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.
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.
External links
Filmography (Movies)
Escape Room
Character:
Release Date:22/08/2025
Garden State - The 20th Anniversary Concert
Character:Self - Presenter
Release Date:06/04/2025
Hold Your Breath
Character:Margaret Bellum
Release Date:12/09/2024
Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
Character:
Release Date:09/06/2022
Madame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A
Character:Self
Release Date:18/11/2021
Adele One Night Only
Character:Self
Release Date:14/11/2021
Run
Character:Mother / Diane
Release Date:20/11/2020
Coastal Elites
Character:Clarissa Montgomery
Release Date:12/09/2020
Abominable
Character:Dr. Zara (voice)
Release Date:19/09/2019
The Goldfinch
Character:Xandra
Release Date:12/09/2019
Glass
Character:Dr. Ellie Staple
Release Date:16/01/2019
Bird Box
Character:Jessica
Release Date:13/12/2018
Reimagining The Met Gala
Character:Self
Release Date:11/09/2018
Ocean's Team 3.0
Character:Self
Release Date:11/09/2018
Ocean's Eight
Character:Tammy
Release Date:07/06/2018
The Post
Character:Tony Bradlee
Release Date:22/12/2017
Rebel in the Rye
Character:Dorothy Olding
Release Date:15/09/2017
Blue Jay
Character:Amanda
Release Date:07/10/2016
Carol
Character:Abby Gerhard
Release Date:20/11/2015
The Runner
Character:Kate Haber
Release Date:07/08/2015
#twitterkills
Character:Sarah Pendersen
Release Date:22/02/2014
12 Years a Slave
Character:Mary Epps
Release Date:18/10/2013
Mud
Character:Mary Lee
Release Date:26/04/2013
Fairhaven
Character:Kate
Release Date:11/01/2013
Stars in Shorts
Character:Woman
Release Date:28/09/2012
The Time Being
Character:Sarah
Release Date:11/09/2012
Game Change
Character:Nicolle Wallace
Release Date:28/02/2012
New Year's Eve
Character:Grace Schwab
Release Date:08/12/2011
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Character:Lucy
Release Date:21/10/2011
After-School Special
Character:Woman
Release Date:23/06/2011
November Christmas
Character:Beth Marks
Release Date:21/06/2011
Whose Dog Is It Anyway?
Character:Emma
Release Date:31/03/2009
The Spirit
Character:Ellen Dolan
Release Date:25/12/2008
Diggers
Character:Julie
Release Date:27/04/2007
A Christmas Wedding
Character:Emily
Release Date:11/12/2006
Griffin & Phoenix
Character:Peri
Release Date:12/09/2006
Serenity
Character:Dr. Caron
Release Date:25/09/2005
The Notorious Bettie Page
Character:Bunny Yeager
Release Date:14/09/2005
Swimmers
Character:Merrill
Release Date:22/01/2005
Path to War
Character:Luci Baines Johnson
Release Date:28/10/2003
Down with Love
Character:Vikki Hiller
Release Date:08/05/2003
Bug
Character:Eilleen
Release Date:28/02/2002
What Women Want
Character:Annie
Release Date:15/12/2000
Held Up
Character:Mary
Release Date:08/10/1999
The Other Sister
Character:Heather Tate
Release Date:26/02/1999
The Long Way Home
Character:Leanne Bossert
Release Date:01/03/1998
Levitation
Character:Acey
Release Date:01/04/1997
Shaughnessy: The Iron Marshal
Character:
Release Date:20/06/1996
Friends at Last
Character:Diana - Age 21
Release Date:02/04/1995
Television Appearances
All's Fair
Character:Carrington Lane
Insider
Character:Sig selv
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Character:Therapist
The Bear
Character:Cousin Michelle
Ratched
Character:Mildred Ratched
Mrs. America
Character:Alice
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Character:Self
FEUD
Character:Geraldine Page
Chelsea
Character:Self
American Crime Story
Character:Marcia Clark
American Crime Story
Character:Linda Tripp
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Character:Self
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Character:Self
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Character:Self
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Character:Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Character:Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Character:Self - Guest
Off Camera with Sam Jones
Character:Self
Blue
Character:Lavinia
American Horror Story
Character:Lana Winters
American Horror Story
Character:Cordelia Goode / Wilhemina Venable / Billie Dean Howard
American Horror Story
Character:Billie Dean Howard
American Horror Story
Character:Bette Tattler / Dot Tattler
American Horror Story
Character:Sally McKenna / Billie Dean Howard
American Horror Story
Character:Audrey Tindall / Lana Winters
American Horror Story
Character:Ally Mayfair-Richards / Susan Atkins
American Horror Story
Character:Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Character:Self - Guest
Cupid
Character:Dr. Claire McCrae
The Graham Norton Show
Character:Self
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Character:Harriet Hayes
Grey's Anatomy
Character:Young Ellis Grey
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Character:Self
Desperate Housewives
Character:Lydia Lindquist
Deadwood
Character:Alice Isringhausen
The D.A.
Character:Lisa Patterson
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Character:Self
Nip/Tuck
Character:Agatha Ripp
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Character:Self - Guest
Leap of Faith
Character:Faith Wardwell
Jack & Jill
Character:Elisa Cronkite
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Character:Anne Gillette
Family Guy
Character:Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)
American Gothic
Character:Merlyn Temple
Touched by an Angel
Character:Zoe
Law & Order
Character:Maggie Conner
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Character:
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Character:Self - Guest
Entertainment Tonight
Character:Self
Saturday Night Live
Character:Self - Cameo (uncredited)
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Presenter
The Emmy Awards
Character:Self
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Presenter
Images
