Sarah Paulson
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

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Grey's Anatomy

Law & Order

Family Guy

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Late Night with Seth Meyers
All Movies (54)
- Escape Room2025
- Garden State - The 20th Anniversary Concert2025 · as Self - Presenter
- Hold Your Breath2024 · as Margaret Bellum
- Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration2022
- Madame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A2021 · as Self
- Adele One Night Only2021 · as Self
- Run2020 · as Mother / Diane
- Coastal Elites2020 · as Clarissa Montgomery
- Abominable2019 · as Dr. Zara (voice)
- The Goldfinch2019 · as Xandra
- Glass2019 · as Dr. Ellie Staple
- Bird Box2018 · as Jessica
- Reimagining The Met Gala2018 · as Self
- Ocean's Team 3.02018 · as Self
- Ocean's Eight2018 · as Tammy
- The Post2017 · as Tony Bradlee
- Rebel in the Rye2017 · as Dorothy Olding
- Blue Jay2016 · as Amanda
- Carol2015 · as Abby Gerhard
- The Runner2015 · as Kate Haber
- #twitterkills2014 · as Sarah Pendersen
- 12 Years a Slave2013 · as Mary Epps
- Mud2013 · as Mary Lee
- Fairhaven2013 · as Kate
- Stars in Shorts2012 · as Woman
- The Time Being2012 · as Sarah
- Game Change2012 · as Nicolle Wallace
- New Year's Eve2011 · as Grace Schwab
- Martha Marcy May Marlene2011 · as Lucy
- After-School Special2011 · as Woman
- November Christmas2011 · as Beth Marks
- Whose Dog Is It Anyway?2009 · as Emma
- The Spirit2008 · as Ellen Dolan
- Diggers2007 · as Julie
- A Christmas Wedding2006 · as Emily
- Griffin & Phoenix2006 · as Peri
- The Notorious Bettie Page2006 · as Bunny Yeager
- Serenity2005 · as Dr. Caron
- Swimmers2005 · as Merrill
- Path to War2003 · as Luci Baines Johnson
- Down with Love2003 · as Vikki Hiller
- Bug2002 · as Eileen
- What Women Want2000 · as Annie
- Held Up1999 · as Mary
- The Other Sister1999 · as Heather Tate
- The Long Way Home1998 · as Leanne Bossert
- Levitation1997 · as Acey
- Shaughnessy: The Iron Marshal1996
- Friends at Last1995 · as Diana - Age 21
- I Am Sybil— · as Connie Wilbur
- Clybourne Park—
- Talley's Folly— · as Sally Talley
- Ethel—
- Mother Courage— · as Sandra Vale
All TV Shows (56)
- All's Fair2025 · as Carrington Lane
- Insider2025 · as Sig selv
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith2024 · as Therapist
- The Bear2022 · as Cousin Michelle
- Ratched2020 · as Mildred Ratched
- Mrs. America2020 · as Alice
- The Kelly Clarkson Show2019 · as Self
- FEUD2017 · as Geraldine Page
- Chelsea2016 · as Self
- American Crime Story2016 · as Marcia Clark
- American Crime Story2016 · as Linda Tripp
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self - Guest
- Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter2015 · as Self
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors2014 · as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers2014 · as Self - Guest
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self - Guest
- Off Camera with Sam Jones2014 · as Self
- Blue2012 · as Lavinia
- American Horror Story2011 · as Lana Winters
- American Horror Story2011 · as Cordelia Goode / Wilhemina Venable / Billie Dean Howard
- American Horror Story2011 · as Billie Dean Howard
- American Horror Story2011 · as Bette Tattler / Dot Tattler
- American Horror Story2011 · as Sally McKenna / Billie Dean Howard
- American Horror Story2011 · as Audrey Tindall / Lana Winters
- American Horror Story2011 · as Ally Mayfair-Richards / Susan Atkins
- American Horror Story2011 · as Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower
- Conan2010 · as Self - Guest
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen2009 · as Self - Guest
- Cupid2009 · as Dr. Claire McCrae
- The Graham Norton Show2007 · as Self
- Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip2006 · as Harriet Hayes
- Grey's Anatomy2005 · as Young Ellis Grey
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson2005 · as Self
- Desperate Housewives2004 · as Lydia Lindquist
- Deadwood2004 · as Alice Isringhausen
- The D.A.2004 · as Lisa Patterson
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show2003 · as Self
- Nip/Tuck2003 · as Agatha Ripp
- Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self - Guest
- Leap of Faith2002 · as Faith Wardwell
- Jack & Jill1999 · as Elisa Cronkite
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit1999 · as Anne Gillette
- Family Guy1999 · as Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)
- American Gothic1995 · as Merlyn Temple
- The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA1995 · as Self
- Touched by an Angel1994 · as Zoe
- Late Show with David Letterman1993 · as Self - Guest
- Law & Order1990 · as Maggie Conner
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark1988
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark1988 · as Self - Guest
- Entertainment Tonight1981 · as Self
- Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
- The Emmy Awards1949 · as Self
- Golden Globe Awards1944 · as Self - Presenter
- Pretty/Handsome— · as Corky Fromme