Kevin James broke into the film world in 2005 in Columbia Pictures’ Hitch starring opposite Will Smith, but his comedy career started well before that as a stand-up on the Long Island comedy scene. After being discovered at the 1996 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, he signed a network development deal to create his own sitcom, The King of Queens.

The King of Queens, which premiered in 1998, ran for nine seasons on CBS with James starring and executive producing, and it garnered him an Emmy nomination in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The show concluded its run in 2007 but continues to air daily in syndication across the country and around the world.

James, producer, co-writer, and star of the hit comedies Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) and Zookeeper (2011) will be shooting Mall Cop 2 this spring. James also starred in Columbia Pictures’ Grown Ups (2010) along with Adam Sandler; additionally, James and Sandler have worked together on I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007) and Grown Ups 2 (2013).