Alan Pangborn is one of Stephen Kings most notable characters, but only a few actors have portrayed him. Pangborn is the sheriff of Castle Rock, the fictional town in Maine that is the primary setting of many Stephen King books. Pangborn first appears in 1989s The Dark Half, followed by 1991s Needful Things. Pangborn has been also featured in the novella The Sun Dog, which was one of the stories in Kings anthology Four Past Midnight from 1990. While there is a mention of Pangborn by name in the 1998 book Bag of Bones, the character doesnt actually show up.