Leslie Knipfing Biography: Truth About Kevin James' Sister (2024)

Spread the love

Leslie Knipfing is an American citizen who is famous as the sister of actors and comedians Kevin James and Gary Valentine. Both James and Valentine are popular for their acting roles in The King of Queens. Besides comedy and acting, James went on to become a producer, screenwriter, and singer.

People who love Kevin and Gary are always curious to know about Leslie. However, Leslie remains quite secretive about her lifestyle. She hasn’t chosen the career path as her siblings which is why she has avoided the spotlight for so long.

Here, we are talking about some unknown facts & some interesting facts about Leslie Knipfing. Let’s start the journey.

Leslie Knipfing was Raised Catholic

Leslie Knipfing was born as the youngest child of Janet Knipfing and Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr. She is of German and American descent as her father, Joseph is a German-American. She holds an American nationality.

As far as her birthday is concerned, her exact birthday is not known as of yet. Meanwhile, as per the sources, she was born in 1967 in Mineola, New York, the United States. So, as of 2023, she is 56 years old.

Leslie has two siblings, older brothers, and Gary Valentine (nee Gary Joseph Knipfing) and Kevin James (nee Kevin George Knipfing). She and both of her brothers were raised catholic. Details about her educational background are not available online, however, as she was raised catholic, we presume she studied at a catholic school.

Her Parents’ Profession

Leslie Knipfing’s mother, Janet worked in a chiropractor’s office, and her father, Joseph owned an insurance agency. As per FamilyTron, Leslie’s father, Joseph Valentine died on January 30, 2006, at the age of 75 after a long battle with heart disease. However, there is no official verification of the fact as of yet.

Leslie Knipfing Siblings are Popular Comedians

Her brothers, Kevin and Gary Valentine both are well-established in the entertainment industry. Both of them started their career in stand-up comedy and later extended their career to acting, producing, and directing.

After finding success as a stand-up comedian, Gary left his hometown and relocated to Los Angeles where he got chances to appear in a couple of talk shows, including The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, andThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Leslie Knipfing Biography: Truth About Kevin James' Sister (1)

On the other hand, Kevin also started his career as a stand-up comedian in Long Island. Later, he also went on to appear on several talk shows such asThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show,andThe Ellen DeGeneres Showamong others.

But, the brother-duo rose to acme of popularity after their work onThe King of Queens. Kevin himself produced the sitcom where he played the lead role of Doug Heffernan while Gary played Doug’s cousin, Danny Heffernan. The show ran for 207 episodes from 1998 to 2007.

Steffiana de la Cruz is Her Sister in Law

American actress, Steffiana de la Cruz is Leslie Knipfing’s sister-in-law. The 46-year-old famous Paul Blart: Mall Copactress is married to Leslie’s older brother Kevin James since 2004. The Filipina actress and Kevin dated for around two years before they exchanged vows on June 19, 2004, at the St. Edward Catholic Church in Dana Point, California in front of 180 friends.

Steffiana and Kevin have four children together. They gave birth to three daughters, Sienna-Marie James, 15, Shea Joelle James, 13, and Sistine Sabella James, 5, and a son Kannon Valentine James, 10.

Leslie Knipfing Biography: Truth About Kevin James' Sister (2)

The husband-and-wife of sixteen years welcomed their first child, Sienna-Marie, on September 30, 2005. They welcomed their second daughter, Shea Joelle, on June 14, 2007, and they welcomed their only son, Kannon on April 24, 2011. Four years later, the lovebirds gave birth to their fourth kid, Sistine, in January 2015.

Meanwhile, Leslie’s oldest brother, Gary Valentine is married to Jackyline Knipfingsince 1993.

Leslie Knipfing Is Often Mistaken for Actress Leslie Bibb

You might see many online tabloids writing about actress Leslie Bibb instead of Leslie Knipfing in Google search results. It is because a lot of people and online media have been mistaking actress Bibb for Knipfing for so long.

Leslie Bibb started her acting career on television in 1996, working in a few minor roles in television series. She made her first feature film appearance in 1997 with a small role inPrivate Parts.

Leslie Knipfing Biography: Truth About Kevin James' Sister (3)

The North Dakota native actress is famous for her appearances as Christine Everhart in the Marvel Cinematic Universe pictures such as Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Bibb was previously married to banker Rob Born from November 22, 2003, to December 7, 2004. As of now, she is in a relationship with actor Sam Rockwell.

Leslie Knipfing’s Profession: She Works In An Insurance Agency

Since Leslie has maintained her life under the media radar, many things about her profession and career remain a mystery. Still, some online sources have reported she works in the insurance agency that her father established. Besides, she reportedly works as a charity events manager for her brother Kevin James. Moreover, she also helps in raising funds for people suffering from eye disease, HIV, and cancer.

Since her career details are pretty scant, we can’t affirm her earnings and net worth at present. On the other side, her brothers, Kevin and Gary both are millionaires. Her oldest brother, Gary Valentine has a net worth of $2.5 million while Kevin has a decent net worth of $100 million in 2020.

Knipfing is Suffering From a Genetic Disease

Kevin James’ sister Leslie Knipfing is suffering from a rare genetic disorder, Retinitis Pigmentosa since her childhood. The condition causes loss of vision in the patient and sometimes leads to tunnel vision, however, complete blindness is uncommon.

Due to this condition, she might have dropped her dream of becoming a film or television star. Nevertheless, she has been active in social work and managing the business her father had established.

Leslie Knipfing’s Marital Status

There is a lot of curiosity among the audience about Leslie Knipfing’s husband & marital status. But is she even married? Well, Leslie has maintained a low-key lifestyle despite being a sister to two renowned comedians. So, it is pretty difficult to tell about Leslie’s relationship status currently. Besides, Knipfing doesn’t indulge in handling social media accounts publicly which is another reason for her secret lifestyle.

Nevertheless, some online tabloids have speculated Leslie is single and solely dedicated to the charity works that her brother runs. But, nothing can be asserted about her marital status based on the tabloids. Besides, Leslie Knipfing lives in Manhasset, NY.

Instagram & Social Media

Unfortunately, Leslie is not on social media. However, unlike her, her famous brother Kevin is both on Instagram & Twitter. On his Insta, he has over 1.8 million followers, whereas his Twitter followers exceed 468k.

Leslie Knipfing Biography: Truth About Kevin James' Sister (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Aron Pacocha

Last Updated:

Views: 5484

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Aron Pacocha

Birthday: 1999-08-12

Address: 3808 Moen Corner, Gorczanyport, FL 67364-2074

Phone: +393457723392

Job: Retail Consultant

Hobby: Jewelry making, Cooking, Gaming, Reading, Juggling, Cabaret, Origami

Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.