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.
Born: 17 December 1974
Played In
TV Show
Nov 2025
All's Fair
Carrington Lane
Movie
Aug 2025
Escape Room
TV Show
May 2025
Insider
Sig selv
Movie
Apr 2025
Garden State - The 20th Anniversary Concert
Self - Presenter
Movie
Sep 2024
Hold Your Breath
Margaret Bellum
TV Show
Feb 2024
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Therapist
TV Show
Jun 2022
The Bear
Cousin Michelle
Movie
Jun 2022
Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
Movie
Nov 2021
Madame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A
Self
Movie
Nov 2021
Adele One Night Only
Self
Movie
Nov 2020
Run
Mother / Diane
TV Show
Sep 2020
Ratched
Mildred Ratched
Movie
Sep 2020
Coastal Elites
Clarissa Montgomery
TV Show
Apr 2020
Mrs. America
Alice
Movie
Sep 2019
Abominable
Dr. Zara (voice)
Movie
Sep 2019
The Goldfinch
Xandra
TV Show
Sep 2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
Movie
Jan 2019
Glass
Dr. Ellie Staple
Movie
Dec 2018
Bird Box
Jessica
Movie
Sep 2018
Reimagining The Met Gala
Self
Movie
Sep 2018
Ocean's Team 3.0
Self
Movie
Jun 2018
Ocean's Eight
Tammy
Movie
Dec 2017
The Post
Tony Bradlee
Movie
Sep 2017
Rebel in the Rye
Dorothy Olding
TV Show
Mar 2017
FEUD
Geraldine Page
Movie
Oct 2016
Blue Jay
Amanda
TV Show
May 2016
Chelsea
Self
TV Show
Feb 2016
American Crime Story
Marcia Clark
TV Show
Feb 2016
American Crime Story
Linda Tripp
Movie
Nov 2015
Carol
Abby Gerhard
TV Show
Sep 2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
Movie
Aug 2015
The Runner
Kate Haber
TV Show
Aug 2015
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self
TV Show
Dec 2014
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self
TV Show
Feb 2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest
Movie
Feb 2014
#twitterkills
Sarah Pendersen
TV Show
Feb 2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self
TV Show
Feb 2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest
TV Show
Feb 2014
Off Camera with Sam Jones
Self
Movie
Oct 2013
12 Years a Slave
Mary Epps
Movie
Apr 2013
Mud
Mary Lee
Movie
Jan 2013
Fairhaven
Kate
Movie
Sep 2012
Stars in Shorts
Woman
Movie
Sep 2012
The Time Being
Sarah
TV Show
Jun 2012
Blue
Lavinia
Movie
Feb 2012
Game Change
Nicolle Wallace
Movie
Dec 2011
New Year's Eve
Grace Schwab
Movie
Oct 2011
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Lucy
TV Show
Oct 2011
American Horror Story
Lana Winters
TV Show
Oct 2011
American Horror Story
Cordelia Goode / Wilhemina Venable / Billie Dean Howard
TV Show
Oct 2011
American Horror Story
Billie Dean Howard
TV Show
Oct 2011
American Horror Story
Bette Tattler / Dot Tattler
TV Show
Oct 2011
American Horror Story
Sally McKenna / Billie Dean Howard
TV Show
Oct 2011
American Horror Story
Audrey Tindall / Lana Winters
TV Show
Oct 2011
American Horror Story
Ally Mayfair-Richards / Susan Atkins
TV Show
Oct 2011
American Horror Story
Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower
Movie
Jun 2011
After-School Special
Woman
Movie
Jun 2011
November Christmas
Beth Marks
TV Show
Nov 2010
Conan
Self - Guest
TV Show
Jul 2009
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
Movie
Mar 2009
Whose Dog Is It Anyway?
Emma
TV Show
Mar 2009
Cupid
Dr. Claire McCrae
Movie
Dec 2008
The Spirit
Ellen Dolan
Movie
Apr 2007
Diggers
Julie
TV Show
Feb 2007
The Graham Norton Show
Self
Movie
Dec 2006
A Christmas Wedding
Emily
TV Show
Sep 2006
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Harriet Hayes
Movie
Sep 2006
Griffin & Phoenix
Peri
Movie
Apr 2006
The Notorious Bettie Page
Bunny Yeager
Movie
Sep 2005
Serenity
Dr. Caron
TV Show
Mar 2005
Grey's Anatomy
Young Ellis Grey
Movie
Jan 2005
Swimmers
Merrill
TV Show
Jan 2005
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self
TV Show
Oct 2004
Desperate Housewives
Lydia Lindquist
TV Show
Mar 2004
Deadwood
Alice Isringhausen
TV Show
Mar 2004
The D.A.
Lisa Patterson
Movie
Oct 2003
Path to War
Luci Baines Johnson
TV Show
Sep 2003
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
TV Show
Jul 2003
Nip/Tuck
Agatha Ripp
Movie
May 2003
Down with Love
Vikki Hiller
TV Show
Jan 2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
Movie
Feb 2002
Bug
Eileen
TV Show
Feb 2002
Leap of Faith
Faith Wardwell
Movie
Dec 2000
What Women Want
Annie
Movie
Oct 1999
Held Up
Mary
TV Show
Sep 1999
Jack & Jill
Elisa Cronkite
TV Show
Sep 1999
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Anne Gillette
Movie
Feb 1999
The Other Sister
Heather Tate
TV Show
Jan 1999
Family Guy
Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)
Movie
Mar 1998
The Long Way Home
Leanne Bossert
Movie
Apr 1997
Levitation
Acey
Movie
Jun 1996
Shaughnessy: The Iron Marshal
TV Show
Sep 1995
American Gothic
Merlyn Temple
Movie
Apr 1995
Friends at Last
Diana - Age 21
TV Show
Feb 1995
The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA
Self
TV Show
Sep 1994
Touched by an Angel
Zoe
TV Show
Aug 1993
Late Show with David Letterman
Self - Guest
TV Show
Sep 1990
Law & Order
Maggie Conner
TV Show
Sep 1988
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
TV Show
Sep 1988
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest
TV Show
Sep 1981
Entertainment Tonight
Self
TV Show
Oct 1975
Saturday Night Live
Self - Cameo (uncredited)
TV Show
Jan 1949
The Emmy Awards
Self
TV Show
Jan 1944
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
Movie
I Am Sybil
Connie Wilbur
Movie
Clybourne Park
Movie
Talley's Folly
Sally Talley
Movie
Ethel
Movie
Mother Courage
Sandra Vale
TV Show
Pretty/Handsome
Corky Fromme