What is Sarah Paulson's Net Worth?
Sarah Paulson is an American actress who has a net worth of $12 million. Sarah Paulson is best known for her roles on "American Horror Story" (2011–present), "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story" (2016), and "Ratched" (2020), but she has also appeared in several films, such as "What Women Want" (2000), "12 Years a Slave" (2013), "Carol" (2015), "Bird Box" (2018), and "Ocean's 8" (2018).
Sarah is also an accomplished stage actress, appearing on Broadway in "The Glass Menagerie" (2005) and "Collected Stories" (2010). Sarah has earned more than 20 awards for her work, including a Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of Marcia Clark on "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story." In October 2020, Netflix announced that "Ratched" was the streaming service's best original launch of the year after it was viewed 48 million times in its first month of release. In 2017, Paulson was included in "Time" magazine's list of the world's most influential people.
Early Life
Sarah Paulson was born Sarah Catharine Paulson on December 17, 1974, in Tampa, Florida. Her parents, Catharine and Douglas, divorced when Sarah was 5 years old, and she moved to Maine with her mother and her sister, Liz. They later relocated to New York City, where Catharine supported the family by waiting tables at Sardi's Restaurant. Paulson studied at Brooklyn's P.S. 29 and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in Manhattan, and she graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1992. She began performing in New York stage productions after graduating from high school and made her television debut in a 1994 episode of "Law & Order."
Career
In 1995, Sarah appeared in the television film "Friends at Last" and began playing the ghost of a murder victim on the CBS series "American Gothic," which ran for one season. She then booked the lead role in the 1997 indie film "Levitation" and co-starred with Juliette Lewis and Diane Keaton in 1999's "The Other Sister." Sarah played Elisa Cronkite on the WB's "Jack & Jill" from 1999 to 2001, appearing in all 32 episodes of the series. In 2000, she had a small role in "What Women Want," and in 2002, she appeared in the comedy "Bug," portrayed Luci Baines Johnson in the HBO film "Path to War," and played the lead role on the NBC sitcom "Leap of Faith." Paulson then appeared in the films "Down with Love (2003), "Serenity" (2005), and "The Notorious Bettie Page" (2005) and guest-starred on the FX series "Nip/Tuck," the first of many collaborations with Ryan Murphy, who she would also work with on "American Horror Story," "American Crime Story," and "Ratched."
Sarah had a recurring role as Miss Isringhausen on HBO's "Deadwood" in 2005, and that year she also co-starred with Jessica Lange, her future "American Horror Story" castmate, in "The Glass Menagerie" at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. In 2007, Paulson began starring on Aaron Sorkin's NBC dramedy "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," which ran for 22 episodes and earned her nominations from the Golden Globes and Satellite Awards. She guest-starred on "Desperate Housewives" in 2007 and 2011 and "Grey's Anatomy" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2010. Paulson then appeared in the feature films "Martha Marcy May Marlene" (2011), "New Year's Eve" (2011), and "Mud" (2012) and the HBO movie "Game Change" (2012), which earned her nominations from the Primetime Emmys and Golden Globes. Sarah has also appeared in the films "The Runner" (2015), "Glass" (2019), and "The Goldfinch" (2019).
In 2011, Paulson played medium Billie Dean Howard on "American Horror Story: Murder House" and went on to appear in nearly every season of the FX anthology series, portraying writer Lana Winters on "American Horror Story: Asylum" (2012–2013), witch Cordelia Foxx on "American Horror Story: Coven" (2013–2014), conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler on "American Horror Story: Freak Show" (2014–2015), Hypodermic Sally and Billie Dean Howard on "American Horror Story: Hotel" (2015–2016), Shelby Miller, Audrey Tindall, and Lana Winters on "American Horror Story: Roanoke" (2016), Ally Mayfair-Richards and Susan Atkins on "American Horror Story: Cult" (2017), and Wilhemina Venable, Cordelia Goode (formerly Cordelia Foxx), and Billie Dean Howard on "American Horror Story: Apocalypse" (2018). Sarah earned critical acclaim and numerous awards for her performance as Marcia Clark on 2016's "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story," and the famed prosecutor was her guest at the Emmy Awards ceremony. Sarah is set to portray Linda Tripp on "Impeachment: American Crime Story" in 2021. In 2020, she began playing Nurse Mildred Ratched on the Netflix series "Ratched," a prequel to the novel/film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
Personal Life
Sarah dated actress Cherry Jones from 2004 to 2009 and has said that before Jones, she had only had relationships with men, including playwright Tracy Letts, who she was once engaged to. She began a relationship with actress Holland Taylor in 2015, and the couple won the "Love is Great" award at the The Queerties in 2019. In 2018, the fashion website Net-a-Porter named Paulson one of the year's best-dressed women. Sarah is a Democrat and appeared in the anti-Trump HBO satire "Coastal Elites" during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.
Awards and Nominations
Paulson has been nominated for seven Primetime Emmys, winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story" in 2016. Her portrayal of Marcia Clark also earned her a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice TV Award, OFTA Television Award, Satellite Award, Television Critics Association Award, three Gold Derby TV Awards (Performer of the Year, TV Movie/Mini Lead Actress, and TV Movie/Mini Actress of the Decade), and a Dorian Award from GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. For "American Horror Story," Sarah has won two Critics Choice Television Awards, a Fangoria Chainsaw Award, two Gold Derby Awards, an OFTA Television Award, and a Satellite Award. She earned an Awards Circuit Community Award and OFTA Television Award for her performance in "Game Change." Paulson also shared a Black Film Critics Circle Award with her "12 Years a Slave" castmates, and the cast of "Mud" received the Robert Altman Award at the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Real Estate
In 2016, Sarah paid $1.65 million for a 2,100 square foot home in the Hollywood Hills West area of Los Angeles. She bought the 3-bedroom house from "American Horror Story" co-star Emma Roberts, and the property includes a guest house as well as a buried swimming pool that Paulson discovered when she began renovations.