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IMDbPro

Sarah Paulson(I)

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000180
Sarah Paulson at an event for The Spirit (2008)
Take a closer look at the various roles Sarah Paulson has played throughout her acting career.
Play clip2:31
Sarah Paulson: TV & Movie Moments
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
Sarah Paulson was born on December 17, 1974 in Tampa, Florida, to Catharine Gordon (Dolcater) and Douglas Lyle Paulson II. She spent most of her early years in New York and Maine, before settling in Manhattan to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the High School for Performing Arts. Although she made her Broadway debut in "The Sisters Rosensweig" and performed in the off-Broadway "Talking Pictures", she debuted on the small screen in late 1994 in a guest shot on NBC's Law & Order (1990), then, in the following spring, landed her first TV-movie role in CBS' Friends at Last (1995) and finally became a TV series regular by fall 1995.

Best known for her amazing performance in CBS' supernatural drama American Gothic (1995) as the benevolent spiritual guide to her young brother, she was also a regular on the WB series Jack & Jill (1999) as "Elisa Cronkite", the former girlfriend of David "Jill" Jillefsky (Ivan Sergei) as well as the main character in the TV series Leap of Faith (2002), "Faith Wardwell", and as "Audrey" in the TV movie Metropolis (2000). She was also part of the cast of Shaughnessy (1996), The Long Way Home (1998) (as "Leanne Bossert") and Path to War (2002) as Luci Baines Johnson, as well as making notable appearances in Touched by an Angel (1994) playing "Zoe" in Manhunt (2001), 20 October 2001, and Cracker: Mind Over Murder (1997) playing "Nina" in True Romance: Part 1 (1997), 18 September 1997.

Sarah has now played in movies with such stars as Mel Gibson in the romantic comedy What Women Want (2000) (as "Annie", Gibson's secretary), Diane Keaton in the romantic drama The Other Sister (1999) (as "Heather Tate", Keaton's lesbian eldest daughter), Jamie Foxx in Held Up (1999) (as "Mary", a developmentally disabled young woman with an unfaithful boyfriend) and David Hyde Pierce in the romantic comedy Down with Love (2003) (as "Vicky Hiller", Pierce's crush). She also had two major roles in the comedy Bug (2002) and the drama, Levitation (1997), where she starred as a pregnant teenager who searches for her biological mother, with the help of a guardian angel.
BornDecember 17, 1974
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornDecember 17, 1974
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000180
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 26 wins & 53 nominations total

21st Century Scream Queens

21st Century Scream Queens

Jenna Ortega, Florence Pugh, and more modern women killing the horror game.
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Photos

Photos694

Sarah Paulson in Exiles (2021)
Sarah Paulson in The Grand Jury (2021)
Sarah Paulson in The Grand Jury (2021)
Sarah Paulson, Brian Maillard, Craig Welzbacher, and Beanie Feldstein in Man Handled (2021)
Sarah Paulson and Beanie Feldstein in Do You Hear What I Hear? (2021)
Sarah Paulson and Beanie Feldstein in The President Kissed Me (2021)
Sarah Paulson and Beanie Feldstein in Exiles (2021)
Sarah Paulson in Exiles (2021)
Sarah Paulson and Kiera Allen in Run (2020)
Sarah Paulson and Annie Starke in Ratched (2020)
Sarah Paulson in Ratched (2020)
Sarah Paulson in American Gothic (1995)

Known for

Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
12 Years a Slave
8.1
  • Mistress Epps
  • 2013
Sarah Paulson and Kiera Allen in Run (2020)
Run
6.7
  • Mother
  • Diane
  • 2020
American Horror Story (2011)
American Horror Story
8.0
TV Series
  • Lana Winters
  • Bette Tattler
  • Dot Tattler
  • Cordelia Foxx
  • Sally McKenna
  • Ally Mayfair-Richards
  • Cordelia Goode
  • Ms. Wilhemina Venable
  • Tuberculosis Karen
  • Audrey Tindall
  • Billie Dean Howard
  • Shelby Miller
  • Mamie Eisenhower
  • Susan Atkins
Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and James McAvoy in Glass (2019)
Glass
6.6
  • Dr. Ellie Staple
  • 2019

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Dust
    • Post-production
  • Clybourne Park
    • Pre-production
  • The Way Down
    • Gwen Shamblin
    • In Development
    • TV Mini Series
  • Sarah Paulson in Ratched (2020)
    Ratched
    • Nurse Mildred Ratched
    • TV Series
    • 2020–2021
  • Saturday Night Live (1975)
    Saturday Night Live
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • Beanie Feldstein in American Crime Story (2016)
    American Crime Story
    • Linda Tripp
    • Marcia Clark
    • TV Series
    • 2016–2021
  • American Horror Story (2011)
    American Horror Story
    • Lana Winters
    • Bette Tattler
    • Dot Tattler ...
    • TV Series
    • 2011–2021
  • Bette Midler, Sarah Paulson, Dan Levy, Kaitlyn Dever, and Issa Rae in Coastal Elites (2020)
    Coastal Elites
    • Clarissa Montgomery
    • TV Movie
    • 2020
  • Cate Blanchett in Mrs. America (2020)
    Mrs. America
    • Alice Macray
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2020
  • Taika Waititi in James and the Giant Peach with Taika and Friends (2020)
    James and the Giant Peach with Taika and Friends
    • Old Green Grasshopper
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2020
  • Sarah Paulson and Kiera Allen in Run (2020)
    Run
    • Mother
    • Diane
    • 2020
  • Oakes Fegley in The Goldfinch (2019)
    The Goldfinch
    • Xandra
    • 2019
  • Joseph Izzo and Chloe Bennet in Abominable (2019)
    Abominable
    • Dr. Zara (voice)
    • 2019
  • Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein, and Seth MacFarlane in Family Guy (1999)
    Family Guy
    • Costumed Woman
    • Marcia Clark
    • Sarah Paulson (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and James McAvoy in Glass (2019)
    Glass
    • Dr. Ellie Staple
    • 2019
  • Sandra Bullock, Julian Edwards, and Vivien Lyra Blair in Bird Box (2018)
    Bird Box
    • Jessica
    • 2018
  • Sandra Bullock, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, and Awkwafina in Ocean's Eight (2018)
    Ocean's Eight
    • Tammy
    • 2018
  • Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in The Post (2017)
    The Post
    • Tony Bradlee
    • 2017

Producer

  • The Way Down
    • executive producer
    • In Development
    • TV Mini Series
  • Sarah Paulson in Ratched (2020)
    Ratched
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2020–2021
  • Beanie Feldstein in American Crime Story (2016)
    American Crime Story
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • American Horror Story (2011)
    American Horror Story
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • The Way Down (2021)
    The Way Down
    • executive producer
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2021
  • The Loss of Lillian (2016)
    The Loss of Lillian
    • executive producer
    • Short
    • 2016

Director

  • American Horror Story (2011)
    American Horror Story
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2018

Videos121

The Ladies of 'Ocean's 8' Steal Their Dream Roles
Full Episode 1:57
The Ladies of 'Ocean's 8' Steal Their Dream Roles
How Sarah Paulson Transformed for 'The Goldfinch'
Clip 7:12
How Sarah Paulson Transformed for 'The Goldfinch'
'Glass' Cast Connections: Finding a Lost Thread of 'Split' in 'Unbreakable'
Clip 5:31
'Glass' Cast Connections: Finding a Lost Thread of 'Split' in 'Unbreakable'
IMDbrief: What You Missed in 'Bird Box'
Clip 3:20
IMDbrief: What You Missed in 'Bird Box'
Sarah Paulson: TV & Movie Moments
Clip 2:31
Sarah Paulson: TV & Movie Moments
'Blue Jay': Head Rub
Clip 1:20
'Blue Jay': Head Rub
American Horror Story: The Complete Fourth Season
Clip 1:25
American Horror Story: The Complete Fourth Season
American Horror Story: The Complete Fourth Season
Clip 1:30
American Horror Story: The Complete Fourth Season
12 Years a Slave
Clip 0:56
12 Years a Slave
The Spirit
Clip 2:08
The Spirit
The Rise of Sarah Paulson
Clip 4:13
The Rise of Sarah Paulson
'The Post' Sped Through Production to Deliver a Timely Message
Interview 1:48
'The Post' Sped Through Production to Deliver a Timely Message

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
  • Height
    • 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
  • Born
    • December 17, 1974
    • Tampa, Florida, USA
  • Spouse
    • Holland Taylor2015 - present
  • Children
    • No Children
  • Parents
      Catharine Gordon (Dolcater)
  • Relatives
      Liz Paulson(Sibling)
  • Other works
    "The Glass Menagerie," dramatic revival, written by Tennessee Williams, directed by David Leveaux, with Jessica Lange (portraying The Mother, Amanda Wingfield); Josh Lucas (portraying The Gentleman Caller, Jim O'Connor); Sarah Paulson (portraying The Daughter, Laura Wingfield); and Christian Slater (portraying The Son, Tom Wingfield); on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. (149 total performances, including 29 previews beginning February 24, 2005)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 5 Articles
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    The first actor to win all five major acting awards (Emmy, TCA Individual Achievement in Drama, Critics Choice, Golden Globe, SAG) in a single year for the same role.
  • Quotes
    I like to work and I like to work with great actors and great directors and great material - and there isn't a ton of it. It's not overflowing. My cup doesn't runneth over in opportunity that way. To me, this was the opportunity to act something that was so opposite of who I am as a person.. Someone quite famous whose name I won't mention told me, 'I can't believe you did that part. I couldn't have done that. She was too horrible. I could never have done it'. But it would never occur to me to not take a part because something would be hard or complicated or tough for an audience to watch.
  • Trademark
      Speaks with a sibilant s.

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