Biography for
Stephen King (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

21 September 1947, Portland, Maine, USA

Birth Name

Stephen Edwin King

Nickname

The King
The King of horror

Height

6' 4" (1.93 m)

Mini Biography

Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947, at the Maine General Hospital in Portland. His parents were Donald Edwin King and Ruth Pillsbury King. He was the only natural-born child in the family, his older brother David having been adopted at birth two years earlier. The Kings were the typical family until one night when Donald said he was stepping out for cigarettes and was never heard from again. Ruth took over raising the family with help from relatives. They traveled throughout many states over several years, finally moving back to Durham, Maine, in 1958.

Stephen began his actual writing career in January of 1959, when David and Stephen decided to publish their own local newspaper named "Dave's Rag". David bought a mimeograph machine, and they put together a paper they sold for five cents an issue. Stephen attended Lisbon High School, in Lisbon, Maine, in 1962. Collaborating with his best friend Chris Chesley in 1963, they published a collection of 18 short stories called "People, Places, and Things--Volume I". King's stories included "Hotel at the End of the Road", "I've Got to Get Away!", "The Dimension Warp", "The Thing at the Bottom of the Well", "The Stranger", "I'm Falling", "The Cursed Expedition", and "The Other Side of the Fog." A year later, King's amateur press Triad and Gaslight Books, published a two-part book titled "The Star Invaders".

King made his first actual published appearance in 1965 in the magazine Comics Review with his story "I Was a Teenage Grave Robber." The story ran about 6,000 words in length. In 1966 he graduated from high school and took a scholarship to attend the University of Maine. Looking back on his high school days, King recalled that "my high school career was totally undistinguished. I was not at the top of my class, nor at the bottom." Later that summer King began working on a novel called "Getting It On", about some kids who take over a classroom and try unsuccessfully to ward off the National Guard. During his first year at college, King completed his first full-length novel, "The Long Walk." He submitted the novel to Bennett Cerf/Random House only to have it rejected. King took the rejection badly and filed the book away.

He made his first small sale--$35--with the story "The Glass Floor". In June 1970 King graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Science degree in English and a certificate to teach high school. King's next idea came from the poem by Robert Browning, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came." He found bright colored green paper in the library and began work on "The Dark Tower" saga, but his chronic shortage of money meant that he was unable to further pursue the novel, and it, too, was filed away. King took a job at a filling station pumping gas, for the princely sum of $1.25 an hour. Soon he began to earn money for his writings by submitting his short stories to men's magazines such as Cavalier.

On January 2, 1971, he married Tabitha King (born Tabitha Jane Spruce). In the fall of 1971 King took a teaching job at Hampden Academy, earning $6,400 a year. The Kings then moved to Hermon, a town west of Bangor, Maine. Stephen then began work on a short story about a teenage girl named Carietta White. After a completing a few pages, he decided it was not a worthy story and crumpled the pages up and tossed them into the trash. Fortunately, Tabitha took the pages out and read them. She encouraged her husband to continue the story, which he did. In January 1973 he submitted "Carrie" to Doubleday. In March Doubleday bought the book. On May 12 the publisher sold the paperback rights for the novel to New American Library for $400,000. His contract called for his getting half of that sum, and he quit his teaching job to pursue writing full time. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since then, King has had numerous short stories and novels published and movies made from his work. He has been called the "Master of Horror". His books have been translated into 33 different languages, published in over 35 different countries. There are over 300 million copies of his novels in publication. He continues to live in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, and writes out of his home.

In June 1999, Stephen King was severely injured in an accident that left him in critical condition with injuries to his lung, broken ribs, a broken leg and a severely fractured hip. After three weeks of operations, he was released from the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Christian Skibinski

Spouse

Tabitha King

(2 January 1971 - present) 3 children

Trade Mark

Usually sets stories in Maine.

Most of his lead male characters are writers.

Almost always has a cameo in the movies or mini-series based on his novels.

Makes references to his previous novels in his books.

Horror and fantasy themes

Trivia

Newspapers reported that he has bought the van that hit him on June; he plans to hammer it to pieces on the anniversary of the accident. [September 1999]

King was accidentally hit in the back by a minivan while walking on Route 5 near North Lovell, Maine. He suffered a broken leg, a bruised lung and a head laceration. The driver of the van was distracted by his dog. King was found lying in a depression about 14 feet off the road and appeared to have been thrown by the collision. The van's windshield was broken and the right front corner of the car was crunched in from the impact of striking King. [19 June 1999]

Revealed that he is suffering from macular degeneration, a currently incurable condition which will most likely lead to blindness. [May 1999]

Estimated annual salary is $40 million. [May 1999]

HBO paid $1.5 million for the rights to the novel "Rose Madder". [October 1996]

King has never censored his own work. The death scene of the doctor in novel "'Salem's Lot" was cut due to the demands of the editor at Doubleday.

King published seven novels ("Rage", "The Long Walk", "Roadwork", "The Running Man", "Thinner", "The Regulators" and "Blaze") under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

Portions of King's writings from when he was 9 years old appears in the 1993 book, "First Words", edited by Paul Mandelbaum, available from Algonquin books.

Supposedly created his pseudonym Richard Bachman by reading a novel by Donald E. Westlake, whose pseudonym is Richard Stark, while listening to Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

It is falsely rumored that he will not sign autographs because of superstition. Actually, he doesn't sign them because he hates the idolatry of celebrities (he also will not endorse an official fan club for the same reason). He will sign autographs now only at book signings, according to his official website.

Met his wife Tabitha King while the two were working at the Fogler Library as students at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine.

Used to work for a dry cleaner before publishing his first novel.

His daughter Naomi wed her 54 year old lesbian partner Thandeka (who is a theological school teacher) in Nashville, Tennessee. [June 2000]

Bryan Smith, the driver of the van that hit King, dies. King said in a statement, "I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Bryan Smith.The death of a 43-year-old man can only be termed untimely.". [26 September 2000]

Scored in the 1300s on the SAT.

Children: Naomi Rachel (b. 1970), Joseph Hillstrom (b. June 4, 1972) and Owen Phillip (b. February 21, 1977).

Wrote "The Running Man", a 304-page novel, in only ten days.

Owns three radio stations in Maine (one has been named AP Station of the Year more than once) Online at zoneradio.com

Certified by Guinness Superlatives (the "Book of World Records" group) as having the most number of motion picture adaptations by a living author.

In 1992 he and wife Tabitha King gave a donation to build Mansfield Stadium in Bangor, Maine. In August of 2002 he threw the first pitch at the opening of the Senior League Baseball World Series. The Kings were honored for their generosity with an inscribed stone monument shaped like a home plate.

Contributed a short monologue to two versions of the Blue Öyster Cult song "Astronomy" (from the out-of-print "Imaginos" album) on a promotional CD single.

His short story "The Man in the Black Suit" won an O. Henry Award for Best Short Story in 1996.

- Underwent surgery to remove scar tissue and fluid from his lungs from a bout of pneumonia. [25 November 2003]

Owns a house on Sanibel Island, Florida

Once said that his favorite personal horror movie was Tourist Trap (1979), and his favorite film is Of Unknown Origin (1983).

Dogs are often described as monsters or -- the opposite -- victims in his books and films (like Cujo (1983) or Pet Sematary (1989)).

He is an avid Red Sox fan. Before the Sox won the 2004 World Series, he said he wanted his tombstone epitaph to be a single sock and the line "Not In My Lifetime, Not In Yours, Either."

He is the most successful American writer in history.

Often listens to hard rock music during the time he writes to get inspired. He also plays in a rock band himself.

A recovering alcoholic, King noted in his book "On Writing" that he was drunk virtually the whole time of writing the book "Cujo" and to this day barely remembers writing any of it.

In the 1980s he was battling a cocaine addiction. At one time his wife organized a group of family and friends and confronted him. She dumped onto the floor his trashcan, which included beer cans, cigarette butts, cough and cold medicines and various drug paraphernalia. Her message to him was: "Get help or get out. We love you, but we don't want to witness your suicide." He got help and was able to become clean and sober.

Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, vol. 134, pages 256-271. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.

Is good friends with horror director George A. Romero.

He belongs to a an all-writer rock band called "Rock Bottom Remainders" with other such writers as Amy Tan, Dave Barry, Scott Turow, Roy Blount Jr. and James Luca McBride. Their motto is, according to Barry, "We play music as well as Metallica writes novels.".

A huge fan of Ramones, King penned the liner notes to the 2002 Ramones tribute album, "We're A Happy Family.".

Writes reviews of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series for Entertainment Weekly magazine.

Is an avid AC/DC fan.

The fictional town of Castle Rock is located in Maine. Stand by Me (1986), the first film to be set in that town, accidentally set it in Oregon. This is because the original story, "The Body", only mentions that Castle Rock is near Portland, without identifying which state. It is only identified as being in Maine in his other stories. The only clues in "The Body" that it takes place in Maine is the fact that the local radio stations begin with W, which, with only a few exceptions, applies only to stations east of the Mississippi River.

Many of his stories take place in or near the fictional small town of Castle Rock, Maine. The first film to be based on a Castle Rock story was Stand by Me (1986). Director Rob Reiner subsequently named his production company Castle Rock Entertainment.

Is a member of a band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, which is composed of other writers. Besides King the members include Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Scott Turow, Amy Tan, James Luca McBride, Mitch Albom, Roy Blount Jr., Matt Groening, Kathi Kamen Goldmark and Greg Iles. A "remainder" is a book that has not sold well and has been drastically reduced in price to ensure a quick sale.

In 1988 he was offered the chance to write and direct A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989).

Was such a fan of the film 28 Days Later... (2002), he bought out an entire showing of the film in New York City.

Son Joseph Hillstrom King is also a novelist. He spent the past several years writing under the pen name Joe Hill, the name of a labor leader who is also his namesake.

Fan of B-Movie Scream Queen Linnea Quigley.

Cites Sir William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies as a major influence on him. One of the chapters in that book was "Castle Rock," which later became the name of a fictional town in several of King's stories.

Worked as an English teacher before becoming a professional writer. Many of his characters are also teachers.

In his book "On Writing", he states that as punishment for making fun of Ellen Margitan, the vice principal of Lisbon High, he is sent to the offices of the Lisbon Enterprise to work with the editor, John Gould which he states is not "the" John Gould. In fact, it was "the" John Gould, famous Maine humorist and it was John Gould that helped King develop into a writer that people wanted to read.

He's a huge fan of the hit ABC TV show "_Lost (2004)_", which often makes references to his books. He's even trusting J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof to adapt the "Dark Tower" series into a film series.

After watching the first cut of Rob Reiner 's Stand by Me (1986), he was said to be crying and stated it was the closest adaptation to one of his novels he'd ever seen.

A fan of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter novels.

Controversially, King once wrote a complimentary "Blurb" for the back cover of L. Ron Hubbard's book "Fear".

When it was discovered in 1985 that he and Richard Bachman were one and the same, he retired the use of that name. He resurrected Bachman about a decade later, using the name as the author of The Regulators, a companion piece to his own novel Desperation. Since then, he has issued other new novels using the name Bachman, with the dust jackets jokingly claiming the books to have been a posthumous discovery by Bachman's widow. Bachman is said to have died in 1985 from "Cancer of the Pseudonym.".

Adaptations of his work have featured two generations of Sheens and Sutherlands. Kiefer Sutherland appeared in Stand by Me (1986), while Donald Sutherland appeared in "Salem's Lot (2004)(TV)'. Martin Sheen and Ramon Estevez both appeared in The Dead Zone (1983), and Emilio Estevez appeared in Maximum Overdrive (1986).

Will allow aspiring film-makers to purchase the film rights to any of his short stories (and only short-stories, not novels) for a dollar. The resulting films are sent directly to him and, if he enjoys them, placed on a shelf marked "Dollar-Babies.".

His novels are frequently adapted to the screen by Frank Darabont, Mick Garris, and Rob Reiner.

Personal Quotes

I've killed enough of the world's trees.

I'm a salami writer. I try to write good salami, but salami is salami.

Each life makes its own imitation of immortality.

When asked, "How do you write?", I invariably answer, "One word at a time".

I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out. I'm not proud.

I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries.

For every six crappy poems you read, you'll actually find one or two good ones. And that, believe me, is a very acceptable ratio of trash to treasure.

People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff. I like to tell them I have the heart of a small boy... and I keep it in a jar on my desk.

[asked why he hasn't personally directed more movies] Just watch Maximum Overdrive (1986).

[on playing the role of Jordy Verrill in Creepshow (1982)] If I had written it for myself, I would have put in at least one sex scene!

Rob Reiner, who made Stand by Me (1986), is one of the bravest, smartest filmmakers I have ever met, and I'm proud of my association with him. I am also mused to note that the company Mr. Reiner formed following the success of "Stand By Me" is Castle Rock Productions . . . a name with which many of my longtime readers will be familiar.

If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write.

Like anything else that happens on its own, the act of writing is beyond currency. Money is great stuff to have, but when it comes to the act of creation, the best thing is not to think of money too much. It constipates the whole process.

I love the movies, and when I go to see a movie that's been made from one of my books, I know that it isn't going to be exactly like my novel because a lot of other people have interpreted it. But I also know it has an idea that I'll like because that idea occurred to me, and I spent a year, or a year and a half of my life working on it.

I know writers who claim not to read their notices, or not to be hurt by the bad ones if they do, and I actually believe two of these individuals. I'm one of the other kind - I obsess over the possibility of bad reviews and brood over them when they come. But they don't get me down for long; I just kill a few children and old ladies, and then I'm right as a trivet again.

If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn't bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented.

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.

I've had a deal for years with Castle Rock Entertainment that goes back to Stand by Me (1986). I have told them that you can have my work for a buck. What I want from you is script approval, director approval, cast approval, and I want to have the authority to push the stop button at any point regardless of how much money you [the production company] have invested, because none of the money you have put in has gone into my pocket. What I get on the back end, if things work out, is 5% from dollar one.

Books and movies are like apples and oranges. They both are fruit but taste completely different.

[on directing Maximum Overdrive (1986)] I didn't get the job because I went to film school. I got the job because I'm Stephen King. If you become famous enough, they'll let you hang yourself in Times Square with live TV coverage.

[on film adaptations of his work] I don't feel any urge to control after I sign a piece of paper. I say, "See you later. You have what you need and I have what I want. As long as the check doesn't bounce, you and I are quits."

[from his acceptance speech for the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, 2003] I salute the National Book Foundation Board, who took a huge risk in giving this award to a man many people see as a rich hack.

I know a few writers who claim not to read reviews, and I actually believe one of these individuals. I am the opposite: I anticipate bad reviews and brood over them when they come. But then I just kill a few children and old ladies and I'm right as a trivet again.

[on the death of Michael Jackson] Strange man. Lost man. And not unique in his passing. Like James Dean, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, and a dozen others we could name, he just left the building far too soon. Because, man oh man, that guy could dance.

Where Are They Now

(2002) Has declared that this will be his last year of writing novels. His books will be published for the next few years, but he has vowed to quit the job in numerous publications on numerous occasions.

(March 2005) Has denied rumors of retirement saying that "The Dark Tower" series made him want to retire but he loves writing and cannot retire. Is preparing to release a new novel "The Colorado Kid" in October 2005.

(January 2006) Teaches a course as part of the Writers in Paradise Winter Term at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida.

(July 2003) Writing a column for the back page of Entertainment Weekly magazine called "The Pop of King".

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