Throughout its nine seasons on the air, The King of Queens featured a variety of guest performers. Some of them, like Bryan Cranston and Jane Lynch, were still on their way to the top and would end up doing big things on their own afterward. But the hit CBS sitcom also managed to snag a few major stars who’d already established themselves prior to their appearances on the show. Let’s take a look at a few that you might’ve missed.
1. ADAM WEST
In the Season 8 episode “Shear Torture,” Spence (Patton Oswalt) is planning on attending Fantasy Expo 2005 with Lou Ferrigno of Incredible Hulk fame. That all changes when he runs into Batman star Adam West in the subway and invites him to come along in Ferrigno’s place. On the way to the event, West tells Spence that he heard about him ditching Ferrigno and gets him to admit that he’d do the same to West if he’d crossed paths with William Shatner that morning. West then leaves Spence on the side of the highway and heads to the expo by himself.
2. BEN STILLER
Season 4’s finale, “Shrink Wrap,” finds Arthur (Jerry Stiller) being taken to a therapist to get to the root of why he constantly yells and flies off the handle. Through a flashback sequence, we learn that Arthur was neglected by his father as a child, who was much warmer toward his older brother, Skitch. As a result, Arthur developed a tendency to scream when he felt that he wasn’t being heard. The father was played by Jerry Stiller’s real-life son, Ben Stiller, who still intimidates the now-elderly Arthur many years later.
3. ADAM SANDLER
Doug (Kevin James) links up with an old classmate at his high school reunion in Season 9’s “Mild Bunch.” Jeff “The Beast” Sussman, as played by Adam Sandler, was the craziest kid in the school, according to Doug, but somehow ended up becoming the vice principal. Together, Doug and Jeff plot revenge on their old principal by egging his car. The excitement causes Jeff to revert to his wild ways, and he brings Doug along with him while he breaks into a convenience store.
4. BURT REYNOLDS
Smokey and the Bandit star Burt Reynolds showed up as Doug’s former high school football coach in the Season 7 episode “Hi, School.” Doug reunites with Reynolds’s character after delivering a package to him, and the two begin reminiscing about their glory days. From there, Doug starts making regular appearances at the school against Carrie’s wishes. The coach later reprimands Doug for pulling his pants down at the pep rally, just as he did when he was a teenager.
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