Sarah Paulson
Acting
Born: December 17, 1974 (age 51) · Tampa, Florida, USA
Highest Rated
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.
Known for
12 Years a Slave
2013
Grey's Anatomy
2005
Bird Box
2018
Glass
2019
Ocean's Eight
2018
American Horror Story
2011
Family Guy
1999
The Post
2017
What Women Want
2000
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
Carol
2015
Serenity
2005
Photos (13)
Movies (43)
Ocean's Eight
Tammy
Glass
Dr. Ellie Staple
Bird Box
Jessica
12 Years a Slave
Mary Epps
What Women Want
Annie
Serenity
Dr. Caron
Abominable
Dr. Zara (voice)
Carol
Abby Gerhard
Run
Mother / Diane
The Post
Tony Bradlee
The Goldfinch
Xandra
Mud
Mary Lee
New Year's Eve
Grace Schwab
Hold Your Breath
Margaret Bellum
The Spirit
Ellen Dolan
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Lucy
Down with Love
Vikki Hiller
The Notorious Bettie Page
Bunny Yeager
Path to War
Luci Baines Johnson
Game Change
Nicolle Wallace
Held Up
Mary
The Runner
Kate Haber
The Other Sister
Heather Tate
Rebel in the Rye
Dorothy Olding
Diggers
Julie
Griffin & Phoenix
Peri
Blue Jay
Amanda
November Christmas
Beth Marks
Escape Room
2025
Coastal Elites
Clarissa Montgomery
Levitation
Acey
#twitterkills
Sarah Pendersen
Swimmers
Merrill
Stars in Shorts
Woman
The Long Way Home
Leanne Bossert
The Time Being
Sarah
Bug
Eileen
Shaughnessy: The Iron Marshal
1996
Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
2022
A Christmas Wedding
Emily
Fairhaven
Kate
After-School Special
Woman
Friends at Last
Diana - Age 21
TV Shows (33)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Anne Gillette · 1 eps
Family Guy
Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice) · 1 eps
Law & Order
Maggie Conner · 1 eps
Grey's Anatomy
Young Ellis Grey · 1 eps
Desperate Housewives
Lydia Lindquist · 2 eps
American Horror Story
Lana Winters · 13 eps
American Horror Story
Cordelia Goode / Wilhemina Venable / Billie Dean Howard · 23 eps
American Horror Story
Billie Dean Howard · 4 eps
American Horror Story
Bette Tattler / Dot Tattler · 13 eps
American Horror Story
Sally McKenna / Billie Dean Howard · 12 eps
American Horror Story
Audrey Tindall / Lana Winters · 10 eps
American Horror Story
Ally Mayfair-Richards / Susan Atkins · 11 eps
American Horror Story
Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower · 10 eps
American Horror Story
Cordelia Goode · 13 eps
Nip/Tuck
Agatha Ripp · 1 eps
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1 eps
The Bear
Cousin Michelle · 2 eps
Touched by an Angel
Zoe · 1 eps
American Crime Story
Marcia Clark · 10 eps
American Crime Story
Linda Tripp · 10 eps
All's Fair
Carrington Lane · 9 eps
Jack & Jill
Elisa Cronkite · 32 eps
FEUD
Geraldine Page · 1 eps
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Harriet Hayes · 22 eps
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Therapist · 1 eps
Ratched
Mildred Ratched · 8 eps
Mrs. America
Alice · 9 eps
Blue
Lavinia · 2 eps
American Gothic
Merlyn Temple · 18 eps
Insider
Sig selv · 1 eps
Cupid
Dr. Claire McCrae · 7 eps
Leap of Faith
Faith Wardwell · 6 eps
The D.A.
Lisa Patterson · 4 eps
Self / Appearances (25)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest · 11 eps
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self · 3 eps
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest · 1 eps
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest · 3 eps
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self · 1 eps
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest · 5 eps
Late Show with David Letterman
Self - Guest · 1 eps
The Graham Norton Show
Self · 3 eps
Saturday Night Live
Self - Cameo (uncredited) · 1 eps
Conan
Self - Guest · 1 eps
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter · 1 eps
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest · 2 eps
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self · 1 eps
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest · 1 eps
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self · 2 eps
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self · 1 eps
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self · 2 eps
Chelsea
Self · 1 eps
Off Camera with Sam Jones
Self · 1 eps
The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA
Self · 1 eps
Entertainment Tonight
Self · 2 eps
The Emmy Awards
Self · 1 eps
Garden State - The 20th Anniversary Concert
Self - Presenter
Ocean's Team 3.0
Self
Madame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A
Self
Upcoming (5)
Directing (1)
Producing (7)
American Horror Story
Executive Producer
American Crime Story
Executive Producer
All's Fair
Executive Producer
Ratched
Executive Producer
Hold Your Breath
Executive Producer
The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin
Executive Producer
Baby Doe
Executive Producer