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American Horror Story

American Horror Story

FX 2011

An anthology horror drama series centering on different characters and locations, including a house with a murderous past, an asylum, a witch coven, a freak show, a hotel, a farmhouse in Roanoke, a cult, the apocalypse and a summer camp.
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The Top 10 Actors and Characters of American Horror Story (Ranked Cast in 2024)

Angela Bassett

#1 - Angela Bassett (Athena Grant)

Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television since the late 1980s, she has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards. Bassett had her breakthrough portraying singer Tina Turner in the biopic What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), which won her a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. This led to starring roles as Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X (1992), as the mother of The Notorious B.I.G. in Notorious (2009), and as Amanda Waller in Green Lantern (2011). Her other notable film roles were in Boyz n the Hood (1991), Waiting to Exhale (1995), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Music of the Heart (1999), Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and London Has Fallen (2016). She has also played Queen Ramonda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). For the latter, she won a Golden Globe Award and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. On television, Bassett has starred as Katherine Jackson in the miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992). Her portrayal of Rosa Parks in the television film The Rosa Parks Story (2002) gained her a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Her performances in two seasons of the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story, earned her nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2014 and 2015. In 2018, Bassett began producing and starring as an LAPD patrol sergeant in the Fox drama series 9-1-1.

Angela Bassett plays as Athena Grant in American Horror Story.
Angela Bassett is the top #1 member of the cast and appears in 87 episodes.

Kathy Bates

#2 - Kathy Bates (Ethel Darling, Iris, Miriam Mead, Agnes Mary Winstead, Thomasyn White, Delphine LaLaurie)

Kathy Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress and director. After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery (1990), for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe. She followed this with major roles in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Dolores Claiborne (1995), before playing a featured role as Margaret "Molly" Brown in Titanic (1997). During this time she began her directing career, primarily in television. Bates received a Tony Award nomination for her 1983 performance in the Broadway play 'night, Mother. She won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in Primary Colors (1998), for which she also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for About Schmidt (2002). Her television work has resulted in eight Emmy Award nominations. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003, Bates has stated that she has made a full recovery. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kathy Bates, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia​

Kathy Bates plays as Ethel Darling, Iris, Miriam Mead, Agnes Mary Winstead, Thomasyn White, Delphine LaLaurie in American Horror Story.
Kathy Bates is the top #2 member of the cast and appears in 58 episodes.

Emma Roberts

#3 - Emma Roberts (Brooke Thompson, Madison Montgomery, Maggie Esmerelda)

Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) is an American actress, model and singer. She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts. Roberts became known for her role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon television series Unfabulous. She released her debut album, which also served as the show's soundtrack, Unfabulous and More. Roberts then began to focus on her acting career, starring in the film Aquamarine and later as the title character in the 2007 film Nancy Drew. Looking for more mature roles, Roberts appeared in the 2009 drama Lymelife and went on to several more films, often in leading roles. She was part of the acting ensemble with her aunt Julia Roberts in the 2010 film Valentine's Day. In television, she plays Madison Montgomery in American Horror Story: Coven, the third season of American Horror Story.

Emma Roberts plays as Brooke Thompson, Madison Montgomery, Maggie Esmerelda in American Horror Story.
Emma Roberts is the top #3 member of the cast and appears in 45 episodes.

Joseph Fiennes

#4 - Joseph Fiennes (Commander Fred Waterford)

Joseph Alberic Iscariot Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (born 27 May 1970) is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, and his portrayal of Mark Benford in the 2009 TV series FlashForward. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joseph Fiennes, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Joseph Fiennes plays as Commander Fred Waterford in American Horror Story.
Joseph Fiennes is the top #4 member of the cast and appears in 36 episodes.

Billie Lourd

#5 - Billie Lourd (Montana Duke, Winter Anderson, Mallory)

Billie Catherine Lourd (born July 17, 1992) is an American actress. Lourd was born in Los Angeles, California, the only child of actress Carrie Fisher and talent agent Bryan Lourd. Lourd studied religion and psychology at New York University, graduating in 2014.

Billie Lourd plays as Montana Duke, Winter Anderson, Mallory in American Horror Story.
Billie Lourd is the top #5 member of the cast and appears in 30 episodes.

Frances Conroy

#6 - Frances Conroy (Gloria Mott, Myrtle Snow)

Frances Conroy (born November 13, 1953) is an American actress. She is most widely known for playing the matriarch Ruth O'Connor Fisher Sibley on the HBO funeral drama series Six Feet Under, which earned her a Golden Globe in 2004. Description above from the Wikipedia article Frances Conroy, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Frances Conroy plays as Gloria Mott, Myrtle Snow in American Horror Story.
Frances Conroy is the top #6 member of the cast and appears in 26 episodes.

André Holland

#7 - André Holland (Dr. Algernon Edwards)

Andre Holland is an American actor. He received several accolades and widespread notice in 2016 for his performance as Kevin in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight.

André Holland plays as Dr. Algernon Edwards in American Horror Story.
André Holland is the top #7 member of the cast and appears in 20 episodes.

Cody Fern

#8 - Cody Fern (Xavier Plympton, Michael Langdon)

Cody Fern (born July 7, 1988) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his work with Ryan Murphy on the FX anthology television series American Crime Story and American Horror Story.

Cody Fern plays as Xavier Plympton, Michael Langdon in American Horror Story.
Cody Fern is the top #8 member of the cast and appears in 19 episodes.

Zachary Quinto

#9 - Zachary Quinto (Himself)

Zachary Quinto is an American actor best known for his roles as Sylar on TV's Heroes and as Spock in the Star Trek Reboot.  In 1999 Quinto graduated from Carnegie Melon's School of Drama, afterwards beginning his career as a television actor.  In 2003, he landed a recurring role on 24, appearing as a computer specialist working for CTU. Later, in 2006, he began working on Heroes, playing the evil serial killer Sylar.   In 2009 he played Spock in Star Trek, a role which he was lauded for bringing his own spin to a decades old character and a role he is set to reprise in the second film in the new series.   Like his costar Chris Pine, Zachary has taken some time to perform on stage, performing in various productions including Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.  Quinto is signed up to play George Gershwin in the Steven Spielberg directed Biopic about the composer. 

Zachary Quinto plays as Himself in American Horror Story.
Zachary Quinto is the top #9 member of the cast and appears in 18 episodes.

Cheyenne Jackson

#10 - Cheyenne Jackson (Max)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cheyenne Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. In 2005, he originated his first Broadway leading role in All Shook Up earning him a Theatre World Award for "Outstanding Broadway Debut". In films, Jackson portrayed 9/11 victim and hero Mark Bingham in the 2006 Academy Award nominated United 93 which earned him the Boston Society of Film Critics 2006 award for "Best Ensemble Cast". He has also appeared in the films Curiosity (2005), Hysteria (2010), The Green (opposite Julia Ormond and Illeana Douglas), and Price Check (with Parker Posey). On television, he is a recurring series regular on NBC's 30 Rock, portraying Danny Baker, and on Fox's Glee as Vocal Adrenaline coach Dustin Goolsby. He has also guest starred on several series including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Lipstick Jungle, Life on Mars, Law & Order, and Ugly Betty. In 2008, Jackson played series lead Sebastian Kinglare for the Lifetime Television pilot Family Practice opposite Anne Archer and Beau Bridges. The series was not picked up for distribution. Jackson has starred in several notable webisode series and in 2009 starred in a sold out one man show, "Back to the Start." In 2008, he was named Out magazine's Entertainer of the year. He is an international ambassador for amfAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research) and a national ambassador and spokesperson for The Hetrick-Martin Institute.

Cheyenne Jackson plays as Max in American Horror Story.
Cheyenne Jackson is the top #10 member of the cast and appears in 13 episodes.

Last updated: feb 12, 2023

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