All 24 Stephen King Cameos, From It 2 To The Simpsons

By Chris E. Hayner on September 10, 2019 at 12:40PM PDT

The stories of Stephen King have been getting adapted into movies and TV shows for decades. It all started back in 1976 with the release of Carrie, a movie that is still regarded as one of the best horror films of all time. Almost as long as King's history of being a writer adapted for film, though, is his career as an actor.

Sure, he's never played a main role in anything. But however long before Stan Lee was popping up as a cameo in any number of Marvel Comics films, King was making appearances in projects based on his own works--and even some he had no creative involvement in. It all started with the 1981 George A. Romero movie Knightriders, in which he played the illustrious role of "Hoagie Man."

King's latest cameo comes in the form of an appearance in It Chapter 2, in which he plays the shopkeeper at an antique store. According to screenwriter Gary Dauberman, speaking during a press conference for the film, the role was written for King, even if they hadn't actually approached him about it. "I wrote it into the action line, you know, this guy, the shopkeeper and I said, 'seems to look a lot like Stephen King,'" he explained.

Interestingly enough, though, director Andy Muschietti claims King tried to talk him out of giving him the role. "I wanted him in the movie, so I offered him a cameo," the director recalled. "The first thing he said was, 'Well, you have to consider that I'm a jinx. Every movie that I'm in bombs.'" Still, King agreed in the end and took his place in the on-screen history of It.

Knowing how King sees his own history with movies, though, we've decided to take a look back. We've put together every single Stephen King cameo appearance from movies and TV. While there are some we should collectively forget--like his role in the TV miniseries version of the Shining--there are also some very interesting movies on his list of credits. Take a look at each of King's appearances below.