Douglas Steven "Doug" Heffernan is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American sitcom The King of Queens.

He is portrayed by Kevin James, whose stand-up comedy background inspired the comedic style of the show.

Doug, an often immature 'average Joe', lives in Rego Park, Queens, with his wife Carrie Heffernan (Leah Remini) and his father-in-law Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller).

Doug was born on February 9, 1965, in Montreal, while his mother Janet (Jenny O'Hara) and father Joe (Dakin Matthews) were attending a friend's wedding there.

His parents told him that he was born in New York City and he discovers the truth as an adult, in the episode "Dog Shelter".

Around this time, his friend Richie, a firefighter for the New York City Fire Department, 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 International Parcel Service (IPS).

That story was retconned, and the new plot is 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.

After they find a house, Arthur's wife dies, his home burns down, and he along with Carrie's sister, Sara, is forced to move in with them.

After the first season, the character of Sara no longer appeared or was referenced again series, and was also retconned to make Carrie an only child.

His other friends include his lifelong friend and subway booth worker Spence Olchin (Patton Oswalt), a firefighter named Richie Ianucchi (Larry Romano), his cousin Danny (Gary Valentine), dog walker Holly (Nicole Sullivan), and next-door neighbour and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno (playing himself).