Sarah Paulson
Known for Acting · 100 credits
- Born
- 1974-12-17 (age 51)
- Place of birth
- Tampa, Florida, USA
- Also known as
- Sarah Catharine 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
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Anne Gillette
Law & Order
1990
as Maggie Conner
Grey's Anatomy
2005
as Young Ellis Grey
Family Guy
1999
as Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self - Guest
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
TV Shows (46)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Anne Gillette
Law & Order
1990
as Maggie Conner
Grey's Anatomy
2005
as Young Ellis Grey
Family Guy
1999
as Sarah Paulson / Marcia Clark / Costumed Woman (voice)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self - Guest
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
as Self / Self - Guest
Late Show with David Letterman
1993
as Self - Guest
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self - Guest
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self
Desperate Housewives
2004
as Lydia Lindquist
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005
as Self
Conan
2010
as Self - Guest
The Bear
2022
as Cousin Michelle
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
American Horror Story
2011
as Lana Winters / Cordelia Goode / Wilhemina Venable / Billie Dean Howard / Bette Tattler / Dot Tattler / Sally McKenna / Billie Dean Howard / Audrey Tindall / Lana Winters / Ally Mayfair-Richards / Susan Atkins / Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Presenter
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self - Guest
Nip/Tuck
2003
as Agatha Ripp
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self - Guest
Chelsea
2016
as Self
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Zoe
American Crime Story
2016
as Marcia Clark / Linda Tripp
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
as Self
Deadwood
2004
as Alice Isringhausen
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
as Self
Off Camera with Sam Jones
2014
as Self
FEUD
2017
as Geraldine Page
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
2024
as Therapist
The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA
1995
as Self
All's Fair
2025
as Carrington Lane
Entertainment Tonight
1981
as Self
Mrs. America
2020
as Alice
Jack & Jill
1999
as Elisa Cronkite
Ratched
2020
as Mildred Ratched
American Gothic
1995
as Merlyn Temple
Blue
2012
as Lavinia
Cupid
2009
as Dr. Claire McCrae
Insider
2025
as Sig selv
The Emmy Awards
1949
as Self
Leap of Faith
2002
as Faith Wardwell
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
2006
as Harriet Hayes
Pretty/Handsome
as Corky Fromme
The D.A.
2004
as Lisa Patterson
Movies (54)
The Post
2017
as Tony Bradlee
Ocean's Eight
2018
as Tammy
12 Years a Slave
2013
as Mary Epps
Bird Box
2018
as Jessica
Glass
2019
as Dr. Ellie Staple
What Women Want
2000
as Annie
Serenity
2005
as Dr. Caron
Carol
2015
as Abby Gerhard
Abominable
2019
as Dr. Zara (voice)
New Year's Eve
2011
as Grace Schwab
Mud
2013
as Mary Lee
Run
2020
as Mother / Diane
Martha Marcy May Marlene
2011
as Lucy
The Goldfinch
2019
as Xandra
Rebel in the Rye
2017
as Dorothy Olding
Down with Love
2003
as Vikki Hiller
Mother Courage
as Sandra Vale
Adele One Night Only
2021
as Self
Hold Your Breath
2024
as Margaret Bellum
The Spirit
2008
as Ellen Dolan
The Runner
2015
as Kate Haber
Game Change
2012
as Nicolle Wallace
The Notorious Bettie Page
2006
as Bunny Yeager
Path to War
2003
as Luci Baines Johnson
Clybourne Park
Blue Jay
2016
as Amanda
The Other Sister
1999
as Heather Tate
Escape Room
2025
Griffin & Phoenix
2006
as Peri
Stars in Shorts
2012
as Woman
November Christmas
2011
as Beth Marks
Diggers
2007
as Julie
Swimmers
2005
as Merrill
After-School Special
2011
as Woman
Whose Dog Is It Anyway?
2009
as Emma
The Long Way Home
1998
as Leanne Bossert
The Time Being
2012
as Sarah
Held Up
1999
as Mary
Shaughnessy: The Iron Marshal
1996
Garden State - The 20th Anniversary Concert
2025
as Self - Presenter
Reimagining The Met Gala
2018
as Self
Fairhaven
2013
as Kate
Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
2022
Bug
2002
as Eileen
Talley's Folly
as Sally Talley
Coastal Elites
2020
as Clarissa Montgomery
Ocean's Team 3.0
2018
as Self
Friends at Last
1995
as Diana - Age 21
A Christmas Wedding
2006
as Emily
Levitation
1997
as Acey
I Am Sybil
as Connie Wilbur
#twitterkills
2014
as Sarah Pendersen
Madame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A
2021
as Self
Ethel
About Sarah Paulson
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 recei… With 100 credits spanning from 1944 to 2025, Sarah Paulson has appeared in 54 films and 46 TV shows.
Fans searching for Sarah Paulson movies, Sarah Paulson filmography, or the latest projects starring Sarah Paulson can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Sarah Paulson Movies
- The Post (2017) — as Tony Bradlee
- Ocean's Eight (2018) — as Tammy
- 12 Years a Slave (2013) — as Mary Epps
- Bird Box (2018) — as Jessica
- Glass (2019) — as Dr. Ellie Staple
Where to Watch Sarah Paulson Films
Most Sarah Paulson movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Sarah Paulson, check our movies catalogue and browse page.