Sarah Paulson
| Sarah Paulson | |
|---|---|
 Paulson at 2011 TIFF screening of Martha Marcy May Marlene |
|
| Born | Sarah Catharine Paulson December 17, 1974 Tampa, Florida, USA |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Partner(s) | Cherry Jones (2004–2009)[1] |
Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974)[2] is an American actress whose notable appearances include roles in both film and television.
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Career [edit]
Paulson was a series regular on the cult television show American Gothic and The WB series Jack & Jill (1999), playing Elisa Cronkite. She had a minor role in the HBO series Deadwood and was a focal character in an episode of the critically acclaimed FX series Nip/Tuck. She appeared on the short-lived NBC series Leap of Faith as the main character. In 2004, she had a supporting role in the ABC series The D.A., but that show also ended after a few episodes. Paulson starred in a revival of The Glass Menagerie on Broadway and has appeared Off-Broadway in Killer Joe, Talking Pictures, and Colder Than Here. Paulson's movie credits include Down with Love, What Women Want, The Other Sister, Levitation, and Serenity.
In the 2006-2007 television season, Paulson co-starred in NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip playing Harriet Hayes, one of the stars of the show-within-a-show. To date, this is her most notable role, earning her a nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. In December 2008, Paulson appeared in the screen adaptation of Will Eisner's comic book The Spirit, playing an updated version of the character Ellen Dolan.
On August 25, 2008, ABC ordered her pilot Cupid to series. It was a remake of the 1998 series starring Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall. In the new version, Paulson starred opposite Bobby Cannavale. It debuted in late March 2009 on ABC but was canceled on May 19, 2009, after only 6 episodes aired. In February 2010, Paulson portrayed the circa 1982 mother of main character Meredith Grey, on the hit ABC primetime drama Grey's Anatomy.[3] She plays Nicolle Wallace in the HBO film Game Change (2012) based on events of the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaign. In 2011, Paulson guest starred in 3 episodes of the FX anthology series American Horror Story, playing a medium, Billie Dean Howard. At the end of the first season, Paulson was asked to return for season two, playing a completely new character. Season two is titled American Horror Story: Asylum, in which she plays Lana Winters, a writer who is committed to the asylum for being a lesbian.
Paulson also has also had a small theatre career. In 2005 she starred as Laura Wingfield in a revival of Tennesse Williams' play The Glass Menagerie alongside Jessica Lange, Josh Lucas, and Christian Slater. In 2010, Paulson starred in Donald Margulies's Collected Stories alongside Linda Lavin. Paulson is currently starring in a revival of Lanford Wilson's Talley's Folly alongside Danny Burstein.
Personal life [edit]
Paulson was born in Tampa, Florida, and raised in Brooklyn and Maine.[citation needed] Paulson dated the actress Cherry Jones. In 2007, Paulson and Jones declared their love for each other in an interview with Velvetpark at Women's Event 10 for the LGBT Center of NYC.[4] They broke up in 2009.[5] She is close friends with Amanda Peet and Zachary Quinto.[citation needed]
Filmography [edit]
Film [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Friends at Last | Diana (age 21) | Television film |
| 1996 | Shaughnessy | Unknown | Television film |
| 1997 | Levitation | Acey | |
| 1998 | The Long Way Home | Leanne Bossert | Television film |
| 1999 | The Other Sister | Heather Tate | |
| 1999 | Held Up | Mary | |
| 2000 | What Women Want | Annie | |
| 2000 | Metropolis | Audrey | Television film |
| 2002 | Bug | Eilleen | |
| 2002 | Path to War | Luci Baines Johnson | Television film |
| 2003 | Down with Love | Vikki Hiller | |
| 2005 | Swimmers | Merrill | |
| 2005 | Serenity | Dr. Caron | |
| 2005 | The Notorious Bettie Page | Bunny Yeager | |
| 2006 | Diggers | Julie | |
| 2006 | Griffin & Phoenix | Peri | |
| 2006 | A Christmas Wedding | Emily | Television film |
| 2008 | The Spirit | Ellen | |
| 2008 | Puppy Love | Emma | Short film |
| 2008 | Pretty/Handsome | Corky Fromme | Television film |
| 2009 | Whose Dog is it Anyway? | Emma | Short film |
| 2010 | After-School Special | Woman | Short film |
| 2010 | November Christmas | Beth Marks | Television film |
| 2011 | New Year's Eve | Grace Schwab | |
| 2011 | Martha Marcy May Marlene | Lucy | |
| 2012 | Stars in Shorts | Woman | |
| 2012 | Fairhaven | Kate | |
| 2012 | Game Change | Nicolle Wallace | Television film |
| 2012 | Mud | Mary Lee | |
| 2013 | Twelve Years a Slave | Mrs. Epps |
Television [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Law & Order | Maggie Conner | Episode: "Family Values" |
| 1995–1996 | American Gothic | Merlyn Temple | 18 episodes |
| 1997 | Cracker: Mind Over Murder | Janice | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Real Life | Lucy | Episode: "Unaired Pilot" |
| 1999–2001 | Jack & Jill | Elisa Cronkite | 31 episodes |
| 2001 | Touched by an Angel | Zoe | Episode: "Manhunt" |
| 2002 | Leap of Faith | Faith Wardwell | 6 episodes |
| 2004 | The D.A. | Chief Dep. Dist. Attrny. Lisa Patterson | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Nip/Tuck | Agatha Ripp | Episode: "Agatha Ripp" |
| 2005 | Deadwood | Miss Isringhausen | 9 episodes |
| 2006–2007 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Harriet Hayes | 22 episodes |
| 2007–2011 | Desperate Housewives | Lydia | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Cupid | Claire McCrae | 7 episodes |
| 2010 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Anne Gillette | Episode: "Shadow" |
| 2010 | Grey's Anatomy | Young Ellis Grey | Episode: "The Time Warp" |
| 2011 | American Horror Story | Billie Dean Howard | 3 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | American Horror Story: Asylum | Lana Winters | 13 episodes |
| 2013 | American Horror Story: Coven | TBA | TBA |
Awards and nominations [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Warn, Sarah (June 7, 2005). "Sarah Paulson in the Spotlight". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ Internet Movie Data Base
- ^ "Exclusive: 'Grey's Anatomy' recasts Richard and Ellis!" Jan 20 2010, EW.com
- ^ Velvetpark web site
- ^ "Cherry Jones & Sarah Paulson Call It Quits With ‘Happiest Break-Up’". accesshollywood.com. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
External links [edit]
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- Actresses from Florida
- Actresses from Maine
- American film actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- LGBT entertainers from the United States
- Actresses from Brooklyn
- People from Tampa, Florida
- 1974 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- LGBT actors
