BIOGRAPHY AND PERSONALITY OF A FAMOUS VIRGO: STEPHEN KING

Writer. Born September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine. He graduated from his state university and continued to live in Maine, at first supporting himself with odd jobs while establishing his writing career. The success of his first horror novel, Carrie (1974), enabled him to publish earlier work under the pseudonym Richard Bachman (1977–84), a ploy which disguised the true extent of his prolific output of novels, short stories, and screenplays, until the ruse became public knowledge and he abandoned it.

His own name became synonymous with best-selling novels blending horror, fantasy, and science fiction into a consistently scary mix. His books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and include Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (1977), The Dead Zone (1979), Misery (1987), Gerald's Game (1992), and Cell (2006). He has also written collections of short stories, including Hearts in Atlantis (1999). Several were made into successful films, and he himself tried his hand at film directing.

King and his novelist wife live in Bangor, Maine. They have three children: Naomi Rachel, a reverend; Joseph Hillstrom, who writes under the pen name Joe Hill and is a lauded horror-fiction writer in his own right; and Owen Phillip, whose first collection of stories was published in 2005.