How much is Kevin James worth?
| Net Worth: | $100 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actor |
| Date of Birth: | April 26, 1965 (age 57) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
About Kevin James
Kevin James is one of the few actors who have not only successfully transitioned from TV to film, but was also able to reach new heights when he moved from staring in a very successful sitcom to becoming a leading man in various comedy films or dramas. Kevin was born in a middle-class New Yorker family. His mother worked as an office worker, while his father was an insurance agency owner. He has two siblings, a brother, who is also an actor, and a sister.
He was a good athlete in his youth. One of the best wrestlers in his state, but a back injury in his senior year stopped him from receiving a sports scholarship. In college, he played as a halfback for his college football team. Another back injury however, would eventually stop his sports career altogether.
A few years after graduating from college, Kevin James discovered comedy. When he was 23 he even started doing stand-up around the New York area. During his early years, his rise to fame could be attributed to stand-up guests spots at various late night TV shows. Some of his guest appearances include Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and The Late Late Show. Stand-up comedy wasn’t the only thing Kevin James was interested in. He also tried to find acting jobs.
His first real role on a TV show came in 1991 with The New Candid Camera, where he played practical tricks on unsuspecting people. His first stable income in the show biz industry came in 1994 when he was hired by MTV as an announcer of the sports show SandBlast, which ran for a couple of seasons. He would move to Los Angeles towards the end of the 90s.
In Los Angeles, he would befriend another comedian, Ray Romano. With a bit of help from Ray Romano, he would get guest appearances in Romano’s hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. The character Kevin James played grew in its popularity and it eventually spawned a spin-off series called The King of Queens.
The King of Queens was one of the most popular and longest-running sitcoms of its day, it ran for nine seasons totaling more the 200 episodes. It stars Kevin James as a delivery man, who is married to former Scientologist Leah Remini, who played a witty, cynical yet ambitious secretary at a law firm. They don’t live alone, but with Carrie’s, Leah Remini’s character’s father Arthur. Arthur is prone to some bizarre behavior and is often the genesis of the plot in the series.
The fact that Kevin James improved both as a comedian and as an actor while starring in the King of Queens can be attested to by the shows rise in ratings from season to season, as well as Kevin James being nominated for an Emmy in the shows eighth season.
After the show ended in 2007, Kevin James largely transitioned to movies. The only exception was his sitcom in 2015 Kevin Can Wait, but it was cancelled after two seasons. After a few cameo appearances in smaller rom-coms as well as hitching a ride on another Ray Romano project, Grilled, he finally starred as a lead in a real movie comedy. He and Adam Sandler starred in the film I Pronounce you Chuck and Larry.
His first proper role as a leading man in a comedy was Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The movie was hated by critics, voted for the worst film of the year on a bunch of lists, but it was an incredible success at the box office. On its first weekend alone it earned close to $40 million dollars. In total, the movie made $183.3 million globally. He is also a star of the Grown Ups movie franchise, which stars numerous comedians, including Chris Rock. The franchise is a great commercial success but gets little notice from critics.
One of the rare examples of Kevin James’ movies that the critics enjoyed was Here Comes The Boom, where Kevin James plays a teacher who enters the world of MMA to collect funds and to stop his school from closing down.
They say that wrestlers are a different kind of human. That they are some of the more perseverant, determined and hopeful people out there. That is probably true when it comes to Kevin James. The drive, power and ability to push on and work hard that he leaned in the ring greatly helped him during his career. He is a talented actor and comedian who got to improve his craft and was rewarded by it.
There is another aspect of his success and that is finding the right connections at the right time. When he moved to Los Angeles, he met Ray Romano. It was Ray who really believed in him and helped him get spots on TV shows including his own. Later on in his career he would also be helped greatly by Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and many others when he was struggling to transition from TV to film.
James’ Total Net Worth
Kevin James earned $300,000 per episode for his appearances as Doug Heffernan on the sitcom, The King of Queens. Plus as partner he also earned on syndication, in total he earned over $80 million dollars from the show. He has earned another $55 million dollars from his other acting work when combined with his work behind the scenes, as well as writing, and the appearances that he has made as himself. Overall, it is estimated that James has earned $135 million dollars in total career earnings to date.
In terms of taxes, James will have needed to pay some to the state of California considering he was living and working in state for some time. However, he has also had a slightly lower overall tax on his earnings than others because he has based himself in Florida for a part of his career. Considering Florida doesn’t have an income tax it is estimated that Kevin James has ended up paying 4-5% less than some of his peers. Probably around 45%. That is, considering he will have still paid about half of his tax on earnings in California.
Of his $135 million dollars income, $8-9 million is expected to have been paid in business related costs. The remainder, $126.5 million, will have become around $69.57 million dollars, having paid $56.93 million dollars in taxes.
Kevin James married Steffiana de la Cruz in 2004 and they remain together. They have four children together, Sienna-Marie, Shea Joelle, Kannon Valentine and Sistine Sabella. Their homelife has appeared clear and peaceful, James is a devout Catholic and, in 2019, hosted a retreat featuring Father Chad Ripperger and theologian Scott Hahn. It is unlike a man like James to have overspent or lost too much money, however, there will have been some.
In terms of investing his career earnings, James paid $18.5 million for an oceanfront property in Delray Beach, Florida, in 2012. He also purchased the empty land lot adjacent to his property for $4.25 million in 2013. Today the property is likely still worth around $20-25 million dollars.
Of the $69.57 million dollars of after-tax earnings, it is estimated that quite some money has been invested in a diversified portfolio. Likely some stocks and bonds and so on, but nothing too risky. That said, it is estimated that James will be up around $30-35 million on these investments considering market conditions and likely losses and fees.
In his personal life, it is estimated that James may have spent $6-7 million dollars of his career earnings but also probably possesses assets valued at around $3-4 million, not including investment assets. Therefore, it is estimated that Kevin Jame has a net worth of around $100 million dollars.
Summing-Up
The life of Kevin James could have gone in a lot of directions. If he didn’t suffer all those back injuries, maybe he would have been a football player or an Olympic wrestler. Every time he has failed he started anew, he was never afraid to get himself out there and simply try. A lot of people are happy and content to stay where they first peaked, but Kevin James wanted more and that turned him into one of the highest paid comedic actors of his generation.
