Stephen King has had a Midas Touch since he published his first novel, Carrie, in 1974. Most of his books have not only topped the New York Times bestseller list but have also been adapted into movies and TV shows. He is now second-highest among the authors with the most adaptations, ranking only behind the legendary William Shakespeare.

Throughout his career, King has left a trail of imaginary gore and chills in his wake, earning himself the title “The King of Horror.” Additionally, he has experimented with genres like fantasy, crime, science fiction, and mystery, resulting in equally gripping works like The Shawshank Redemption, 11/22/63, and The Green Mile.

Apart from being an author, King has proven to be a great consumer of film and television, and as such, has made cameos in several movies and TV shows, not all of which were adapted from his work. In fact, we’re here to argue that his best cameo isn’t even in a horror movie or show; it’s as a “professional cleaner” named Bachman in the popular crime drama Sons of Anarchy.

A History of Stephen King’s Cameos

The celebrated author’s first cameo was in George A. Romero’s Knightriders, a movie about biker gang members who make a living by jousting at medieval fairs and selling their unique wares. In it, he played Hoagie Man, a mysterious man seen munching a hoagie rather bizarrely.

His great working relationship with Romero earned him another cameo in the director’s horror anthology film Creepshow, for which King served as the screenwriter. There, he portrayed Jordy Verrill, a hick farmer who got attacked by alien grass.

In Jessie Horsting’s book Stephen King at the Movies, the author described acting as an easy job for him.

“It’s not particularly strange. I had done some college plays so I’m not a total stranger to standing up and pretending to be something I’m not.”

In the following years, King popped up in numerous other screen productions. Pet Sematary, Sleepwalkers, Golden Years, The Stand, Thinner, The Langoliers, The Shining miniseries, Rose Red, Storm of the Century, Kingdom Hospital, Mr. Mercedes, Under the Dome, and It: Chapter Two, are some of the adaptations that he played a part in.

Away from the productions based on his work, he appeared in The Simpsons, Fever Pitch, and Frasier, yet Sons of Anarchy stands out among all his television cameos.

Who Does Stephen King Play in Sons of Anarchy?

Sons of Anarchy’s events revolve around members of SAMCRO, a motorcycle club based in the fictional town of Charming — a dowdy, grubby place where the privations of violence are felt acutely.

The bikers engage in all kinds of illegal activities and often find themselves in feuds with rival gangs. At the center of the events is Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), a new-generation gangster who hopes to steer the club into more legitimate parts as per the wishes of his late too-good-to-be-a-gangster father.

Unfortunately for Jax, the path to righteousness proves hard due to the organization’s strong ties to the underworld and the presence of sinister members who’d rather shoot than talk.

King appears in the season 3 episode “Caregiver” as Bachman, a “professional cleaner” from Crescent City. Reputed for getting rid of bodies quickly, he gets hired to take care of a dead caregiver who had accidentally stabbed herself during a scuffle with Jax’s mother, Gemma.

King’s Sons of Anarchy Cameo Wasn’t Unexpected
King’s cameo in Sons of Anarchy wasn’t a huge surprise. After all, the author’s appearance in Knightriders already confirmed that he loved biker culture. But how did it all happen?

On his website, he explains that he was a fan of the show first, then the stars simply aligned for a cameo to happen. The actor was in Los Angeles, where the show’s filming took place, to accept a literary award. There, he met creator Kurt Sutter, who assured him that he had a part suitable for a horror legend. King confesses that he was excited about the opportunity because it broke a trend.

Most of his previous cameos had involved him playing country characters. In addition to that, Sutter informed him that he would get to ride a Harley, and that right there made the pitch complete.

Great Characterization, Coupled with King’s Wonderful Time on Set, Makes This His Best Cameo

There is a general air of creativity surrounding Stephen King’s Sons of Anarchy character. First, the cleaner’s name is inspired by the icon’s darker nom de plume, Richard Bachman. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the industrious King wrote several horror books under the pen name, because there was a general assumption among publishers that authors should stick to one book per year.

On top of that, the author wanted to know whether his post-Carrie success was because of his talent or because he had already created a big name for himself. Unfortunately, he was exposed as Bachman too early to find out. Naming King’s character Bachman in the crime series was, therefore, a nice little wink to his hardcore fans.

Second, Bachman is not only different from other characters Stephen King has played, but he also stands out from other fictional cleaners. There is little to be excited about when King appears in Rose Red. He only shows up to deliver pizza. Or Thinner, where he only hands over medicine. For years, the majority of his cameos have been Hitchcockian, letting audiences know who created it all but not giving the character much to do.

In Sons of Anarchy, he perfectly telegraphs his maturation from a five-second-man to a five-minute-man in a performance that relies as much on words as the confidence with which he undertakes actions.

Bachman makes a grand entry on a bike, creating an aura that is often missing in the author’s other screen characters. The unadorned yet wheezing scene mesmerizes with a riveting sense of immediacy.

After that, he flaunts his arithmetic skills, something rarely seen in other fictional cleaners. He measures every body part with a tape and feels the temperature. Next, he notes every detail in a notebook and provides a list of things he will need.

While negotiating, Bachman proves kinder and more reasonable than his counterparts. Instead of going with a “take it or leave it” bully mentality, he agrees to take $1600 out of the agreed $3000 payment. For the balance, he picks up various valuables around the house, notably a golden pair of praying hands that the victim had been struck with (Nice way to get rid of evidence).

Bachman comes with great quotes too, something other Stephen King characters aren’t known for. When Gemma later asks where the caregiver is, the cleaner responds perfectly.

“Where’s who?”

Job done!

King Had a Great Time and Got to Act With Past Collaborators
Characterization aside, King has never spoken as glowingly about his time on set as he did after his experience on the FX show. During an interview with Tudum, he confessed that he had a blast.

“My finest moment was doing a cameo in
Sons of Anarchy,
and I got to ride a motorcycle.”

The experience was also special because the author worked with many people he was familiar with. Ron Perlman had acted in two of the author’s adaptations (Sleepwalkers and the TV version of Desperation) while director Billy Gierhart had worked on The Mist.

On his website, the author also praised the toys:

The bike was just short of awesome: a bright red Harley-Davidson Road-Glide. A little tricked-out for my taste, and if I’d dropped it I never would have been able to pick it up, but I would have been glad to take it home (sadly, no deal). All black clothes, bright red sled—can’t do much better than that.

It sure seems like King had a blast. Here is hoping he’ll make more cameos in other crime dramas in the future.

Sons of Anarchy
is available to stream on Hulu