Sarah Paulson

Sarah Paulson is an actress best known for her roles in "American Horror Story." She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

A native of Tampa, Florida, Paulson was raised there and later in New York City following her parents' divorce. She began her acting career after high school in New York stage productions before starring in the short-lived television series "American Gothic" and "Jack & Jill."

She later appeared in comedy films such as What Women Want, Down with Love, and drama films such as Path of War and The Notorious Bettie Page. From 2006 to 2007, Paulson 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, Paulson starred as Ellen Dolan in the superhero noir film The Spirit.

Paulson has also appeared on Broadway in the plays "The Glass Menagerie" in 2005 and "Collected Stories" in 2010. She starred in a number of independent films and had a leading role in the ABC comedy series "Cupid". She later starred in the 2011 independent drama film Martha Marcy May Marlene, and received Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her portrayal of Nicolle Wallace in the 2012 HBO film Game Change.

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.

In 2011, Paulson began starring in the FX anthology series "American Horror Story," playing different characters in many of the show's nine 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 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.