From September 1998, through May 2007, an overall of nine seasons and 207 episodes of The King of Queens were shown on CBS. Doug (Kevin James) and Carrie Heffernan (Leah Remini), a middle-class couple, and Carrie’s father, Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller), all reside in Queens, New York, and are the subjects of the television series. Doug is a parcel delivery driver for the fictional IPS, a UPS-esque delivery company, and Carrie is an attorney’s assistant in Manhattan.
With a fondness for athletic events, television, processed foods, and his wife, Doug Heffernan embodies the average, everyday guy. Doug is often embarrassed by his ongoing dishonesty and his plans that go awry throughout the show, leading to some more than hilarious moments. Adding to the humor, at one point Arthur grew to be quite the headache that the Heffernans amusingly got their pal Holly to allow Arthur to accompany her for outings in a nearby dog park alongside the variety of dogs she was walking — essentially paying her to walk him like a dog.
Doug had already appeared, as the token fat friend, on Everybody Loves Raymond before he even had his own show. Actors Ray Romano and Kevin James, who are friends in real life, used Romano’s show as a launchpad for James’, thereby turning The King of Queens into a spin-off of Everybody Loves Raymond. This also ended up allowing them to produce a few crossover episodes during the course of the series run. Despite The King of Queens getting mixed reviews (via Metacritic), the cast was praised for their work on the series and is more than likely the reason it lasted so long. Here is what the actors and actresses of The King of Queens have been working on in more recent years.
Kevin James
Following his stint as Doug Heffernan on The King of Queens, Kevin James went on to star in a slew of films and TV shows. He also lent his voice to the Hotel Transylvania film series as the character of Frankenstein. In more recent years, James has continued working in both film and television. In 2020, he also appeared in the film Hubie Halloween and the series Sound Guy.
After that, James had roles in the shorts All In and Sound Guy Gets Intimate With Kevin James, as well as a recurring role in the series The Crew. James’ 2022 roles include the movie, Home Team and the Podcast series Geek Girls Universe Podcast.
Leah Remini
After her work as Carrie Heffernan on The King of Queens, Leah Remini went on to voice a few cartoon characters in guest appearances on the shows Phineas and Ferb and Milo Murphy’s Law. Remini also starred in the 2018 series Kevin Can Wait again alongside James. She also appeared in two films that same year, Second Act and Mean Jean. Remini seems to have taken a few breaks throughout her career but always returned to acting. In 2022, she began hosting the game show, People Puzzler.
Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller was the legendary father of talented actor Ben Stiller, whom he worked with on multiple projects. Following his work on The King of Queens, as Carrie’s father, Arthur, Stiller went on to star in many movies and television shows. His most prominent recent roles are in Hairspray, The Good Wife, and Excuse Me for Living.
Stiller also voiced characters in the animated projects: Wonder Pets!, Fish Hooks, Planes: Fire and Rescue, and How Murray Saved Christmas. In 2016, his final acting roles were in Zoolander 2 and the animated film, Zoolander: Super Model. Sadly, Stiller passed away in 2020 of natural causes at the age of 92.
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt portrayed Spence, Doug’s lifelong friend, in The King of Queens, appearing in 179 of the series’ episodes. He continued acting heavily following that role with roles in a multitude of films and TV shows. Oswalt made guest appearances on the shows My Neighbors Are Dead, Inside Job, Storybots: Answer Time, and Shatter Belt. He also appeared in the films 80 for Brady, Unicorn Boy, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
Oswalt also had a longer stint on the television series, Mystery Science Theater 3000, as well as a smaller recurring role in Adventures in Wonder Park (voice). With a ton of upcoming ventures in the works (Heroes of the Golden Masks, a Ghostbusters sequel, Manhunt, The Forever House, Absolute Dominion, and WHO IS NO/ONE), Oswalt is setting himself up to be even busier in the future.
Victor Williams
Victor Williams portrayed another of Doug’s friends, Deacon, in The King of Queens. Following that role the actor stayed mostly in television work, making appearances on numerous shows, essentially making a career out of being a guest star. In recent years, he has made guest appearances on shows like The Neighborhood, Hunters, Bull, FBI: Most Wanted, A Luv Tale: The Series, and The Righteous Gemstones. In the future, Williams is due to make an appearance on an episode of the television series Justified: City Primeval.
Gary Valentine
On The King of Queens, Gary Valentine portrayed Doug’s cousin, Danny Heffernan. Following this role, he has acted sporadically appearing in a few movies and TV shows, many of which also starred his The King of Queens co-star, Kevin James. In 2015, Valentine appeared in Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 and The Dog Who Saved Summer. From 2016 until 2018, he portrayed Kyle in Kevin Can Wait. And in 2022, he had a role in the film The Home Team. Valentine’s only known future endeavor is the film Grumpy Old Santa, which, at the time of this writing, is currently in post-production.
Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Sullivan portrayed Holly, a dog walker and the Heffernan’s friend in The King of Queens. After this role, Sullivan continued to gain work in both film and television leading to a flourishing career. She has voiced various Family Guy characters from 2000 through 2022, as well as voicing Supergirl in the animated film Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse.
In recent years, Sullivan also made guest appearances on the shows High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Central Park (voice), Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and HouseBroken. She also appeared in the 2023 Podcast series Bedtime Stories of the Ingleside Inn. Sullivan’s only upcoming project at this time is voicing Joan of Arc in an episode of the animated series Clone High, which is due to premiere in 2023.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
