Paul Edgecomb

Paul Edgecomb is a hero of the Stephen King book and 1999 movie, The Green Mile.

He was played by Tom Hanks.

In the 1990s, Edgecomb is living at a Louisana nursing home and shares his past with his friend, Elaine. When he was 44, he was a guard, who worked at Cold Mountain Penitentary and met John Coffey. Coffey healed his bladder infection, brought Del's mouse back to life, and even investigates John Coffey. He is along with the rest of the good characters not very fond of Percy Wetmore, guard and villain, and he and the rest of the heroes have trouble with William Wharton, criminal and villain, as well. Edgecomb finally finds his back bone when he punishes Wetmore later in the story.

He and the other heroes take Coffey to the Moores residence, where Coffey heals and takes away Melinda, warden's wife and heroine, cancer infection. In the movie, Coffey shows Edgecomb what Wharton did and that Coffey was indeed wrongly accused and convicted of the crime he was sent to deathrow for. In the book, Coffey never did show Edgecomb what happened but through Edgecomb's investigation if you like with John Coffey he puts it all together that Coffey is innocent. Desparately Edgecomb asks John what he wants him to do and offers him an option of escaping. But Coffey turns Edgecomb's offer down and says he's ready to die and be free of the endless pain and suffering of the world we live in and instead asks if he can watch a movie, which he does.

When Coffey touches Edgecomb, he extended his life beyond his friends and family. Edgecomb explains that after Coffey's execution, he and Brutal, guard and hero, quit their jobs at Cold Mountain and transfer to a youth detention center. Mr. Jingles, mouse and hero, has his life extended too and Edgecomb and Elaine visit him. Even though Edgecomb thinks that his living a really long time is a curse he thinks that meeting Coffey is a blessing.