Sarah Paulson

Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress. She began her acting career in New York City stage productions before starring in the short-lived television series American Gothic (1995–1996) and Jack & Jill (1999–2001). She later appeared in comedy films such as What Women Want (2000) and Down with Love (2003), and drama films such as Path to War (2002) and The Notorious Bettie Page (2005). From 2006 to 2007, she starred as Harriet Hayes in the NBC comedy-drama series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, for which she received her first Golden Globe Award nomination. In 2008, she starred as Ellen Dolan in the superhero noir film The Spirit. Paulson has appeared on Broadway in the plays The Glass Menagerie in 2005 and Collected Stories in 2010. She also starred in a number of independent films and had a leading role in the ABC comedy series Cupid (2009). She later starred in the independent drama film Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) and received Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her portrayal of Nicolle Wallace in the HBO film Game Change (2012). She was featured as Mary Epps in the 2013 historical drama film 12 Years a Slave, as Abby Gerhard in the 2015 romantic drama film Carol, and as Toni Bradlee in the 2017 political drama film The Post, all of which were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Her other films include Serenity (2005), New Year's Eve (2011), Mud (2012), Blue Jay (2016), Ocean's 8 (2018), Bird Box (2018), Glass (2019), and Run (2020). In 2011, Paulson began starring in the FX anthology series American Horror Story, playing different characters in many of the show's 10 seasons. For her performances in the series, she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won two Critics' Choice Television Awards. In 2016, she portrayed real-life prosecutor Marcia Clark in the first season of the anthology series American Crime Story, subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson, for which she garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including the Primetime Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award. In 2020, Paulson appeared in the FX limited series Mrs. America, and began starring as Nurse Mildred Ratched in the Netflix psychological thriller series Ratched. In 2021, she returned to American Crime Story to portray Linda Tripp in the third season of the show, subtitled Impeachment.

Cast

Down with Love

(Vikki Hiller)

What Women Want

(Annie)

The Spirit

(Ellen Dolan)

Bug

(Eilleen)

Adele One Night Only

(Self)

A Christmas Wedding

(Emily)

The Notorious Bettie Page

(Bunny Yeager)

Madame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A

(Self)

Shaughnessy: The Iron Marshal

Serenity

(Dr. Caron)

Diggers

(Julie)

The Other Sister

(Heather Tate)

Martha Marcy May Marlene

(Lucy)

Held Up

(Mary)

November Christmas

(Beth Marks)

I Am Sybil

(Connie Wilbur)

12 Years a Slave

(Mary Epps)

Mud

(Mary Lee)

Fairhaven

(Kate)

The Long Way Home

(Leanne Bossert)

Stars In Shorts

(Woman)

Clybourne Park

Levitation

(Acey)

Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration

After-School Special

(Woman)

Carol

(Abby Gerhard)

The Runner

(Kate Haber)

Hold Your Breath

(Margaret Bellum)

Talley's Folly

(Sally Talley)

Reimagining The Met Gala

(Self)

Ocean's Team 3.0

(Self)

Griffin & Phoenix

(Peri)

Ethel

#twitterkills

(Sarah Pendersen)

Game Change

(Nicolle Wallace)

Rebel in the Rye

(Dorothy Olding)

Blue Jay

(Amanda)

Path to War

(Luci Baines Johnson)

Ocean's Eight

(Tammy)

New Year's Eve

(Grace Schwab)

Swimmers

(Merrill)

Whose Dog Is It Anyway?

(Emma)

Friends at Last

(Diana - Age 21)

The Post

(Tony Bradlee)

Glass

(Dr. Ellie Staple)

Bird Box

(Jessica)

The Goldfinch

(Xandra)

Abominable

(Dr. Zara (voice))

Run

(Mother / Diane)

Coastal Elites

(Clarissa Montgomery)

The Time Being

(Sarah)

The Bear: Fishes

(Cousin Michelle)

Deadwood

(Alice Isringhausen)

American Gothic

(Merlyn Temple)

American Horror Story

(Lana Winters)

Jack & Jill

(Elisa Cronkite)

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

(Harriet Hayes)

Nip/Tuck

(Agatha Ripp)

Cupid

(Dr. Claire McCrae)

Leap of Faith

(Faith Wardwell)

The D.A.

(Lisa Patterson)

American Horror Story

(Cordelia Goode / Wilhemina Venable / Billie Dean Howard)

American Horror Story

(Billie Dean Howard)

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

(Self)

American Horror Story

(Bette Tattler / Dot Tattler)

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

American Horror Story

(Sally McKenna / Billie Dean Howard)

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

(Self - Guest)

American Crime Story

(Marcia Clark)

Late Night with Seth Meyers

(Self)

The Bear

(Cousin Michelle)

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

(Self)

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

(Self)

Chelsea

(Self)

American Horror Story

(Audrey Tindall / Lana Winters)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

(Anne Gillette)

American Horror Story

(Ally Mayfair-Richards / Susan Atkins)

Blue

(Lavinia)

Pretty/Handsome

(Corky Fromme)

Law & Order

(Maggie Conner)

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

(Self)

The Graham Norton Show

(Self)

Ratched

(Mildred Ratched)

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

(Self - Guest)

FEUD

(Geraldine Page)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

(Therapist)

Mrs. America

(Alice)

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

(Self)

Entertainment Tonight

(Self)

American Crime Story

(Linda Tripp)

Saturday Night Live

(Self - Cameo (uncredited))

American Horror Story

(Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower)

Family Guy

(Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice))

Grey's Anatomy

(Young Ellis Grey)

Off Camera with Sam Jones

(Self)

Touched by an Angel

(Zoe)

All's Fair

Desperate Housewives

(Lydia Lindquist)

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

I'm a LA... Get Me Out of Here!

(Self - Contestant)

Lie Detector

(Self)