Comedy acting makes a film more attractive. Kevin James is a comedian actor who applies his comedy sense to drive his every film to success. This made him a highly demanded actor. Today we will discuss Kevin James Net Worth, Early Life, and Career.
Table of Contents
Who is Kevin James?
Kevin James is an American actor. He is well-known for his comedic performances. Kevin was a regular stand-up comedy performer in Long Island’s comedy clubs in the 1980s. He gained wider recognition by playing Doug Heffernan’s character on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007). Kevin starred in a lot of hit films, like Here Comes the Boom, Zookeeper, etc.
Short Bio of Kevin James
| Full Name | Kevin George Knipfing |
| Birthdate | April 26, 1965 (age 58) |
| Birthplace | Mineola, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5’ 8” (1.73 m) |
| Profession | Comedian, Actor |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Net Worth | $120 million |
Kevin James Net Worth
Kevin James’s net worth in 2023 is estimated to be 120 million U.S. dollars. Being a highly-demanded actor is the main reason behind this massive net worth. He acted in a lot of box-office hit films. Also, he is influential in television.
Besides these, Kevin produced several films that successfully hit the box office with millions of dollars. He is also a voice-over artist and gave voice to many famous animated characters.
Early Life
Kevin was born in Mineola, New York. He has a younger sister and an elder brother. His mother, Janet, worked in an American office, and his father, Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr., owns an insurance company.
Kevin started his high school at Ward Melville High School. There, he began performing wrestling. Famous wrestler Mick Foley was his high school wrestling mate. They both wrestle together in the Heavyweight class. Kevin quit wrestling after getting a back injury.
After completing high school, Kevin enrolled at the State University of New York at Cortland, where he started playing football until getting another back injury that permanently ended his sporting aims.
Kevin completed his graduation in 1988. In the following year, he became a full-time professional stand-up comedian and joined Richie Minervini’s East Side Comedy Club in Long Island. He continued this until his television debut in 1994. During this time, he met several film agents who were attracted by his sense of comedy.
Sources Behind Kevin James Net Worth
Early Career Breakthrough
In 1994, Kevin made his television debut by appearing in several episodes of A&E Network’s popular talk show, An Evening at the Improv. He continued this show until 1997.
During this time, he became a regular cast member of the television series Everybody Loves Raymond in 1996. He played the role of Doug Heffernan, a supporting character in this series. The character Doug Heffernan became very famous worldwide. Kevin gained his wider fame by playing this popular character.
Kevin made film debut by playing a minor role in 50 First Dates(2002). Before this film, he became a voice artist in Pinocchio (2002). Kevin got his starring film role in
Hitch. This film became viral worldwide and earned $371.6 million at the box office. These early successes helped him to increase his fame and popularity. It also allowed him to accumulate much wealth from the beginning of his career.
Films
Kevin got many film offers after completing the starring role debut in 2005. As a result, he signed with several famous film directors. In 2006, Kevin starred in Grilled, which became a flop film.
Later, Kevin starred in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, which earned a massive success. It earned $187.1 million at the box office. He gained another film success by starring in Grown Ups (2010). This film became so popular that it hit the box office with $272.2 million, with a profit of $197.2 million.
With these success records, Kevin became a highly demanded and highest-paid actor in the industry. With this much popularity and fame, he starred in many other films, like Little Boy, Pixels, True Memoirs of an International Assassin, Sandy Wexler, and so on. His upcoming film, Spaceman, will release in 2024.
Currently, he is filming Guns Up, which will also be released in 2024. Most of his films became viral and earned hundreds of millions at the box office. Kevin was paid a massive amount for those every film he acted in. These earnings became one of the major sources of his net worth.
Television
Kevin became influential in television because of his Doug Heffernan character in 1996’s TV series Everybody Loves Raymond.
Later, in 1998, he got his leading role in The King of Queens. Kevin played his famous fictional character, Doug Heffernan, in this series. He continued this series until 2007 and completed a total of 207 episodes.
In 2016, Kevin got another leading role in Kevin Can Wait. He completed a total of 48 episodes of this series. Kevin also starred in the television film Elmo’s Christmas Countdown (2007).
Besides these, Kevin made guest appearances in several popular television shows and series, such as Cosby, Becker, Martial Law, Arli$$, and Liv and Maddie. He was paid a lot for every appearance on those television programs. These earnings are another major source of his net wealth.
Besides acting in films and television, Kevin also voiced in several popular animation films. In 2006, he voiced Monster House and Barnyard. Both of these films became popular and earned $141.9 million and $161.5 million, respectively.
Kevin voiced in the popular animation film series Hotel Transylvania. He gave voice to Frankenstein’s character and continued it for three films of this series. This film series earned over $1.3 billion at the box office.
Kevin’s latest voice-over film, Leo, will be in theatres soon. He was paid a good amount for every voice-over project, which increased his net worth widely.
Producer
Kevin started his production career by producing the film Paul Blart: Mall Cop in 2009. This film earned $183.3 million at the box office, where the filmmaking cost was only $29 million. Later, he produced Here Comes the Boom in 2012. It earned $73.1 million at the box office with a profit of $31.1 million.
In 2015, Kevin gained another production success by producing Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. This film became very popular then and earned around $67-77 million profit. Kevin generated a vast profit from these films. These earnings eventually increase his net worth.
Personal Life
Kevin James married actress Steffiana de la Cruz on June 19, 2004. Together, they have four children. At present, Kevin resides in California with his family.
FAQs
How much is Kevin the comedian worth?
Kevin James’s net worth in 2023 is estimated to be 120 million U.S. dollars.
How much was Kevin James paid for King of Queens?
Kevin James was paid a total of $50 million for the King of Queens television series.
How old is Kevin James today?
Kevin James is 58 years old now.
Why is Kevin James famous?
Kevin James is famous because of his acting in a lot of hit films and longest-running television series.
Final Thoughts
Kevin James net worth is a result of his quick success. From minor roles to lead roles, Kevin applies his acting skills to gain rapid and enormous success that offers him a lavish financial status.
