knipfing will hardly ring a bell for you until you know that it’s the birth name of Kevin James, a man whose comedian and acting skills are amazing. Hailing from New York, he was raised by office employee Janet and Joseph Valentine Knipfing, who owned an insurance business. He has brother Gary, who is also in the entertainment industry, and sister Leslie.
In youth, Kevin studied sports management and played football for State University of New York. However, he understood that it wasn’t his cup of tea and developed interest in standup comedy. James performed at clubs and appeared on various TV projects, including Ellen DeGeneres and David Letterman’s ones.
In 1996, Kevin James made an acting debut in Everybody Loves Raymond television series. He gained recognition by the end of the decade thanks to having the lead part in The King of Queens that brought him a nomination for Primetime Emmy. Moreover, the artist is famed for the Kevin Can Wait sitcom.
In 2004, James obtained his debut movie role in 50 First Dates and in 2005, he embarked on his first starring role in Hitch. Among his other memorable film credits are I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Grown Ups, The Dilemma, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Zookeeper and Here Comes the Boom. By the way, Kevin wrote and produced the latter three.
On June 19, 2004, Kevin tied knots with actress Steffiana de la Cruz. In 2005, they welcomed their firstborn, daughter Sienna. She was followed by sisters Shea and Sistine as well as a brother named Kannon.
A curious fact: Kevin runs a YouTube channel, where he shares his short films. He is also popular on other social media, TikTok and Instagram.
