Doug Heffernan

Doug Heffernan
First appearance	"Pilot"
Last appearance	"China Syndrome"
Created by	David Litt
Portrayed by	Kevin James
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	IPS Driver
Family	Joe Heffernan (father) Janet Heffernan (mother) Stephanie Heffernan (sister) Danny Heffernan (cousin) Stu Heffernan (uncle) Sheila Rednester (aunt)
Spouse(s)	Carrie Heffernan (wife)
Children	Ming-Mei Heffernan (adopted) Baby Boy Heffernan (biological, name unknown)
Relatives	Arthur Spooner (father-in-law)

Douglas Steven "Doug" Heffernan is a fictional character in the American situation comedy The King of Queens. The character has also appeared in Everybody Loves Raymond, Becker, and Cosby.

The role is played by actor Kevin James, whose stand-up comedy provided the comedic themes and general style of the show. Doug, an "average joe,"^[1] lives in Rego Park, Queens, with his wife Carrie Heffernan (Leah Remini), and his father-in-law Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller).

Doug is a delivery driver for the fictional International Parcel Service (a parody of United Parcel Service), a job Doug acquired by pretending to work there after lying to then girlfriend Carrie about having a job.

Background

Doug was born on February 9, 1965 in Montreal, QC, Canada while his mother Janet (played by Jenny O'Hara) and father Joe (Dakin Matthews) were attending a friend's wedding there. He had been told by his parents that he had been born in New York City, and only discovered the truth as an adult, in the episode 'Dog Shelter.' He has one sister, a physical education teacher named Stephanie played by Ricki Lake.

Doug's father owned a small hardware store in Queens, and his mother was a homemaker. References in a number of episodes indicate that the Heffernan home was a Catholic one, although Doug seems to have strayed from this after moving out. It also appears that Doug's father Joe had wanted Doug to assume control over the hardware store when he came of age, but Doug showed little interest in this venture. He was a chubby child and continued to have weight problems as an adult, but coped better as he aged.

Doug is an avid sports fan, and is often showing support for the New York Mets, New York Jets, New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. (He did, however, get tickets to a New York Islanders game in one episode, and a New Jersey Nets hat in another.) Doug, in fact, would propose to Carrie at a Jets game. One year for Christmas, when he was given a Miami Dolphins Christmas ornament, Doug openly didn't like it because both the Jets and Dolphins played in the AFC East. (Despite the Jets–Patriots rivalry becoming more intense during the show's run than the Dolphins–Jets rivalry, it was never mentioned on the show; however, the Monday Night Miracle did take place during the show's third season.) Doug's love for the Mets is reflective of James in real life; he named his daughter Shea Joelle after the then-home of the Mets, Shea Stadium.^[2]

Doug attended St. Gregory's High School in Queens, where he befriended Spence Olchin; he also went to school with his cousin Danny. Doug played high school football as a St. Gregory's Commodore, and was a star player and starting fullback. He was All-County in football during his Junior and Senior years. Frequent references to this era show that Doug was very popular in school, and it is because of this that he thinks of High School as the best years of his life. After graduation he went on to junior college (Nassau Community College, located on Long Island), but dropped out after eight days, without any clear plan. He tried out for the Nassau County Rebels, a semi-professional football team, but ultimately quit.

He later acquired a job as a bouncer at a bar. Around this time through his friend Richie Ianucchi, a firefighter for the FDNY, introduced him to his future wife, Carrie Spooner. While dating Carrie, Doug inadvertently landed his final, and longest standing, job as a truck driver for the fictional IPS

Marriage

Early in the series it was stated that Doug and Carrie had known each other in junior high. That story was re-written; the new plot stated that Doug and his friend Richie met Carrie at a club, then went on a double date that did not go well until the end. Doug first met Carrie's father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller), at a Thanksgiving dinner that went horribly wrong. Doug was nearly scared away by Arthur, who disapproved of the relationship, but later in this episode he and Carrie declare their love for one another.

Doug and Carrie got engaged at a Jets game and married in 1995, prior to the start of the series. Initially, they lived with Arthur while searching for a house. After finding a house, Arthur's wife died and his home burnt down, and he was forced to move in with them.

At the end of the series, Doug and Carrie adopt a baby from China. On the same day, Carrie realizes that she is pregnant.

Friends

Doug's best friend is fellow IPS driver Deacon Palmer (Victor Williams), who is married to Carrie's best friend, Kelly (Merrin Dungey). His other friends include lifelong friend, subway toll booth collector Spence Olchin (Patton Oswalt), a firefighter named Richie Ianucchi (Larry Romano), cousin Danny (Gary Valentine); dog walker Holly (Nicole Sullivan); and next door neighbour bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno (played by himself). Another friend of Doug's, Ray Barone (Ray Romano) also appears as a guest on several episodes of the show.

References

1. ^ "New York Times, Doug Heffernan, The Average Joe.". The New York Times. January 3, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/arts/television/03heff.html?ex=1325480400&en=e11b08c71fe2602d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss. Retrieved 2007-01-11. 
2. ^ http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2009/01/i_went_to_the_big.html