Actress Sarah Paulson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday, with a number of entertainment industry insiders attending and speaking at the star-unveiling ceremony.
The star for the Emmy-winning actress is placed at 6533 Hollywood Blvd., near Hudson Avenue, next to that of Ryan Murphy, a creator, executive and director for TV shows, including “All’s Fair” and “American Horror Story,” in which Paulson appeared.
While accepting the star, Paulson thanked her friends and colleagues and called Murphy the man who saw her “potential before anyone else on Planet Earth.”
“Mr. Ryan Murphy, the person who is most responsible for my being here today, the person who no only believed in me but always gave me one thing that separates a dreaming actor to a working on: opportunity,” Paulson said. “Ryan, in the world of dreams coming true, that happened on the day you chose me.”
Murphy congratulated Paulson, describing her as an actor with depth with an ability to play any character.
“The thing that impresses me the most about Sarah Paulson is her autonomy,” Murphy said. “The fact that she did it the hard way on her own, a rare combination of passion and grit that made her one of the greatest actresses in the world.”
Paulson’s partner and fellow Emmy-winner Holland Taylor spoke at the ceremony, praising Paulson’s artistry and dedication while calling her a “loving, loyal person.”
“She will fearlessly rush to play people who are discredited, pitied and despised. Horrible, mean people, twisted overlooked, misjudged,” Taylor said. “The result sis she is their defender, their rescuer, their restitution. It turns out her secret skill as an actor is her own humanity.”
Taylor, who has been in a relationship with Paulson since 2015, needed the speech by saying, “I love you, darling.”
The star is the 2,829th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the initial 1,558 stars.
The ceremony comes during the first season of the Hulu legal drama “All’s Fair,” in which Paulson is a cast member and an executive producer.
Steve Nissen, Amanda Peet, Sarah Paulson, Ryan Murphy and Jerry Neuman at the ceremony honoring Sarah Paulson with a Star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame on December 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
Born Dec. 17, 1974 in Tampa, Florida, and raised in New York City, Paulson made her Broadway debut during the 1993-94 run of the original production of “The Sisters Rosensweig” as the replacement understudy for Amy Ryan in the role of teenage idealist Tess Goode.
Paulson made her television debut in a 1994 episode of “Law & Order” as the stepdaughter of a man suspected of killing his wife.
Her film debut came in the 1997 fantasy drama “Levitation,” starring as a pregnant teenager who searches for her biological mother with the help of a guardian angel.
Paulson’s first role as a series cast member came in the 1995-96 CBS horror series “American Gothic” as the slain sister of an orphan (Lucas Black) who appears to him as a ghost to guide him in the right direction.
She received her Emmy in 2016 for outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie for her portrayal of prosecutor Marcia Clark in “The People v O.J. Simpson,” the first season of the FX biographical crime drama anthology series “American Crime Story,” in which Murphy was among the executive producers and directors.
The nomination was one of two Paulson received in 2016. She was also nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or movie for her two roles in “American Horror Story: Hotel,” for which Murphy was the showrunner.
Paulson received her first Emmy nomination in 2012 for outstanding supporting actress in a miniseries or movie for her portrayal of Nicolle Wallace, the director of communications for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign in the HBO movie, “Game Change.”
Her most recent Emmy nod came in 2024 for outstanding guest actress in a drama series for her role as a therapist in the Amazon Prime Video spy series, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”
Paulson’s other television credits include the title role in the Netflix “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” prequel “Ratched,” which Murphy developed; recurring roles on the HBO Western “Deadwood” and FX on Hulu comedy-drama “The Bear” and as the female lead in the 2009 ABC comedy-drama “Cupid.”
Her other film credits include “Ocean’s 8”; ”12 Years a Slave”; “The Post” and “Martha Marcy May Marlene.”
Paulson won the Tony Award for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play in 2024 for her portrayal of the oldest sibling of a dysfunctional family as they return to a decaying plantation mansion in Arkansas to battle over their recently deceased father’s inheritance in “Appropriate.”
