King Stefan

King Stefan is a supporting character in Disney's 1959 animated feature film, Sleeping Beauty. He is the husband of Queen Leah, the father of Queen Aurora, and the grandfather of Princess Audrey.

Sleeping Beauty
In the original film, Stefan is portrayed as a suave figure, loving father, and a more forceful side of the kingdom's monarchy consisting of himself and his wife, Leah. When confronted by Maleficent, he remained mostly silent but maintained a stern and fairly intimidating expression. Aside from that scene, Stefan is mostly seen as a soft-spoken man; specifically during his scenes with the more boastful and jolly King Hubert, Stefan's closest friend.

Sleeping Beauty
King Stefan and Queen Leah are the monarchs of a Kingdom. He is overjoyed when his wife gives birth to a baby girl whom they name Aurora. The whole kingdom was invited by Stefan to celebrate her birth, including King Hubert, his son Prince Phillip, and the Three Good Fairies. But his and his queen's happiness is short-lived, as the evil fairy Maleficent, the only person not invited to Aurora's celebration, enters his castle and curses the baby. She then prophecies that on Aurora's sixteenth birthday, she will die from pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. After she leaves, one of the Three Good Fairies, Merryweather, weakens the curse so their daughter will sleep instead of dying. The King and Queen make the hardest decision of their lives: their daughter must be raised by the Three Good Fairies away in the forest in order to protect her. King Stefan ordered all spinning wheels in the kingdom to be burned in an attempt to prevent the curse from happening. The narrator reveals that sixteen sad and lonely years passed for Stefan and his dear queen.

Sixteen years later, he is waiting for his now teenage daughter's return to the Castle. While in the dining room drinking, he and Hubert quarrel over their children until Hubert mistakenly grabs a fish instead of his sword and they burst out laughing. When Aurora pricks her finger on the spindle, the Good Fairies put everyone in the Kingdom to sleep. When Maleficent is defeated by Prince Phillip, he awakens and finally meets his daughter.

Trivia

 * Though King Stefan and Queen Leah don't appear in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the thrones on which they sit are present in the hall of the castle where Terra faces the Wheel Master Unversed.
 * King Stefan is the first Disney King to not have gray hair.
 * Hans Conried, the live model reference for King Stefan, was considered to voice him until this voice role went to Taylor Holmes for his last film.
 * In Descendants, it is hinted he is probably deceased. On family day, he isn't seen visiting his only grandchild while his wife, son-in-law, and daughter do attend. He also isn't seen with the rest of the Auroria royal family at the Coronation Hall when their new King is coronated. As a former King of Auroria, he is obliged to attend.