Kevin James, the famous American stand-up comedian and actor once said, “I just want to put some positive stuff out there. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, no problem.”
But an overview of his life and work so far will force one to believe that in reality he doesn’t sit on the sidelines and let things happen. Rather he is a man who makes things happen.
In this Elivestory blog post, I’ll give you an overview of this accomplished artist and what makes him tick.
Bio-Table
| Name | Kevin James |
| Birth Name | Kevin George Knipfing |
| Date of Birth | April 26, 1965 (59 years old) |
| Place of Birth | Mineola, New York (USA) |
| Father | Joseph Valentine Knipfing |
| Mother | Janet Klein |
| Alma Mater | Ward Melville High School |
| Profession | Stand-up comedian, actor (TV and film) |
| Wife | Steffiana de la Cruz (Married: 2004) |
| Children | 4 |
| Siblings | Leslie Knipfing (sister), Gary Valentine (brother) |
| Website | www.kevinjames.com |
Kevin James: Early Life and Education
Birth
Our artist was born to an American mother and a German-American father in 1965 at Mineola, Long Island, USA.
This American-German mix in his blood gave him industry, discipline and sharp intelligence, which helped him make his fame and wealth.
It seems that God had a plan for Kevin and He executed it with His customary precision.
Take for example, Kevin, the comedy staple of the American screen–big and small–was born in a place that provided America with a number of actors and comedians like Lenny Bruce, Brian Dennehy and Jackie Martling.
Incidentally, his elder brother Gary Valentine is also a comedian and actor of repute. I’ll give you other examples to support my statement later in this post.
Education
Kevin James graduated from Ward Melville High School and later studied at New York State University at Cortland.
Death of a Sportsman
Kevin had a passion for games and sports. This 5 feet and 8 inches tall man was the leading member of the wrestling team of his high school. He was in the heavyweight category.
At Cortland, he was a dependable halfback on the university’s football team. His love for games and sports was so strong he was majoring in sports management at the university.
But God had other plans for his beloved Kevin.
A back injury ended Kevin’s wrestling ambition and another back injury at Cortland ended his football ambition.
The second injury permanently killed his sporting ambition altogether and catapulted him into the world of art and culture.
Birth of an Artist
The artist launched his acting career as a stand-up comedian in 1989 when he started doing stand-up stints at local clubs.
During this period, he adopted his stage name, Kevin James.
Kevin James: Stand-Up Comedy
Back home from Cortland, Kevin joined a community theatre just to pass time. But after he played a comedic role in a play he received a grand ovation from the audience.
This inspired him to try his luck as a full-time comedian.
His brother Gary, who was also performing in various comedy shows at local clubs, started taking his younger brother along and Kevin quickly realised he had a future as a comedian.
He acted in scores of talk shows before his big break came in 1996 when he got the chance to perform in Just for Laughs, the largest global comedy festival at that time held at Montreal, Canada annually.
It was the beginning of a glorious journey under the steady limelight. After Montreal, he started getting lucrative offers and appeared in many talk shows.
His name was included in Comedy Central’s list of 100 greatest comedians.
Later he presented his own special stand-up shows like Sweat the Small Stuff, Never Don’t Give Up and Irregardless–all of which registered runaway success.
Kevin James: Television Career
While doing his stand-up specials, Kevin James started getting offers from various producers to work on television sitcoms and comedy shows.
He debuted his TV career by playing a guy who cracked practical jokes on unsuspecting people in a popular television show The New Candid Camera in 1991.
He later appeared in An Evening at the Improv (1994) and acted as the anchor for MTV’s popular sports games show SandBlast.
This ambitious artist later moved to Los Angeles to be in the thick of things. He shrewdly befriended famous stand-up comedian and actor Ray Romano.
Romano was at the peak of his career and was an influential personality in the City of Angels. Kevin acted in a few episodes of Romano’s mega-hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond as a guest actor.
These performances didn’t give Kevin much money, but gave him something that no money can ever buy–wholehearted love from his audiences and an entry into the glitzy world of stardom.
The Romano episodes led to Kevin’s own hit sitcom The King of Queens, that ran on CBS network from 1998 to 2007 and made Kevin James a household name and a comedy staple for his millions of fans.
It also made him a multi-millionaire.
Kevin James: Film Career
His fame as a highly successful comedian and television personality resulted in producers approaching him with film offers.
He started with a cameo role in 50 First Dates, a romantic comedy directed by Peter Segel. His brief but powerful performance led to the beginning of his starring movie career with Hitch, a 2005 romantic comedy directed by Andy Tennant.
In Hitch, Kevin shared the screen with top Hollywood stars Will Smith and Eva Mendes. Hitch was a massive hit and cemented Kevin’s position as a top movie actor in America.
His major films include I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (2008) and Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009).
Here is a list of Kevin James’s major stand-up comedy shows and television and film appearances.
Kevin James: Major Stand-Up Comedies
| Name | Year |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | May 25, 1992–May 29, 2009 |
| Just For Laughs | — |
| Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff | 2001 |
| The Late Late Show | January 9, 1995–April 27, 2023 |
Kevin James: Major Television Shows
| Everybody Loves Raymond | September 13, 1996–May 16, 2005 |
| The King of Queens | September 21, 1998–May 14–2007 |
| Kevin Can Wait | September 19, 2016–May 7, 2018 |
Kevin James: Major Films
| Hitch | 2005 (director: Andy Tennant) |
| Grilled | 2006 (director: Jason Ensler) |
| I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | 2007 (director: Dennis Dugan) |
| You Don’t Mess with the Zohan | 2008 (director: Dennis Dugan) |
| Paul Blart: Mall Cop | 2009 (director: Steve Carr |
Kevin James: Personal Life
Kevin James is a devout Catholic. He himself confirmed it in several interviews. He regularly takes part in and organises various religious rituals and rites.
He married actress Steffiana de la Cruz on June 19, 2004 and had four children.
Completely committed to his profession, Kevin always stays away from scandals and extra-marital affairs.
According to his friends, when he is not working, he thinks only about what he will do next and how he will do it.
He is a hard-working, intelligent, talented and committed comedian and actor.
Kevin James: Popularity
It is difficult to ascertain how many fans this man has, but we can have a fair guess by looking at his social media fan followers.
Kevin’s Facebook account has 2.9 million followers.
Kevin’s Instagram account has 2 million followers.
X (Formerly Twitter)
His X account has 470.7k followers.
YouTube
Kevin’s YouTube account has 934k subscribers.
Kevin James’s Net Worth
Kevin James is a famous and popular man. He is also very rich. His net worth is estimated to be a whopping 100 million USD as of June 2024 (Source: Parade).
He gives his cent per cent to what he does and always demands monetary compensation that matches his dedication and brand value.
His take-home salary for the early episodes of The King of Queens was $300,000/episode which reached $400,000/episode and peaked at $500,000/episode for the 2005-2006 sessions of the sitcom.
He took home an estimated 72.5 million USD from this single sitcom alone.
It is not clear how much he earned from his films, but given their box office success, Kevin must have earned a huge amount of money out of his film work so far.
Considering his other sitcoms, stand-up comedy shows, and films, this $100 million net worth sounds like an understatement, doesn’t it?.
Here are a few Interesting Facts about Kevin James
Here are some interesting facts about this famous artist.
- Famous American wrestler Mick Foley is a childhood friend of Kevin James. The duo studied at high school and university together. Later, Foley became a famous wrestler and James abandoned his sporting ambition due to two serious back injuries.
- Kevin James met his wife as part of a blind date. They later fell in love and married. They are now leading a happy conjugal life in California.
- Kevin’s wife Steffiana de la Cruz herself is an actress and acted in several Kevin-starrers in various roles.
- Kevin and Steffiana have four kids and according to Kevin, all of them want to be part of the behind-the-camera activities, not actors.
- Kevin suffers from chronic obesity and follows a strict diet and exercise regime to keep his weight under control.
- Before he started his artistic career, Kevin James worked as a bouncer at a local club on Long Beach.
Conclusion
Kevin James is an accomplished stand-up comedian, television and movie celebrity of the USA.
He made his name and wealth through hard work, intelligence and all-encompassing dedication to his work.
A devout Catholic, this ‘funny’ man is a caring husband and father.
He wanted to become a renowned sports personality, but injuries intervened and made a famous artist out of him instead. Shall we thank serious injuries?
His life proves that the death of a dream is never the death of a talent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Who is Kevin James?
Ans: Kevin James is a famous American stand-up comedian and television and film actor.
Q2. Is Kevin James married?
Ans: Yes he is happily married with four kids.
Q3. How did Kevin James meet his wife?
Ans: A. Kevin James met his wife as part of a blind date.
Q4. How rich is Kevin James?
Ans: His net worth is an estimated 100 million USD as of June 2024.
Q5. How old is Kevin James?
Ans: Kevin James is 59 in 2024.
