Acting · Tampa, Florida, USA · Born December 17, 1974
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.
TVAll's Fair
2025
as Carrington Lane
MovieEscape Room
2025
TVInsider
2025
as Sig selv
MovieGarden State - The 20th Anniversary Concert
2025
as Self - Presenter
MovieHold Your Breath
2024
as Margaret Bellum
TVMr. & Mrs. Smith
2024
as Therapist
TVThe Bear
2022
as Cousin Michelle
MovieStand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
2022
MovieMadame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A
2021
as Self
MovieAdele One Night Only
2021
as Self
MovieRun
2020
as Mother / Diane
TVRatched
2020
as Mildred Ratched
MovieCoastal Elites
2020
as Clarissa Montgomery
TVMrs. America
2020
as Alice
MovieAbominable
2019
as Dr. Zara (voice)
MovieThe Goldfinch
2019
as Xandra
TVThe Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self
MovieGlass
2019
as Dr. Ellie Staple
MovieBird Box
2018
as Jessica
Reimagining The Met Gala
2018
as Self
MovieOcean's Team 3.0
2018
as Self
MovieOcean's Eight
2018
as Tammy
MovieThe Post
2017
as Tony Bradlee
MovieRebel in the Rye
2017
as Dorothy Olding
TVFEUD
2017
as Geraldine Page
MovieBlue Jay
2016
as Amanda
TVChelsea
2016
as Self
TVAmerican Crime Story
2016
as Marcia Clark
MovieCarol
2015
as Abby Gerhard
TVThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self - Guest
MovieThe Runner
2015
as Kate Haber
TVClose Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
as Self
TVVariety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
as Self
TVLate Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self - Guest
Movie#twitterkills
2014
as Sarah Pendersen
TVThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
as Self
TVOff Camera with Sam Jones
2014
as Self
Movie12 Years a Slave
2013
as Mary Epps
MovieMud
2013
as Mary Lee
MovieFairhaven
2013
as Kate
MovieStars in Shorts
2012
as Woman
MovieThe Time Being
2012
as Sarah
TVBlue
2012
as Lavinia
MovieGame Change
2012
as Nicolle Wallace
MovieNew Year's Eve
2011
as Grace Schwab
MovieMartha Marcy May Marlene
2011
as Lucy
TVAmerican Horror Story
2011
as Lana Winters
MovieAfter-School Special
2011
as Woman
MovieNovember Christmas
2011
as Beth Marks
TVConan
2010
as Self - Guest
TVWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
Whose Dog Is It Anyway?
2009
as Emma
TVCupid
2009
as Dr. Claire McCrae
MovieThe Spirit
2008
as Ellen Dolan
MovieDiggers
2007
as Julie
TVThe Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
MovieA Christmas Wedding
2006
as Emily
TVStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip
2006
as Harriet Hayes
MovieGriffin & Phoenix
2006
as Peri
MovieThe Notorious Bettie Page
2006
as Bunny Yeager
MovieSerenity
2005
as Dr. Caron
TVGrey's Anatomy
2005
as Young Ellis Grey
MovieSwimmers
2005
as Merrill
TVThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005
as Self
TVDesperate Housewives
2004
as Lydia Lindquist
TVDeadwood
2004
as Alice Isringhausen
TVThe D.A.
2004
as Lisa Patterson
MoviePath to War
2003
as Luci Baines Johnson
TVThe Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self
TVNip/Tuck
2003
as Agatha Ripp
MovieDown with Love
2003
as Vikki Hiller
TVJimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self - Guest
MovieBug
2002
as Eileen
TVLeap of Faith
2002
as Faith Wardwell
MovieWhat Women Want
2000
as Annie
MovieHeld Up
1999
as Mary
TVJack & Jill
1999
as Elisa Cronkite
TVLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Anne Gillette
MovieThe Other Sister
1999
as Heather Tate
TVFamily Guy
1999
as Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)
MovieThe Long Way Home
1998
as Leanne Bossert
MovieLevitation
1997
as Acey
MovieShaughnessy: The Iron Marshal
1996
TVAmerican Gothic
1995
as Merlyn Temple
MovieFriends at Last
1995
as Diana - Age 21
TVThe Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA
1995
as Self
TVTouched by an Angel
1994
as Zoe
TVLate Show with David Letterman
1993
as Self - Guest
TVLaw & Order
1990
as Maggie Conner
TVLIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
TVEntertainment Tonight
1981
as Self
TVSaturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
TVThe Emmy Awards
1949
as Self
TVGolden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Presenter
MovieI Am Sybil
as Connie Wilbur
Clybourne Park
MovieTalley's Folly
as Sally Talley
Ethel
Mother Courage
as Sandra Vale
TVPretty/Handsome
as Corky Fromme
