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James was born Kevin George Knipfing in Mineola, New York, the son of Janet, a homemaker who also worked in a chiropractor's office, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing, who owned an insurance company. He was raised in the "S-Section" of Stony Brook, New York and graduated from Ward Melville High School in 1983, where one of his teammates on the wrestling team was (professional wrestler) Mick Foley. James has two siblings, Gary Joseph Knipfing, known as Gary Valentine, also a comedian, and Leslie Knipfing. Leslie Knipfing works for James, helping raise money through charity events for retinitis pigmentosa, with which she is afflicted, while Gary Valentine plays his cousin, Danny, on The King of Queens. James was a student at, but did not graduate from, the State University of New York at Cortland, where he was a member of Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity.

James began doing stand-up comedy, gaining popularity through numerous appearances on various talk shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Dennis Miller Live, The Late Late Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Live with Regis and Kelly. James was #89 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians. James has also done his stand-up routine on Just for Laughs, an annual comedy festival in Montreal.

In 2001, James did his own stand up special called Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff for Comedy Central. A close friend of Ray Romano, James guest-starred on a few episodes of the hit television show Everybody Loves Raymond. These appearances led to the development of his own sitcom, The King of Queens that debuted on September 21, 1998 and ended on May 14, 2007. James was cast as the lead character, Doug Heffernan. Leah Remini was cast as his sharp-tongued wife Carrie while Jerry Stiller was cast in the supporting role of Carrie's semi-psychotic father, Arthur Spooner, who lives in the Heffernans' basement. In 2006, Kevin James received his first Emmy Award nomination, as Outstanding Lead Actor in a television series. He has also appeared as a musical guest on "Just for Laughs".

James made his film debut in the 2005 romantic comedy, Hitch, alongside Will Smith and Eva Mendes. The film grossed more than $179 million in the United States. In 2006, James starred with old friend Ray Romano in the comedy Grilled and voiced a character in the animated hit Barnyard. James also voiced a character in the 2006 movie Monster House. In 2007, he starred opposite Adam Sandler in the comedy film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and made a cameo in Sandler's 2008 film You Don't Mess with the Zohan. In March 2008, he was spotted in Burlington, Massachusetts filming for the film Mall Cop.

James married model Steffiana de la Cruz on June 19, 2004, after meeting her on a blind date. They have two daughters, Sienna-Marie, born September 30, 2005 and Shea Joelle, born on June 14, 2007. De la Cruz has also had cameos in multiple episodes of the King of Queens.

Because he named daughter Shea Joelle, after his beloved Mets' home stadium, Kevin James promised his wife Steffiana De La Cruz first dibs on naming their next child. Her choice, though, may skew more towards entertainment than sports, he revealed on The Late Show with David Letterman.

James is an avid Mixed Martial Arts fan, and attends UFC events regularly. He is good friends with Bas Rutten.

On July 20, 2007, James introduced Shea on the morning talk show program Live! With Regis and Kelly with worries on how the public would react.

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