King Of Queens' Kevin James To Perform On Long Island

STONY BROOK, NY — The King of Queens is coming back to Long Island this winter.

Mineola native Kevin James will perform for the first time at the Staller Center in Stony Brook not too far from the streets that helped shape his early career.

James began his stand-up career at the East Side Comedy Club in Huntington in 1989 and was later discovered at the 1996 Montreal Comedy Festival, where he signed a deal with Paramount to develop his sitcom, "The King of Queens," according to a news release.

James, who starred as the king for nine seasons, earned an Emmy nomination for his role, and the show continues to air daily in syndication, officials said. James later moved on to film roles, appearing in "Hitch," "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," and "Grown Ups."

More recently he has appeared in "Kevin Can Wait and "The Crew" and "Hubie Halloween," "Home Team," and "Becky," as well as animated films like "Hotel Transylvania," in which he lent his voice.

Comedy Central has ranked him one of the 100 greatest stand-ups, officials said, noting that "his lauded specials "Sweat The Small Stuff" and "Never Don’t Give Up" have "solidified him as one of the top comics of his generation."

Staller Center director Alan Inkles said staffers are thrilled to bring James to the center.

“I’ve been looking forward to hosting him here in his hometown for some time now, and I know this will be a really special show for our audience," he said.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Sept. 15 at stallercenter.com.