STEPHEN EDWIN KING
Writer. Born September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine. King�s father, Donald, disappeared when he was only three years old; with his mother, Ruth, and older brother, David, King moved around a good deal, finally returning to Maine in 1958. He wrote his first short story at the age of seven, and was a devoted fan of 1950s horror movies. In high school, King played football and joined a local band; he also began contributing a number of stories to mystery magazines and other publications. He graduated from the University of Maine in 1970 with a degree in English; in the fall of 1971, he began teaching at a high school called Hampden Academy.

After his first two attempts at a novel were rejected, King became frustrated and reportedly threw away his next manuscript. His wife, Tabitha Spruce (whom he met in college and married in early 1971), rescued it and persuaded him to continue�in 1974, Doubleday published Carrie, which became a bestseller and a hit 1976 movie, directed by Brian De Palma and starring Sissy Spacek. Sale of the paperback rights proved to be enough for King to quit teaching and embark on a full-time writing career.

King followed up on the success of Carrie with an astonishing run of bestselling short stories and novels. He published a good deal of work under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, which he used from 1977 to 1984. This disguised the true extent of his prolific output, until the ruse became public knowledge and he abandoned it.

King�s own name became synonymous with blockbuster novels blending horror, fantasy, and science fiction into a consistently creepy mix. He soon earned the title �King of Horror� for his continuing mastery of the macabre. All together, has sold well over 100 million copies of his books worldwide and has become the richest writer of all time. He consistently ranks among America�s highest-paid entertainers, according to Forbes magazine. Some of his bestselling novels include Salem's Lot (1975), The Stand (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Pet Sematary (1983), Needful Things (1991), Gerald's Game (1992), and the Dark Tower series.

An astonishing number of King�s works have been made into movies, many of which were box-office hits. The 1980 film version of his 1977 novel The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson, became an all-time horror classic. A few other notable films made from his stories and novels include 1983�s Christine (from the 1983 novel); 1986�s Stand By Me (from a story entitled �The Body�); 1990�s Misery (from the 1987 novel), starring Kathy Bates and James Caan; 1994�s The Shawshank Redemption (from a 1983 story in the collection Different Seasons), starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman; and 1999�s The Green Mile (from a six-part serial novel published in 1996), starring Tom Hanks. King has appeared in minor roles in a number of film versions of his works, including Knightriders (1981), Creepshow (1982), Pet Sematary (1989), Sleepwalkers (1992), and the TV movie The Stand(1994).

On June 19, 1999, King was seriously injured when he was struck by a minivan on a road near his summer home in Lovell, Maine. The driver who hit King lost control of his vehicle after being distracted by his Rottweiler, which was loose in the minivan; he was indicted for aggravated assault but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving to endanger, allowing him to avoid serving any jail time. After undergoing extensive surgery on his leg and hip, King returned home to begin major rehabilitation and physical therapy. He is not expected to be able to walk until about 9 to 12 months after the accident. King and his wife live near Bangor, Maine, and have three children: Joe, Owen, and Naomi.

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