Sarah Paulson

Actor

• Born: December 17, 1974
• Place of Birth: Tampa, Florida

Sarah Paulson is an award–winning television, film, and stage actor. Some of her best known roles include the television programs Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006–7), American Horror Story (2011–21), and American Crime Story (2016–21).

Background

Sarah Paulson was born on December 17, 1974, in Tampa, Florida. Her parents divorced when she was five. After moving around for some time, Paulson and her mother settled in New York City, where she was primarily raised. During summers she returned to Tampa to spend time with her father and two sisters. Paulson decided that she wanted to become an actor after she was inspired by a performance of the musical Annie.

She started her career with stage acting, performing in a production of Amelia Again at the age of twelve. She attended New York City’s High School for the Performing Arts and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Paulson made her premiere on Broadway in a production of The Sisters Rosensweig when she was eighteen years old.

Career

Paulson’s first televised role was that of Maggie Connor on a 1994 episode of the hit crime drama Law and Order. She then had small parts in the television movies Friends at Last (1995) and Shaughnessy (1996). During this time Paulson landed her breakthrough role, as part of the main cast of the television horror series American Gothic. Although the show was short-lived, running from 1995 to 1996 on CBS, it was well-received by critics and viewers.

Capitalizing on her success from American Gothic, Paulson landed the lead role in the film Levitation (1997), in which she played a pregnant teenager searching for her biological mother. She quickly followed with a second starring role in the 1998 television movie The Long Way Home.

In 1999 Paulson took a major role on the television series Jack & Jill starring Amanda Peet and Justin Kirk; she was a series regular and appeared in thirty-one episodes over the show’s two seasons. While working on Jack & Jill, she also appeared in the films The Other Sister (1999), Held Up (1999), and What Women Want (2000). Paulson then landed the starring role in the 2002 television comedy Leap of Faith, but the sitcom only lasted for a single season before being canceled.

The following year Paulson landed another starring role, this time in the well-received romantic comedy Down with Love (2003), starring Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor. She then took a role on the critically acclaimed HBO series Deadwood in 2005. On the Western drama Paulson played Miss Isringhausen, a governess secretly working as an agent of the Pinkerton security organization. Soon afterward Paulson landed one of the more important parts in her career. She was cast as Harriet Hayes on the television show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a highly anticipated show from creator Aaron Sorkin, about a fictional sketch-comedy show. Like several of her other shows, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip aired for just one season before being canceled by its network. For her work on the show, however, Paulson was nominated for a Golden Globe for best supporting actress.

Paulson then had to wait nearly two years for her next leading role. She played Claire McCrae on the short-lived television series Cupid, which lasted for seven episodes in 2009. Also in 2009 the actor starred in Alexander Dinelaris’s stage production Still Life.

In 2011 Paulson received another big break when she landed a role in the first season of the FX television series American Horror Story—an anthology series with a new plot and cast of characters every season. In the first season, which was later given the subtitle Murder House, she played medium Billie Dean Howard. Paulson returned in a larger role for the second season, American Horror Story: Asylum, in which she played a journalist unfairly institutionalized in a mental hospital. Paulson was heavily praised for her work on the show and was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. She would go on to receive four more Emmy nominations for her work on American Horror Story across later seasons.

While working on American Horror Story, Paulson also took additional roles, including parts in the romantic comedy New Year’s Eve and the lauded thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene, both in 2011. She also played a major role in the 2012 television movie Game Change, about the US presidential election campaign of John McCain and Sarah Palin. Paulson earned Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of campaign adviser Nicole Wallace on Game Change. In 2013, she had a small role in the Academy Award–winning film 12 Years a Slave, before appearing in the 2015 films Carol and The Runner.

In 2016, Paulson costarred in the first season of American Crime Story, an anthology series depicting true crime stories. Appearing as prosecutor Marcia Clark during the season subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson, she won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for best actress in a limited series. These accolades helped boost her profile considerably, and she earned recognition as one of Time magazine's one hundred most influential people in the world in 2017. She followed up with appearances in such diverse films as the Oscar-nominated biographical drama The Post (2017), starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks; the action ensemble Ocean's Eight (2018); the Netflix original horror Bird Box (2018); the science fiction drama Glass (2019); and the drama The Goldfinch (2019), based on the novel of the same name by Donna Tartt.

In 2020 Paulson starred in the series Ratched, conceived as a prequel about the early days of the iconic antagonist Nurse Ratched from the classic 1975 film and 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Though it met with mostly positive reviews, and Paulson earned Golden Globe nominations as both an actor and executive producer, the show was canceled after one season. In 2021 Paulson had main roles in both American Horror Story: Double Feature and Impeachment: American Crime Story. With the latter, focused on the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, she was nominated for another Emmy Award for her portrayal of Linda Tripp, a key figure in the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal.

Throughout her career, Paulson also occasionally appeared in theatrical productions. Beginning in 2023, she had a particularly notable run in the first Broadway production of Appropriate by playwright Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins. The role earned her a Tony Award for best leading actress.

Impact

Paulson made a name for herself as a highly versatile stage, film, and television actor, evidenced by several awards and nominations for her performances. She received strong critical acclaim in projects ranging from grisly horror to weighty realist drama, demonstrating her ability to play various roles almost seamlessly.

Personal Life

Paulson was once engaged to actor and playwright Tracy Letts. She later dated fellow actor Cherry Jones for several years in the 2000s. They generated considerable media attention in 2005, when Paulson publicly revealed their relationship for the first time by kissing Jones at the Tony Awards just before Jones accepted the best actress award. Paulson again drew tabloid scrutiny in 2015, when it was reported that she was dating actor Holland Taylor, due to the more than thirty-year age difference between them. Paulson noted in interviews that she rejected any labels regarding her sexuality.

Bibliography

Freydkin, Donna. “‘Cupid’ Is the New-Series Love of Sarah Paulson’s Life.” USA Today 31 Mar. 2009: 12D.

Jacobs, Julia. "Sarah Paulson Wins Her First Tony for Best Actress in a Play." The New York Times, 16 June 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/06/16/theater/sarah-paulson-first-tony-appropriate.html. Accessed 20 June 2024.

Paulson, Sarah. “Sarah Paulson on American Horror Story’s Bloody Face Reveal and Being an Ugly Screamer.” Interview by Denise Martin. Vulture, 14 Nov. 2012, www.vulture.com/2012/11/american-horror-story-bloody-face-reveal-sarah-paulson-interview.html. Accessed 20 June 2024.

Paulson, Sarah. “Sarah Paulson Talks American Horror Story: Asylum, Her Character’s Dark Story Arc, Returning for Season 3, Twelve Years a Slave, and More.” Interview by Christina Radish. Collider, 13 Nov. 2012, collider.com/sarah-paulson-american-horror-story-asylum-interview/. Accessed 20 June 2024.

Peikert, Mark. “Sarah Paulson Talks ‘Game Change’ and Her Emmy Nom.” Backstage, 18 Aug. 2012, www.backstage.com/magazine/article/sarah-paulson-talks-game-change-emmy-nom-52981/. Accessed 20 June 2024.

"Sarah Paulson." IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0005299/. Accessed 20 June 2024.

Schulman, Michael. "Sarah Paulson Opens Up About Acting, Marcia Clark and Dating Older Women." The New York Times, 2 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/fashion/sarah-paulson-opens-up-about-dating-older-women-holland-taylor.html. Accessed 20 June 2024.

Villarreal, Yvonne. “‘American Horror Story’s’ Sarah Paulson on Humor amid the Fright.” Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2013, www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-aug-19-la-et-st-american-horror-story-sarah-paulson-emmys-20130819-story.html. Accessed 20 June 2024.