Sarah Paulson
Born: 1974-12-17 in Tampa, Florida, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
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.
Filmography
2025
- All's Fair as Carrington Lane
- Escape Room
- Baby Doe ... (Executive Producer)
- Insider as Sig selv
- Garden State - The 20th Anniversary Concert as Self - Presenter
2024
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith as Therapist
- Hold Your Breath as Margaret Bellum
2022
- The Bear as Cousin Michelle
- Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
2021
- Adele One Night Only as Self
- Madame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A as Self
- The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin ... (Executive Producer)
2020
- Run as Mother / Diane
- Ratched as Mildred Ratched
- Mrs. America as Alice
- Coastal Elites as Clarissa Montgomery
2019
- The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
- Abominable as Dr. Zara (voice)
- Glass as Dr. Ellie Staple
- The Goldfinch as Xandra
2018
- Ocean's Eight as Tammy
- Bird Box as Jessica
- Lie Detector as Self
- Ocean's Team 3.0 as Self
- Reimagining The Met Gala as Self
2017
- FEUD as Geraldine Page
- The Post as Tony Bradlee
- Rebel in the Rye as Dorothy Olding
2016
- American Crime Story as Marcia Clark
- Chelsea as Self
- Blue Jay as Amanda
2015
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- Carol as Abby Gerhard
- Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- The Runner as Kate Haber
2014
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
- #twitterkills as Sarah Pendersen
2013
- 12 Years a Slave as Mary Epps
- Mud as Mary Lee
- Fairhaven as Kate
2012
- Game Change as Nicolle Wallace
- Blue as Lavinia
- The Time Being as Sarah
- Stars In Shorts as Woman
2011
- American Horror Story as Lana Winters
- New Year's Eve as Grace Schwab
- November Christmas as Beth Marks
- Martha Marcy May Marlene as Lucy
- After-School Special as Woman
2009
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
- Cupid as Dr. Claire McCrae
- Whose Dog Is It Anyway? as Emma
2008
- The Spirit as Ellen Dolan
2007
- The Graham Norton Show as Self
- Diggers as Julie
2006
- Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip as Harriet Hayes
- Griffin & Phoenix as Peri
- A Christmas Wedding as Emily
2005
- Grey's Anatomy as Young Ellis Grey
- Serenity as Dr. Caron
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- The Notorious Bettie Page as Bunny Yeager
- Swimmers as Merrill
2004
- Desperate Housewives as Lydia Lindquist
- Deadwood as Alice Isringhausen
- The D.A. as Lisa Patterson
2003
- Nip/Tuck as Agatha Ripp
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- Path to War as Luci Baines Johnson
- Down with Love as Vikki Hiller
2002
- Bug as Eilleen
- Leap of Faith as Faith Wardwell
2000
- What Women Want as Annie
1999
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Anne Gillette
- Family Guy as Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)
- Held Up as Mary
- Jack & Jill as Elisa Cronkite
- The Other Sister as Heather Tate
1998
- The Long Way Home as Leanne Bossert
1997
- Levitation as Acey
1995
- American Gothic as Merlyn Temple
- Friends at Last as Diana - Age 21
1994
- Touched by an Angel as Zoe
1990
- Law & Order as Maggie Conner
1981
- Entertainment Tonight as Self
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1956
- Tony Awards as Self - Presenter
1949
- The Emmy Awards as Self
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter