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 Montreal Comedy Festival, he signed a network development deal to create his own sitcom. 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. Aside from his on-camera work, James’s voice has been featured in the animated films Barnyard (2006) for Nick Movies, as well as Monster House (2006), and Hotel Transylvania (2012).