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Sarah Paulson

Sarah Paulson

Known For Acting
Birthday Dec 17, 1974 (50)
Birthplace Tampa, Florida, USA
Popularity 3 (history)
Updated Oct 09, 2025
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
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.

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Filmography

Hold Your Breath

Hold Your Breath

2024

as Margaret Bellum

Run

Run

2020

as Mother / Diane

Coastal Elites

Coastal Elites

2020

as Clarissa Montgomery

Glass

Glass

2019

as Dr. Ellie Staple

Abominable

Abominable

2019

as Dr. Zara (voice)

The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch

2019

as Xandra

Bird Box

Bird Box

2018

as Jessica

Ocean's Eight

Ocean's Eight

2018

as Tammy

The Post

The Post

2017

as Tony Bradlee

Rebel in the Rye

Rebel in the Rye

2017

as Dorothy Olding

Blue Jay

Blue Jay

2016

as Amanda

The Runner

The Runner

2015

as Kate Haber

Carol

Carol

2015

as Abby Gerhard

#twitterkills

#twitterkills

2014

as Sarah Pendersen

Fairhaven

Fairhaven

2013

as Kate

12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave

2013

as Mary Epps

Mud

Mud

2013

as Mary Lee

The Time Being

The Time Being

2012

as Sarah

Stars In Shorts

Stars In Shorts

2012

as Woman

Game Change

Game Change

2012

as Nicolle Wallace

After-School Special

After-School Special

2011

as Woman

November Christmas

November Christmas

2011

as Beth Marks

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

2011

as Grace Schwab

The Spirit

The Spirit

2008

as Ellen Dolan

A Christmas Wedding

A Christmas Wedding

2006

as Emily

Griffin & Phoenix

Griffin & Phoenix

2006

as Peri

Diggers

Diggers

2006

as Julie

The Notorious Bettie Page

The Notorious Bettie Page

2005

as Bunny Yeager

Swimmers

Swimmers

2005

as Merrill

Serenity

Serenity

2005

as Dr. Caron

Down with Love

Down with Love

2003

as Vikki Hiller

Path to War

Path to War

2003

as Luci Baines Johnson

Bug

Bug

2002

as Eilleen

What Women Want

What Women Want

2000

as Annie

The Other Sister

The Other Sister

1999

as Heather Tate

Held Up

Held Up

1999

as Mary

The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home

1998

as Leanne Bossert

Levitation

Levitation

1997

as Acey

Friends at Last

Friends at Last

1995

as Diana - Age 21

No data available

No data available

Hold Your Breath

Hold Your Breath

2024

Executive Producer

Organization Category Movie
BAFTA Awards Best Supporting Actress 12 Years a Slave Won
Venice Film Festival Best Supporting Actress Thomas & Friends: Thomas' Christmas Carol Nominated
Television Credits

Jack & Jill

as Elisa Cronkite

Episodes: 32

First Aired: Sep 26, 1999

American Horror Story

as Cordelia Goode / Wilhemina Venable / Billie Dean Howard

Episodes: 23

First Aired: Oct 05, 2011

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

as Harriet Hayes

Episodes: 22

First Aired: Sep 18, 2006

American Gothic

as Merlyn Temple

Episodes: 18

First Aired: Sep 22, 1995

American Horror Story

as Lana Winters

Episodes: 13

First Aired: Oct 05, 2011

American Horror Story

as Bette Tattler / Dot Tattler

Episodes: 13

First Aired: Oct 05, 2011

Deadwood

as Alice Isringhausen

Episodes: 12

First Aired: Mar 21, 2004

American Horror Story

as Sally McKenna / Billie Dean Howard

Episodes: 12

First Aired: Oct 05, 2011

American Horror Story

as Ally Mayfair-Richards / Susan Atkins

Episodes: 11

First Aired: Oct 05, 2011

American Crime Story

as Marcia Clark

Episodes: 10

First Aired: Feb 02, 2016

American Horror Story

as Audrey Tindall / Lana Winters

Episodes: 10

First Aired: Oct 05, 2011

American Crime Story

as Linda Tripp

Episodes: 10

First Aired: Feb 02, 2016

American Horror Story

as Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower

Episodes: 10

First Aired: Oct 05, 2011

Mrs. America

as Alice

Episodes: 9

First Aired: Apr 15, 2020

Ratched

as Mildred Ratched

Episodes: 8

First Aired: Sep 18, 2020

Cupid

as Dr. Claire McCrae

Episodes: 7

First Aired: Mar 24, 2009

Leap of Faith

as Faith Wardwell

Episodes: 6

First Aired: Feb 28, 2002

The D.A.

as Lisa Patterson

Episodes: 4

First Aired: Mar 19, 2004

American Horror Story

as Billie Dean Howard

Episodes: 4

First Aired: Oct 05, 2011

Blue

as Lavinia

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Jun 11, 2012

Nip/Tuck

as Agatha Ripp

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jul 22, 2003

The Bear

as Cousin Michelle

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jun 23, 2022

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

as Anne Gillette

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 1999

Pretty/Handsome

as Corky Fromme

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Unknown

Law & Order

as Maggie Conner

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1990

FEUD

as Geraldine Page

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 05, 2017

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

as Therapist

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Feb 01, 2024

Family Guy

as Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 31, 1999

Grey's Anatomy

as Young Ellis Grey

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 27, 2005

Touched by an Angel

as Zoe

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 21, 1994

Desperate Housewives

as Lydia Lindquist

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 03, 2004

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

as Self - Guest

Episodes: 10

First Aired: Jul 16, 2009

Late Night with Seth Meyers

as Self

Episodes: 5

First Aired: Feb 25, 2014

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

as Self

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Sep 08, 2015

The Graham Norton Show

as Self

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Feb 22, 2007

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

as Self

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Feb 17, 2014

Entertainment Tonight

as Self

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Sep 15, 1981

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

as Self

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Dec 21, 2014

Lie Detector

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 01, 2018

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 05, 1988

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

as Self - Guest

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 08, 2003

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 03, 2005

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Aug 02, 2015

Chelsea

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: May 11, 2016

Saturday Night Live

as Self - Cameo (uncredited)

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 11, 1975

Off Camera with Sam Jones

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Feb 06, 2014

All's Fair

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 04, 2025

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Feb 17, 2014

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 26, 2003

The Kelly Clarkson Show

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 09, 2019

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 5 49 68 22
2024 6 18 27 12
2024 7 35 49 18
2024 8 30 54 18
2024 9 22 31 14
2024 10 27 40 17
2024 11 20 29 12
2024 12 20 34 12
2025 1 24 41 11
2025 2 17 22 4
2025 3 10 31 0
2025 4 2 5 1
2025 5 3 5 2
2025 6 3 4 2
2025 7 3 3 2
2025 8 2 2 1
2025 9 2 2 1
2025 10 2 3 1

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
2024 5 532 164
2024 6 534 211
2025 1 691 467
2025 2 700 472
2025 3 551 499
2025 7 533 475
2025 8 418 170
2025 10 380 196

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