Sarah Paulson

Sarah Catharine Paulson was born on December 17, 1974, in Tampa, Florida, to Catharine Gordon and Douglas Lyle Paulson II. Her parents divorced when she was five, after which she relocated with her mother and sister first to Maine and then to New York City, where the family lived in Queens and Gramercy Park before settling in Park Slope. Her father, who remained in Florida, worked as an executive at a Tampa door manufacturing company, and Paulson spent summers with him throughout her childhood. Her mother supported the family by working as a waitress, including at Sardi's Restaurant in Manhattan. Paulson attended P.S. 29 and Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, then went on to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in Manhattan and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Paulson began her professional acting career immediately after completing her education. Her Broadway debut came in 1994 as a replacement understudy for the role of Tessin in Wendy Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, a role originated by Amy Ryan. That same year she appeared in the Horton Foote play Talking Pictures at the Signature Theatre and in an episode of Law & Order. Her feature film debut followed in 1997 with the independent thriller Levitation. Early television work included a starring role in the short-lived series American Gothic in 1995 and the role of Elisa Cronkite in the WB comedy-drama Jack & Jill, which ran from 1999 to 2001. She portrayed Luci Baines Johnson in the HBO film Path to War in 2002 and played Harriet Hayes in Aaron Sorkin's NBC drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip during the 2006–2007 season, a performance that earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

On Broadway, Paulson returned to the stage in the spring of 2005, starring in a revival of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie opposite Jessica Lange. In 2010, she starred alongside Linda Lavin in Donald Margulies's Collected Stories at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Her most recent Broadway appearance came in 2023 in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's Appropriate. For her performance in Appropriate, Paulson received the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, both in 2024.

Paulson's television career gained significant momentum through her long collaboration with showrunner Ryan Murphy. She appeared in nine seasons of his anthology series American Horror Story between 2011 and 2021, earning five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on the show. Her portrayal of prosecutor Marcia Clark in the FX limited series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016 brought her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. She received additional Emmy nominations for playing Nicolle Wallace in the HBO film Game Change in 2012 and Linda Tripp in the FX miniseries Impeachment: American Crime Story in 2021. Further television credits include a conservative activist in the FX on Hulu limited series Mrs. America and the title role in the Netflix thriller series Ratched, both in 2020.

Her film work spans both leading and supporting roles across multiple decades. Supporting appearances include What Women Want in 2000, Down with Love in 2003, Martha Marcy May Marlene in 2011, Mud in 2012, 12 Years a Slave in 2013, Carol in 2015, The Post in 2017, Ocean's 8 in 2018, and Bird Box in 2018. She took on leading film roles in Blue Jay in 2016, Glass in 2019, Run in 2020, and Hold Your Breath in 2024. In 2017, Time magazine named Paulson one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Her body of work has been recognized with a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.