Sarah Paulson

Although this winning player made her professional debut at age 12 in an off-Broadway show, Paulson would have to wait two decades before landing her breakout role on Aaron Sorkin's flawed dramedy Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Not that the versatile actress ever lacked for work. After studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the eager twentysomething appeared on stage and in TV guest spots, and in 1995 she snagged her first small-screen lead — a dead woman trying to protect her brother from beyond the grave on the cult fantasy series American Gothic. Unfortunately, the show was short-lived, just like most of her future small-screen projects (the sitcom Leap of Faith, the tepid legal drama The D.A.). Only the relationship dramedy Jack & Jill, which lasted three seasons, showed some life. In between screen jobs, Paulson continued to appear on the stage, making a splash in the off-Broadway blood bath Killer Joe, written by her then-boyfriend Tracy Letts. In 1999, she made her feature-film debut as a lesbian in the insipid drama The Other Sister, and the role proved prophetic: While filming the indie Swimmers, she fell in love with costar Cherry Jones. Although they never spoke publicly about their relationship, they were quite affectionate in public and even attended the 2005 Tony Awards together. When Jones won the award for her work in the play Doubt, she said, "Laura Winfield, I share this with you," a reference to the character Paulson was playing in the Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie. After a stint on Deadwood, Paulson signed on to Studio 60 as a sketch-comedy star who also happens to be a devout Christian, a character reportedly inspired by series creator Aaron Sorkin's ex-girlfriend Kristin Chenoweth. Paulson was extremely sympathetic in the difficult and potentially off-putting part, and come awards season, she was the only member of the starry cast (which included Matthew Perry, Steven Weber and Amanda Peet) to be recognized for her work.