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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

116

Gender

Female

Birthday

1974-12-17 (52 years old)

Place of Birth

Tampa, Florida, USA

Also Known As

שרה פולסון

Сара Полсон

사라 폴슨

세라 폴슨

サラ・ポールソン

Sarah Catharine Paulson

莎拉·保罗森

سارا پلسون

Sarah Paulson

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.

Known For

Acting

Down with Love

2003

Down with Love

as

Vikki Hiller

What Women Want

2000

What Women Want

as

Annie

The Spirit

2008

The Spirit

as

Ellen Dolan

Bug

2002

Bug

as

Eilleen

The Notorious Bettie Page

2005

The Notorious Bettie Page

as

Bunny Yeager

Serenity

2005

Serenity

as

Dr. Caron

Diggers

2007

Diggers

as

Julie

The Other Sister

1999

The Other Sister

as

Heather Tate

Held Up

1999

Held Up

as

Mary

November Christmas

2011

November Christmas

as

Beth Marks

I Am Sybil

I Am Sybil

as

Connie Wilbur

12 Years a Slave

2013

12 Years a Slave

as

Mary Epps

Mud

2013

Mud

as

Mary Lee

Fairhaven

2013

Fairhaven

as

Kate

The Long Way Home

1998

The Long Way Home

as

Leanne Bossert

Stars in Shorts

2012

Stars in Shorts

as

Woman

Levitation

1997

Levitation

as

Acey

Carol

2015

Carol

as

Abby Gerhard

The Runner

2015

The Runner

as

Kate Haber

Hold Your Breath

2024

Hold Your Breath

as

Margaret Bellum

Talley's Folly

Talley's Folly

as

Sally Talley

#twitterkills

2014

#twitterkills

as

Sarah Pendersen

Game Change

2012

Game Change

as

Nicolle Wallace

Rebel in the Rye

2017

Rebel in the Rye

as

Dorothy Olding

Blue Jay

2016

Blue Jay

as

Amanda

Path to War

2003

Path to War

as

Luci Baines Johnson

Ocean's Eight

2018

Ocean's Eight

as

Tammy

Swimmers

2005

Swimmers

as

Merrill

New Year's Eve

2011

New Year's Eve

as

Grace Schwab

Friends at Last

1995

Friends at Last

as

Diana - Age 21

The Post

2017

The Post

as

Tony Bradlee

Glass

2019

Glass

as

Dr. Ellie Staple

Bird Box

2018

Bird Box

as

Jessica

The Goldfinch

2019

The Goldfinch

as

Xandra

Abominable

2019

Abominable

as

Dr. Zara (voice)

Run

2020

Run

as

Mother / Diane

Coastal Elites

2020

Coastal Elites

as

Clarissa Montgomery

The Time Being

2012

The Time Being

as

Sarah

Mother Courage

Mother Courage

as

Sandra Bloom

Deadwood

Deadwood

as

Alice Isringhausen

American Gothic

American Gothic

as

Merlyn Temple

American Horror Story

American Horror Story

as

Lana Winters

Jack & Jill

Jack & Jill

as

Elisa Cronkite

Nip/Tuck

Nip/Tuck

as

Agatha Ripp

Cupid

Cupid

as

Dr. Claire McCrae

Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith

as

Faith Wardwell

The D.A.

The D.A.

as

Lisa Patterson

American Horror Story

American Horror Story

as

Cordelia Goode / Wilhemina Venable / Billie Dean Howard

American Horror Story

American Horror Story

as

Billie Dean Howard

American Horror Story

American Horror Story

as

Bette Tattler / Dot Tattler

American Horror Story

American Horror Story

as

Sally McKenna / Billie Dean Howard

American Crime Story

American Crime Story

as

Marcia Clark

The Bear

The Bear

as

Cousin Michelle

Chelsea

Chelsea

as

Self

American Horror Story

American Horror Story

as

Audrey Tindall / Lana Winters

American Horror Story

American Horror Story

as

Ally Mayfair-Richards / Susan Atkins

Blue

Blue

as

Lavinia

Pretty/Handsome

Pretty/Handsome

as

Corky Fromme

Law & Order

Law & Order

as

Maggie Conner

Ratched

Ratched

as

Mildred Ratched

FEUD

FEUD

as

Geraldine Page

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

as

Therapist

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live

as

Self - Cameo (uncredited)

American Horror Story

American Horror Story

as

Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower

Family Guy

Family Guy

as

Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)

Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy

as

Young Ellis Grey

All's Fair

All's Fair

as

Carrington Lane

Desperate Housewives

Desperate Housewives

as

Lydia Lindquist

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

as

Self - Guest

Golden Globe Awards

Golden Globe Awards

as

Self - Presenter

Insider

Insider

as

Sig selv

Tony Awards

Tony Awards

as

Self - Presenter

Production

Crew

Directing