There really is no other writer quite like Stephen King. Having written around 60 books over the last 50 years, he's created some of the most memorable characters in all of literature, many of which have also become some of the most memorable film and TV characters in recent history.
While mostly known for his horror novels, as well as characters like Pennywise or Carrie White, King has also deviated from the genre with stories of science fiction as well as a few heartfelt dramas. The characters he creates within those specific stories usually tend to be more relatable and realistic, but which of them truly stand out as his best?
Big Jim Rennie - Under The Dome
King has created a lot of memorable and overall irredeemably despicable villains throughout his works, but Under The Dome's James "Big Jim" Rennie is certainly one of his most underrated. Much like Annie Wilkes or Margaret White, he's not driven by any supernatural abilities but acts purely out of his own arrogant madness, as well as his lust for power and control.
In the CBS television series adaptation, he's played by Dean Norris of Breaking Bad fame. At the beginning of the series, Norris initially shows a more kind and normal-minded side of Rennie, until he slowly drifts more and more into power-hungry insanity. The series definitely takes some creative liberties as to what eventually happens with him, but manages to make him just as unforgivably evil as he is in the book, even with his so-called "redemption."
Johnny Smith - The Dead Zone
The protagonist of The Dead Zone, Johnny Smith is a truly tortured soul. Waking up from a five-year coma, he becomes cursed with the ability to see the ultimate fate of someone by touching their hand. After shaking the hand of a corrupt politician, Smith is ultimately forced to take action to save the world that will ultimately cost him his life.
He's played by Anthony Michael Hall in one of better TV adaptations of King's works, but it's Christopher Walken in the 1983 film who delivers the most memorable in the role. Walken delivers the kind of eccentrically unhinged performance he's usually known for, but he brings out the more sympathetic aspects of Smith that makes the audience love him so much.
Gordie Lachance - Stand By Me
A young aspiring writer turned narrator of King's novella The Body (better known as the film, Stand By Me), Gordon Lachance is a member of a quartet of boys who venture into the woods to find a dead body. As his journey unfolds, confronting his inner struggles, his childhood innocence is replaced with a newly matured look at life and mortality.
Star Trek icon and Big Bang Theory villain Wil Wheaton plays Lachance in the film adaptation, while Richard Dreyfuss plays him as an adult. There's something remarkable about King's ability to write child characters, he clearly seems to understand the mindset and emotional fragility of children and how they react and approach certain situations, and Lachance perfectly reflects that.
Kermit William Hodges - Mr. Mercedes
Better known to his friends and colleagues as "Bill," Hodges is the protagonist of King's mystery thriller Mr. Mercedes, as well as the two sequels, Finders Keepers and End of Watch. A retired police detective bored with civilian life, he's suddenly thrust back into investigation mode as an unlicensed private investigator after receiving threatening messages from the infamous "Mercedes Killer" he originally failed at trying to catch.
Actor Brendan Gleeson brings the character to life in the Mr. Mercedes television series, and he manages to perfectly capture the essential traits of Hodges, including his physical appearance, he also adds a more cynical edge to him that makes him more interesting and fun to watch.
Roland Deschain - The Dark Tower
The main protagonist of King's 8-book Dark Tower series, Roland Deschain is a "gunslinger" and resident of Mid-World. Like many other classic protagonists of westerns, he's emotionally indifferent and detached, but also a true hero driven by honor and a sense of right.
While the 2017 film adaptation of The Dark Tower was negatively received, with King himself admitting how much he didn't like it either, Idris Elba's portrayal of the character received high praise from both critics and fans of the source material.
Holly Gibney - Mr. Mercedes and The Outsider
Before she became a major supporting character of The Outsider, and the main character of King's novella, If It Bleeds, Holly Gibney was the assistant and investigative partner of Bill Hodges in his trilogy of stories. A high-functioning autistic woman with OCD, she's socially awkward, but an extremely loyal friend and gifted investigator.
King has said that Gibney is one of his favorite characters to write about, and it's difficult to blame him for feeling that way about her. He does a great job to make her rather charming and engaging. She's played by Justine Lupe in the Mr. Mercedes TV series, and by Cynthia Erivo in the HBO adaptation of The Outsider.
Dolores Claiborne - Dolores Claiborne
The titular character of King's novel about a woman attempting to clear her name of a false murder accusation, Dolores Claiborne is a character who, despite her flaws, is strong and resilient. She's willing to do even the worst things if she believes it will lead to a more positive development (such as killing her own husband).
The film adaptation from 1995 takes a few liberties, focusing heavily on the strained relationship between Claiborne and her daughter, but Kathy Bates does a phenomenal job in her portrayal. It's quite a far cry from one of King's scariest human characters that she played five years prior, but it's a welcome change of pace that shows off her range.
John Coffey - The Green Mile
One of the most easily lovable characters King has ever written, John Coffey of The Green Mile is a mountain of a man who's falsely accused of child murder, but also possesses a supernatural healing ability. The character has such a childlike innocence and behavior, it's impossible to see him as the monster he's accused of being.
It's easy to see why Michael Clarke Duncan received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination or his portrayal of Coffey in the film adaptation from 1999. Not since Duncan's unforgettable performance has the silver screen been graced by a larger and more lovable teddy bear of a human being.
Red - The Shawshank Redemption
Another one of King's most likable characters, Ellis "Red" Redding is a prisoner in The Shawshank Redemption with a big heart and soft-spoken demeanor. Throughout the course of Andy Dufresne's 18 years in prison, the contraband dealing convict forms a friendship with the falsely convicted man that ends up redefining each other's character.
In one of his most famous performances, Morgan Freeman portrays Red in Frank Darabont's film version, widely regarded as one of the greatest Stephen King adaptations. The on-screen chemistry between him and Tim Robbins' Andy is one for the ages, and it's partly thanks to this, along with Freeman's iconic monologues, that the film has become the classic that it now is.
Jake Epping - 11.22.63
Perhaps the biggest thing that makes Jake Epping of 11.22.63 such an engaging protagonist is just how easily relatable he is. He's just a normal man with a normal life who willingly steps into a high-stakes situation: time traveling to the 1960s to stop President Kennedy's assassination.
In the 2016 mini-series based upon the novel, he's played by James Franco who perfectly captures Epping's character as an everyman desperate to escape his ordinary existence, do something extraordinary and make a heroic difference. Franco's performance makes it easy for the viewer to imagine themselves in his shoes, root for him, and want to follow him through his adventure, regardless of the outcome.