For the fictional aspiring actor named Gary Valentine, see Licorice Pizza. For the original Blondie songwriter/bass player with the same stage name, see Gary Lachman.
| Gary Valentine | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gary Joseph Knipfing |
| Born | (1961-11-22) November 22, 1961 (age 63) Mineola, New York, U.S. |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouse | Jackyline Knipfing |
| Relative(s) | Kevin James (brother) |
Gary Joseph Knipfing (born November 22, 1961), known professionally as Gary Valentine, is an American actor and comedian. He is the older brother of actor Kevin James. Valentine starred as Kevin James' (Doug Heffernan's) cousin Danny Heffernan in The King of Queens (1998–2007) and as Kevin James' (Kevin Gable's) older brother Kyle Gable in Kevin Can Wait (2016-2018). Valentine has appeared in numerous Happy Madison Productions.
Early life
Gary Joseph Knipfing was born in Mineola, New York to Janet, who worked in a chiropractor's office, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing, Jr., who owned an insurance agency. His family is of German and Greek descent. Valentine has two siblings: Kevin George Knipfing, known as Kevin James, an actor and comedian; and Leslie Knipfing. Valentine and his siblings were raised in the Catholic faith.
Career
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Valentine got his start in show business on the standup comedy stage. After an appearance at the Montreal Comedy Festival, he left for Los Angeles. There he quickly landed spots on various talk shows including The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He has been headlining comedy clubs and theaters for the past fifteen years.
He is best known for his role as Danny Heffernan on The King of Queens, playing the cousin of principal character Doug Heffernan (performed by his real-life brother Kevin James) for nine seasons. Valentine appeared on the television show Men of a Certain Age, which was written and directed by Ray Romano; the program received critical acclaim. Prior to Valentine's run on the series, he starred in his own half-hour special on Comedy Central and hosted The X Show on FX.
On the big screen, Valentine has appeared in Stuck on You and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. He also had a cameo in Jerry Seinfeld's documentary Comedian. Valentine performs comedy tours in clubs across the country. He's been a frequent guest comedian on shows such as Comics Unleashed and the E! show Chelsea Lately.
He appeared in Paul Blart Mall Cop, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, and in the comedy web series Dusty Peacock on Crackle. Valentine also appeared as George Bannister in the movies The Dog Who Saved Christmas (2009), The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation (2010) and The Dog Who Saved Halloween (2011). He played Maury in the 2009 comedy The Deported.
From 2016-2018, Valentine co-starred in the CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Velocity Rules | Stunner | Short film |
| 2003 | Stuck on You | Wes | |
| 2007 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry | Karl Eisendorf | |
| 2009 | Paul Blart: Mall Cop | Karaoke Singer | |
| 2009 | The Deported | Maury | |
| 2010 | Hosed | Smitty | Short film |
| 2011 | Zookeeper | Pizza Guy | |
| 2011 | Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury | Officer Murdock | |
| 2011 | The Dog Who Saved Halloween | George Bannister | |
| 2011 | Jack and Jill | Dallas | |
| 2012 | Wrong | EMT | |
| 2012 | Here Comes the Boom | Eric Voss | |
| 2012 | The Dog Who Saved the Holidays | George Bannister | |
| 2015 | The Dog Who Saved Summer | George Bannister | |
| 2015 | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | Saul Gundermutt | |
| 2022 | Home Team | Mitch Bizone | |
| 2023 | Grumpy Old Santa | Spike |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2007 | The King of Queens | Danny Heffernan | 81 episodes |
| 2007 | Alive N' Kickin' | Gary | Television film |
| 2009 | The Dog Who Saved Christmas | George Bannister | Television film |
| 2010 | The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation | George Bannister | Television film |
| 2011 | Men of a Certain Age | Gambler at Craps Table | "Let the Sunshine In" (season 2: episode 6) |
| 2014 | Fargo | Deputy Knudsen | 5 episodes |
| 2016–2018 | Kevin Can Wait | Kyle Gable | Main cast |
References
- "Kevin George Knipfing". Ancestry.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ "Kevin James Biography". FilmReference.com.
- "NewsLibrary Search Results". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
- "Kevin James: "Bleib dir treu"". Showbiz.de. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- "Kevin James Biography". Yahoo! Movies.
- Mark Pattison (October 9, 2012). "Comic actor Kevin James wants to 'glorify God in every way'". TheCatholicSpirit.com. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- "Gary Valentine". Entertainment Studios. Archived from the original on November 3, 2010.
- "Kevin James, Gary Valentine Get Reckless on 'Dusty Peacock'". Tilzy.tv. July 17, 2009. Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
- Petski, Denise (March 22, 2016). "Lenny Venito & Gary Valentine Join Kevin James' CBS Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
External links
Categories:- 1961 births
- Living people
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Male actors from New York City
- People from Stony Brook, New York
- Ward Melville High School alumni
- People from Mineola, New York
- 21st-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male actors
- American people of German descent
- American male comedians
- Comedians from New York (state)
- 20th-century American comedians
- 21st-century American comedians