Kevin James Biography

Born in Mineola, New York and raised in Stony Brook, New York, Kevin James played football at Cortland University while majoring in sports management. Eventually deciding that this wasn't a career path he was going to enjoy, Kevin returned home and took part in community theater. He also joined his brother Gary's improv group, and discovered that audiences enjoyed his comedy. James went on to perform standup on the North American circuit for the next 11 years.

In 1996, Kevin was discovered at the Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival and went to Los Angeles where he joined the writing team for Ray Romano's hit TV sitcom, Everyone Loves Raymond. Kevin also made his TV acting debut with several guest appearances on the show. Just two years later, James began serving as Executive Producer and starring in his own long-running hit CBS-TV sitcom, The King of Queens.

He managed to fit in guest appearances on other shows such as Cosby, Martial Law, Becker and Arli$$. His feature film debut came with a small role as a factory worker in 50 First Dates (2004), starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. Next, he nearly stole the show when he played a lovesick accountant opposite Will Smith in Hitch (2005).

Other feature films include Monster House (2006), Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) and its sequel, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015). He played Eric in Grown Ups (2010) alongside Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock and reprised the role in Grown Ups 2 (2013). Again joining Sandler and Space, he provided the voice of Frankenstein in the animated feature Hotel Transylvania (2012) and its two sequels, Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018).

From 2016 to 2018, Kevin starred in his own CBS-TV sitcom, Kevin Can Wait. In 2020, he reunited with Adam Sandler in the Netflix comedy Hubie Halloween, and also starred in the thriller, Becky. Currently (2021), he can be seen in the starring role on the Netflix comedy series, The Crew.

Kevin resides in Los Angeles with his wife, model Steffiana De La Cruz. They have four children together.

Filmography:

The Crew (2021)
Becky (2020)
Hubie Halloween (2020)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)
Sandy Wexler (2017)
Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015)
Pixels (2015)
Grown Ups 2 (2013)
Here Comes the Boom (2012)
Hotel Transylvania (2012) (voice)
Zookeeper (2011)
The Dilemma (2011)
Grown Ups (2010)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)
Barnyard (2006) (voice)
Grilled (2006)
Monster House (2006) (voice)
Hitch (2005)
50 First Dates (2004)
Pinocchio (2002) (voice)