Claim: Sarah Paulson played a character.

Sarah Catharine Paulson -LRB- born December 17 , 1974 -RRB- is an American actress . After beginning her acting career on stage , she starred in the 1990s television series American Gothic -LRB- 1995 -- 96 -RRB- and Jack & Jill -LRB- 1999 -- 2001 -RRB- . Paulson later appeared in comedy films such as What Women Want -LRB- 2000 -RRB- and Down with Love -LRB- 2003 -RRB- , and had dramatic roles in films such as Path to War -LRB- 2002 -RRB- and The Notorious Bettie Page -LRB- 2005 -RRB- . From 2006 to 2007 , Paulson played the role of 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 , she starred as Ellen Dolan in the superhero noir film The Spirit .   Paulson has appeared on Broadway in the plays The Glass Menagerie -LRB- 2005 -RRB- and Collected Stories -LRB- 2010 -RRB- . She also starred in a number of independent films , and had a leading role on the ABC comedy series Cupid in 2009 . She later starred in the independent drama Martha Marcy May Marlene -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , and received Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her performance as Nicolle Wallace in the HBO film Game Change -LRB- 2012 -RRB- . Paulson starred as Mary Epps in the 2013 historical drama film 12 Years a Slave and as Abby Gerhard in the 2015 drama film Carol . Both films received widespread critical acclaim and were nominated for multiple Academy Awards .   In 2011 , Paulson began starring in the FX anthology series American Horror Story , playing different characters in each of the show 's six seasons . For her work throughout the series , she has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards -LRB- 2013 -- 16 -RRB- and won two Critics ' Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries -LRB- 2013 and 2015 -RRB- . In 2016 , Paulson portrayed real life prosecutor Marcia Clark in the first season of the anthology series American Crime Story , subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson . For her work in the series , she has been awarded the Critics ' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries , Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie , TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama , and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Miniseries or Television Film as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie .   According to Time magazine , she is one of the 100 most influential people of the year 2017 .