Gary Valentine, born Gary Joseph Knipfing, is a renowned American comedian, actor, and writer. He hails from Mineola, New York, where he was raised by his parents, Janet, an office worker, and Joseph Valentine Knipfing, Jr., an insurance agency owner. Gary's brother, Kevin James, is also a well-known actor. His ancestry is German.
Gary's journey in the entertainment industry began with stand-up comedy performances. Following an appearance at the Montreal Comedy Festival, he relocated to Los Angeles, where 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. For the past fifteen years, he has been headlining comedy clubs and theaters.
Gary is best known for his nine-season stint as "Cousin Danny" on the popular CBS sitcom, The King of Queens. He not only appeared on the show but also co-wrote a few episodes, which he claims are the best. In addition to his work on the sitcom, Gary has made notable appearances on the television show Men of a Certain Age, which was written and directed by Ray Romano, and received critical acclaim. Prior to his run on the series, he starred in his own half-hour special on Comedy Central and hosted The X Show on FX.
Gary has also made a mark in the film industry, working alongside Hollywood heavyweights such as Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear (Stuck on You),and Adam Sandler (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry). He has appeared in numerous specials for the Comedy Central Network, as well as a cameo in Jerry Seinfeld's acclaimed documentary, Comedian. Gary can also be seen in films such as Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Zookeeper, and Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury, along with the independent short Alive 'n' Kickin'.
More recently, Gary has made occasional appearances as a roundtable comedian on the popular E! Network late-night talk show Chelsea Lately and takes part in the Dusty Peacock web series on Crackle (crackle.com).
