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.
2024
as Margaret Bellum
2024
as Therapist
2022
as Cousin Michelle
2022
2021
as Self
2021
as Self
2020
as Mother / Diane
2020
as Mildred Ratched
2020
as Clarissa Montgomery
2020
as Alice
2019
as Self - Contestant
2019
as Dr. Zara (voice)
2019
as Xandra
2019
as Dr. Ellie Staple
2018
as Jessica
2018
as Self
2018
as Self
2018
as Tammy
2018
as Self
2017
as Tony Bradlee
2017
as Dorothy Olding
2017
as Geraldine Page
2016
as Amanda
2016
as Marcia Clark
2016
as Linda Tripp
2015
as Abby Gerhard
2015
as Kate Haber
2014
as Sarah Pendersen
2013
as Mary Epps
2013
as Mary Lee
2013
as Kate
2012
as Woman
2012
as Sarah
2012
as Lavinia
2012
as Nicolle Wallace
2011
as Grace Schwab
2011
as Lucy
2011
as Lana Winters
2011
as Cordelia Goode / Wilhemina Venable / Billie Dean Howard
2011
as Billie Dean Howard
2011
as Bette Tattler / Dot Tattler
2011
as Sally McKenna / Billie Dean Howard
2011
as Audrey Tindall / Lana Winters
2011
as Ally Mayfair-Richards / Susan Atkins
2011
as Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower
2011
as Woman
2011
as Beth Marks
2009
as Emma
2009
as Dr. Claire McCrae
2008
as Ellen Dolan
2006
as Emily
2006
as Harriet Hayes
2006
as Peri
2006
as Julie
2005
as Dr. Caron
2005
as Bunny Yeager
2005
as Young Ellis Grey
2005
as Merrill
2004
as Lydia Lindquist
2004
as Alice Isringhausen
2004
as Lisa Patterson
2003
as Luci Baines Johnson
2003
as Agatha Ripp
2003
as Vikki Hiller
2002
as Eilleen
2002
as Faith Wardwell
2000
as Annie
1999
as Mary
1999
as Elisa Cronkite
1999
as Anne Gillette
1999
as Heather Tate
1999
as Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)
1998
as Leanne Bossert
1997
as Acey
1996
1995
as Merlyn Temple
1995
as Diana - Age 21
1994
as Zoe
1990
as Maggie Conner
as Connie Wilbur
as Sally Talley
as Cousin Michelle
as Corky Fromme