What Happened To The Cast Of The King Of Queens?

If your eyes are getting weary, your back is getting tight, and you're sitting in traffic on the Queensborough Bridge tonight, then you just might be watching "The King of Queens".

The CBS sitcom, starring Kevin James as a doofy working-class husband and his more uptight wife, played by "Saved by the Bell" veteran Leah Remini, originally aired for nine seasons from 1998 to 2007, additionally becoming a syndication mainstay. For me, it aired on UPN after reruns of other syndicated shows like "The Simpsons" or "Friends," and I grew to enjoy its formulaic comforts, its depiction of marriage as low-level warfare, and its representation of less well-off Americans. It was a little bit of "Home Improvement," a little bit of "Married... with Children," and a lot a bit of Kevin James' endearing, accessible charms.

Were you also a fan of the show? Then you might be wondering what happened to the cast of 'The King of Queens." We've got you covered with updates on all the main players.

Anne Meara was the lifelong creative and romantic partner of Jerry Stiller, also a main cast member of "The King of Queens." The two formed an influential and popular comedy duo called Stiller and Meara, which achieved considerable television and concert success in the 1960s and '70s. They're also notable as the parents of comedian, actor, and "Severance" executive producer Ben Stiller, born in 1965.

Beyond her work with her husband, Meara turned in acclaimed work in television, film, and theater, garnering Emmy and Tony nominations in the process. She booked recurring roles on shows like "Rhoda," "Sex in the City," and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (seen above), and she appeared in movies like "Fame" and "The Boys from Brazil," starred in plays from authors like Eugene O'Neill and William Friggin' Shakespeare, and became a playwright herself. Her last credited role was a voice performance in 2014's "Planes: Fire & Rescue"; she died the following year at the age of 85.

On "The King of Queens," Meara recurred as Veronica Olchin, the mother of Spence (Patton Oswalt), who, in gentle recognition of their real relationship, engaged in a series-long, testy entanglement with Stiller's character.

Doug works on the show at International Parcel Service, a fictionalized version of UPS or other package delivery services. His boss on the show is Patrick O'Boyle, played with gruff gusto by Sam McMurray, whom you might recognize from cult classic and victim of studio meddling "Drop Dead Gorgeous". O'Boyle is quick to frustration with Doug's antics and carries his own comedic dysfunctions, such as alcoholism and addiction to gambling.

Since the end of "The King of Queens," McMurray has racked up an absolutely massive array of television credits. You can see him pop up in dramatic procedurals like "ER," "Grey's Anatomy," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and "NCIS" (twice, as different characters, one pictured above). He's also played not one but two surgeons who remove tumors from iconic antiheroes in "The Sopranos" and "Breaking Bad," which is at least as prestigious as an EGOT.

If you're a video gamer of a certain taste, you can hear McMurray's pipes pop up in a few different "Command & Conquer" games, most noticeably as both American and English newscasters.

Everyone remembers Lou Ferrigno from, of course, the 1970s TV adaptation of "The Incredible Hulk". Bill Bixby played the mild-mannered Dr. David Banner, but whenever that scientific pushover would freak the heck out, he'd transform into the monstrous Hulk, which was the bodybuilder Ferrigno slathered in green and screaming his lungs out (and dealing with a serious risk of infection).

You may have forgotten, however, that Ferrigno played himself over multiple seasons on "The King of Queens". This universe's "Lou Ferrigno" was the next-door neighbor to the Heffernans, alongside his real-life wife at the time, Carla Green. He's just trying to live a peaceful, normal life, but all of his neighbors won't let him forget that he's the damn Incredible Hulk, cracking little jokes and quotations willy-nilly. I get it, but, c'mon, give the guy a break!

Ferrigno has made mountains out of playing a comedic version of himself, especially in "I Love You, Man" (pictured above). But he's also stayed attached to the role that put him on the map, contributing vocalizations to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's renditions of the Hulk in movies like "Thor: Ragnarok" and "The Avengers".

In 2018, he was named by President Donald Trump as a chair on the Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, saying that he wanted "to change America and make America healthy again." Maybe we should get him back in the green makeup.

Merrin Dungey played Kelly Palmer, the wife of Deacon (Victor Williams) and best friend to Carrie (Leah Remini). Like Carrie, Kelly often suffered gently from the foolish antics of her husband.

But when Dungey's regular cast duties on "Alias" prevented her from being able to work on "The King of Queens" with consistency, the writers and producers crafted a storyline where Deacon cheated on Kelly and she separated from him, eventually filing for divorce. However, when Dungey came back for good, their divorce was nipped in the bud, and the two characters got back together. Hurray for Hollywood!

Since her drama-filled run on the usually genteel sitcom, Dungey has continued to star in all kinds of TV shows, with recurring roles on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Big Little Lies," "The Lincoln Lawyer" (seen above), and, quite awesomely, as Ursula in the complicated family trees of "Once Upon a Time". She also scored a lead role on the cult horror comedy series "Shining Vale," which is really worth your time.

Before booking the main role of Holly Shumpert on "The King of Queens," you probably most recognized the multi-talented Nicole Sullivan as a main cast member on Fox's sketch comedy series "MADtv," often playing characters with exaggerated, high energy. With Holly, she focused and adjusted her sometimes feverish vibe into an always endearing, yet ever-eccentric, character who captured the hearts of many while sometimes infuriating Carrie.

Holly is a dog walker, initially hired by Spence to walk his dog. But Doug senses an opportunity and instead hires her to "walk" Arthur (Stiller), whom, it should be remembered, is a human being. This kickstarts a small rivalry between Spence and Doug over the affections of Holly, who spends the rest of the series bopping into all kinds of romantic misadventures with men.

Since the show, Sullivan has done a ton of television and voice work, including roles in "Black-ish" and "The Sex Lives of College Girls," not to mention finding herself a neat little benchmark as being a regular voice of Supergirl in the "DC Super Hero Girls" multiverse – and it's much better than the flop from the '80s. Recently, she can be seen in the Netflix comedy series "Running Point" (above) alongside Kate Hudson. 

Hey, look, it's Kevin James' older brother! Though this isn't a "Charlie Sheen/Emilio Estevez" situation, in which one acting brother changed his name and the other kept his birth name. No, the brothers were born Gary and Kevin Knipfing, which admittedly does not roll off the tongue. Kevin went with the blue-collar James, and Gary went with the "Vegas lounge singer" Valentine, and we love them both just the way they are.

On the show, Valentine played Doug's cousin (not brother) Danny, a bit of a doofus with a bit of a short fuse. He lives with Spence, and the show mines tons of gay panic jokes at their close, often bickering relationship. In fact, in season 7 episode "Slippery Slope," Danny and Spence pretend to be gay life partners at a timeshare resort to try and win a plasma TV. (Yikes.)

Valentine has continued to appear in his younger brother's works, showing up, for example, in both "Paul Blart" pictures and the football comedy "Home Team" (seen above). He also had a recurring role in the first season of the acclaimed anthology series "Fargo".

A man who is not the brother of Ray Romano, another CBS sitcom star who popped in throughout "The King of Queens," Larry Romano played Richie Iannucci, a firefighter, friend of Doug's, and notorious womanizer who leaves his wife (Michele Maika) after she's caught cheating in season 1 episode "Richie's Song".

In 2001, Richie was written out of the show after Romano left to pursue a lead role on the ABC sitcom "Kristin," a vehicle for Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth. Unfortunately, that sitcom was canceled after just six episodes aired, and neither Richie nor Romano would return to "The King of Queens," save for a brief appearance in the series finale's clip montage.

Since that minor example of fumbling the bag, the classically-trained Romano booked a couple of small roles on shows like "CSI: NY" and "The War at Home" and appeared in a handful of short films. Then, in 2019, he appeared in two of that year's greatest movies, "Bad Education" and "The Irishman." Let's get more years like that, Larry!

Likely the most contemporaneously famous performer on this list, beloved alt-comedian Patton Oswalt got his mainstream breakthrough on "The King of Queens" as Spence Olchin, a friend of Doug's since kindergarten. Spence is a big stinkin' nerd – he's allergic to everything, loves anime and video games, and generally sticks out from the more traditionally masculine dudes he hangs out with.

There's also an incredible cold open in the season 8 episode "Emotional Rollercoaster" where Oswalt, because he was not given blocking for the sequence, decided to stand completely and eerily motionless. No one stopped him, it made the cut, it is unbelievable. An emotional rollercoaster, indeed.

Nowadays, you can see Oswalt continue to perform stand-up comedy in all sorts of critically acclaimed specials. He's also become quite the actor; beyond his iconic roles in "Ratatouille" and "Parks and Recreation" (used to inspire actual "Star Wars" canon), he'll pop up in many film and television roles, including in the newest "Ghostbusters" movie, the "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" series (above), and in the historical thriller series "Manhunt".

Victor Williams played Deacon Palmer, Doug's best friend and coworker at IPS. On the surface, Deacon was more of the voice of reason of the pair, enjoying a stable family life while Doug and Carrie kept scheming and arguing. But as the series went on, Deacon was given more and more complications in his life, culminating in his cheating scandal, divorce, and eventual reconciliation with his wife, Kelly.

After the show's end, Williams continued to appear on the small screen with regularity, including a main role on "The Affair" (this guy just can't get away from televised affairs). His stature led him to book lots of authoritative roles in dramas, playing police officers, detectives, and attorneys in shows as varied as "Flight of the Conchords," "The Blacklist," "The Sinner," "Bull," "Hunters," and the excellent return to form, "Justified: City Primeval" (pictured above).

But for a lesser-known film role, I'll recommend Nicole Holofcener's "The Land of Steady Habits," which has Williams popping in. Like many of Holofcener's works, it's a quietly observed dramedy about middle-aged people falling apart. In other words, it's like if "The King of Queens" got a gritty reboot.

Beyond his creative relationship with his wife Meara, Jerry Stiller was seen in a ton of comedies, including notably as George Costanza's dad on "Seinfeld" (they reshot over another actor, he was so good). So, why not book him as a sitcom daddy on "King of Queens," too?

Stiller played Arthur Spooner, the father of Carrie, who lives in their basement, much to Doug's consternation. Arthur, like many of Stiller's characters, is brash, abrasive, loud, and pretty self-centered. He moves through jobs and schemes at the blink of an eye and always gets into Doug and Carrie's business. But at his core, he's a decent human being, especially when he reveals in the season 8 episode "Acting Out" that he gave up his dreams of being an actor to take care of his daughter, Carrie.

Stiller died in 2020 at the age of 92. In addition to appearing in the movie "Excuse Me for Living" in 2012 (seen above), his last roles include voicing a role alongside Meara in "Planes: Fire & Rescue," appearing as a judge in "The Good Wife," and reprising his role as Maury Ballstein, the manager of his son Ben's creation Derek Zoolander, in the animated movie "Zoolander: Super Model."

Leah Remini played the queen of Queens on "The King of Queens," Carrie Heffernan. And for my money, she's the most interesting character on the show.

Carrie can come off as abrasive, tough-talking, and borderline mean. She dislikes many of her husband's oafish shenanigans and often berates his friends. Her relationship with her dad is fraught, and yet, she's willing to house him in their basement. She's prone to jealousy, especially when seeing peers move upward in their socioeconomic status. But she's also loyal, loving, kind, and fair, learning a lot about her roadblocks throughout the course of the show. I'm a Carrie stan, what can I say?

Since the show, you might best know Remini for becoming a gonzo journalist of sorts, exposing the alleged improprieties of the Scientology apparatus in the documentary series "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath." She also reunited with James on "Kevin Can Wait" (seen above), had a sneaky voice cameo in "Flight Risk," and hosted the pretty fun game show, "People Puzzler."

Here he is, one of our most successful comedians and actors, Mr. Kevin James.

As Doug Heffernan, he was more than willing to play the fool, endowing him with dimwittedness, selfishness, and laziness. Doug was often the low-status butt of the joke, even as the lead character of the show, with his wife in particular ribbing him for his weight and lack of ambition. But Doug was also capable of lots of love, especially for his friends, and a big growth point for him over the series involves learning to be a more solid partner for Carrie, whether he gets anything tangible in return or not.

"The King of Queens" was the breakout role for James, and after the show, he had a string of leading roles in films, including the surprise box office glory of "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and a series of appearances in the Adam Sandler-led franchises "Grown Ups" and "Hotel Transylvania."

But beyond these and his attempt at another sitcom, "Kevin Can Wait," James has also explored non-comedic and against-type roles, including a menacing skinhead in the gory thriller "Becky" and a straight-up action lead in "Guns Up" (pictured above).