Sarah Catharine Paulson is an American film, stage, and television actress. She began acting on stage, and in the 1990s starred in American Gothic , and Jack & Jill . She later appeared in comedy films such as What Women Want and Down with Love , and had dramatic roles in Path to War and The Notorious Bettie Page . 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 was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. In 2008, she starred as Ellen Dolan in the superhero noir film The Spirit.