Stephen King is best known for his work as a horror author, but he has also branched out to acting, and while he has appeared in a variety of TV and movie adaptations of his novels and short stories, he has also had cameo appearances in other movies and TV shows – and here’s every one of them. Stephen King is known as the King of Horror and with good reason, as he has terrorized generations of viewers for decades with his stories, which have introduced some memorable and iconic creatures, villains, and heroes, and have allowed readers all over the world to explore a variety of fears and frightening scenarios.
Stephen King rose to fame with the publishing of his first novel (though actually the fourth novel he wrote), Carrie, in 1974, which became a bestseller after Brian de Palma’s movie adaptation two years later, opening many doors for King as a horror author. Since then, King has brought some of the most terrifying characters (both human and supernatural) in his stories, with many of these becoming part of pop culture, such as IT’s Pennywise the Dancing Clown, Annie Wilkes from Misery, Jack Torrance from The Shining, and Randall Flagg, who has served as the main antagonist in the Stephen King universe. Due to their cultural impact and popularity, many of King’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film and TV over the years, and this has also allowed King to branch out to acting.
King has written the script for some adaptations of his works and he has also had cameo or minor roles in many of them, to the point where it has become a sort of tradition to look out for a King cameo in one of his stories. However, King hasn’t limited himself to acting in movies and TV shows based on his works, and he has also had minor or cameo appearances on other projects – and here’s every one of them.
Knightriders – Hoagie Man
Knightriders is a drama movie written and directed by George A. Romero and released in 1981. Knightriders follows Billy a.k.a. King Billy (Ed Harris), who leads a traveling troupe that jousts on motorcycles and does his best to lead the group according to his Arthurian ideals. However, social and financial pressures begin to strain the group, and so Billy does what he can to save the group. Knightriders was King’s “acting” debut, and he briefly appeared as a hoagie-eating audience member at a motorcycle dueling event, and the woman sitting next to him is his wife and fellow author, Tabitha King.
Frasier – Brian (voice cameo)
After Knightriders, King appeared in a bunch of movies and TV series but all of them based on his novels or written by him, and his next acting role outside adaptations of his works happened in 1999 in Frasier. The sitcom followed psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) who returns to his hometown, Seattle, as a radio show host. There he reconnects with his father, Martin (John Mahoney), and his brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce), who is also a psychiatrist. King’s cameo role in Frasier happened in season 8’s episode 8, but it’s a very easy one to miss as it was a voice cameo. In the episode, titled “Mary Christmas”, Frasier ends up co-hosting the KACL’s Christmas coverage and gets a call from a man named “Brian”, who is none other than Stephen King.
Fever Pitch – Himself
Fever Pitch is a 2005 rom-com movie directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly and starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. Fever Pitch tells the story of Ben Wrightman (Fallon), who meets Lindsey Meeks (Barrymore) and starts a romantic relationship with her. Ben and Lindsey spend the winter together, but once summer arrives, Lindsey discovers Ben is a huge Boston Red Sox fan, and all his attention goes towards the games once baseball season begins, so she feels she’s being taken for granted. As a Red Sox fan himself, King had a cameo appearance in Fever Pitch, where he throws out the first pitch at Fenway Park.
Diary of the Dead – Newsreader (voice cameo)
Stephen King’s second collaboration with George A. Romero happened in the 2007 found footage horror movie Diary of the Dead. The movie follows a group of students and their professor (Scott Wentworth) who while filming a horror movie in a forest, hear on the news that the dead are beginning to wake and walk around town. The group splits, but they soon realize that the news weren’t exaggerating, and they now need to fight to survive while trying to get to a safe place. Stephen King lent his voice as a newsreader along with other big names in the entertainment industry, such as Quentin Tarantino, Wes Craven, Guillermo del Toro, and Simon Pegg.
Sons of Anarchy – Bachman
King’s next appearance in a TV project not based on his works was Sons of Anarchy. Created by Kurt Sutter, Sons of Anarchy follows the title motorcycle club led by Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), who often got involved in a lot of trouble not only with other motorcycle clubs but also within SAMCRO. Sons of Anarchy season 3 welcomed Stephen King as Bachman (a name that comes from his pen name, Richard Bachman), a mysterious, quiet man who was called by Tig (Kim Coates) to help him and Gemma (Katey Sagal) get rid of a body, as Gemma killed her father’s caregiver because she knew too much. Bachman, then, was a “cleaner”, and King didn’t have to say much to give off an unsettling vibe that made his cameo in Sons of Anarchy a truly unforgettable one.
Stuck in Love – Himself (voice cameo)
Last but not least on the list of Stephen King’s roles in TV shows and movies that aren’t based on his works, written or developed by him is Stuck in Love, a rom-com drama movie directed by Josh Boone. Stuck in Love tells the story of William Borgens (Greg Kinnear), a successful novelist who is still dealing with the end of his marriage after his wife, Erica (Jennifer Connelly), left him for another man. In addition to that, Bill is dealing with the complexities of raising his teenage children Samantha (Lily Collins), who is also a novelist, and Rusty (Nat Wolff), an aspiring writer. Rusty is a big Stephen King fan, and in the third act of the movie, he gets a call from Stephen King himself to congratulate him on his first published story.
