Kevin James is a highly successful playwright, comedian, and producer, born of German descent, and his real name is Kevin George Knipfing. He was passionate about comedy and debuted at the East Side Comedy Club. His popularity soared and led him to lucrative offers from popular talk shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. James was also honored with 76th place on the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians list of Comedy Central. In 2018 he launched the Kevin James: Never Don’t Give Up show on Netflix. Over the years, he has been a part of notable movies, especially his long-standing collaboration with Adam Sandler is commendable. Let us look at some of his highest-grossing TV shows and films.
James earned $300,000 for each The King of Queens episode at its debut. Once the sitcom became a hit, his paycheck zoomed to an estimated $400,000 per episode.
11 Little Boy ($17.7 Million)
A tearjerker starring Emily Watson, Jakob Salvati, and James in a supporting role as Dr.Fox was directed by Alejandro Gómez Monteverde. The film revolves around a little boy waiting for his father to return from WWII. It did not perform as expected at the box office and collected an estimated $17.7 million globally. Critically, the film received applause and appreciation and won the Premio Luminus awards for Best Film and Best Director, respectively.
10 Home Team ($44.6 Million)
The 2022 Netflix film directed by Charles and Daniel Kinanne starred Tait Blum, Jackie Sandler, Sean Payton, and Kevin. The film follows a disgraced NFL coach returning to his hometown to reconnect with a local football team. The sports comedy collected $44.6 million globally.
9 Here Comes The Boom ($73.1 Million)
Directed by Frank Coraci, the comedy entertainer is about a biology teacher deciding to become an MMA fighter to earn money for the school’s extracurricular activities. Starring James in the lead role, the film also showcases Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler in supporting roles. The laugh riot collected an estimated $73.1 million at the global box office.
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8 I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry ($187.1 Million)
The comedy LGBTQ film was directed by Dennis Dugan and starred Adam Sandler and Kevin in the lead roles. They play a fake LGBTQ couple to gain benefits on an insurance form, and the film was a runaway hit. It made an estimated $120 million domestically over the opening weekend and made $187.1 million at the global box office.
7 50 First Dates ($198.5 Million)
Directed by Peter Segal, it starred Kevin in a supporting role alongside Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. The film is an emotional rollercoaster about finding hope and love amid adversity. It grossed $198.5 million worldwide. The film was released on Valentine’s week in 2004 and topped the domestic box office numbers for two weeks with an estimated $72.3 million.
6 Paul Bart: Mall Cop Franchise ($253 Million)
The two-part comedy film series starred Kevin in the lead role alongside Jayma Mays, Raini Rodriguez, Gary Valentine, and Shirley Knight. The first part was directed by Steve Carr and Andy Fickman, and the story revolves around Paul Blart, played by James, and his adventures as a mall cop. The film was released in 2009 and collected an estimated $183.3 million at the global box office. The sequel Mall Cop 2 was released in 2015 with the original cast. According to Hollywood Reporter, the film became a surprise hit of the year by collecting $39.2 million on its opening weekend domestically. It crossed $107.6 million globally in collections.
5 Hitch ($371.6 Million)
The 2005 cult romantic hit, directed by Andy Tennant, starred Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Ava Valletta, and James as Albert Brennaman. The film showcases a dating expert caught in his own game of love. According to Screen Daily, the film collected approximately $45.3 million at the domestic box office during the opening weekend, making it the biggest-ever romantic hit of the year. Globally it picked up $371.6 million at the box office.
4 Grown Ups Film Franchise ($518 Million)
The comedy film series was released in two parts. The first installment came out in 2010 and starred Adam Sandler, Salma Hayek, David Spade, Rob Schneider, and Kevin. Directed by Dennin Dugan, it collected an estimated $271.4 million globally. The sequel was released in 2013 with the original cast and collected approximately $247 million at the global box office. The film made $42.5 million domestically on its opening weekend.
3 Hotel Transylvania Franchise ($999 Million)
The animated film franchise is one of the highest-grossing Sony Pictures Animation, directed by three different directors. The plot revolves around a vampire styled on the lines of Dracula owning a resort where humans are not allowed. The voice-over cast included Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, and Kevin James as Frankenstein. According to Forbes, the first installment, released in 2012, was one of Adam Sandler’s biggest hits collecting $148.3 million domestically and $85 million worldwide in its opening week. The second installment was released in 2015 with mixed reviews and collected $474 million worldwide, and the third installment grossed $528 million globally.
2 The King of Queens (Television)
The comedy sitcom directed by Rob Schiller starred James in the lead role alongside Victor Williams, Leah Remini, Jerry Stiller, and Patton Oswalt. It debuted on the CBS network in 1998 and ran for 207 episodes over nine seasons. According to the New York Times, an estimated 8.7 million viewers tuned in weekly to watch the comedy-drama series on CBS. The role earned fame and recognition through the sitcom and received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nomination in 2006.
1 Everybody Loves Raymond (Television)
The CBS sitcom is one of television’s longest-running and most popular shows. It starred Ray and Debra Barone, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, and Kevin in a supporting role. The sitcom garnered over 19.1 million viewers for each episode, and the ratings doubled yearly. It ran for nine seasons with approximately 210 episodes till 2005.
Kevin James has made an incredible mark in Hollywood with his silent supporting roles and epic comic timing earning him an estimated net worth of $100 million.
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Sources: Forbes, Screen Daily, Hollywood Reporter, New York Times
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