Actors Who Have Appeared In The Most AHS Seasons

Ryan Murphy is known for repeatedly working with certain actors across his many different series. This trait is never more evident than it is on "American Horror Story," where co-creator Murphy not only features actors he's worked with on other programs, he writes new parts for them in season after season of the celebrated anthology series as well.

Curious about which actors have appeared on the most seasons of "American Horror Story," we decided to compile a list. As it turns out, there are so many recurring actors on this sinister show, we had to leave out everyone without at least five seasons to their name. This means some of the actors most closely associated with "American Horror Story" missed the cut, including Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Taissa Farmiga, Dylan McDermott, and Cheyenne Jackson, all of whom appear in four seasons of the show. "Wow," you might be thinking, "without names like that, how can there possibly be enough left over for a list?" In fact, that cut-off still leaves us with a whopping 12 performers. These are the actors who have appeared on the most seasons of "American Horror Story," ranked from the most prolific to the least.

Sarah Paulson has appeared on nine seasons of "American Horror Story," though she's only a main cast member in eight of them. She does not appear in "1984," and plays medium Billie Dean Howard in "Murder House," "Hotel," and "Apocalypse." Paulson has a tendency to play many characters per season, a trend that starts in "Hotel" and continues through every successive season (minus "1984"). Paulson has been rewarded for her work on "American Horror Story" with five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Critics Choice Television Awards, among other accolades.

Murphy has cast Paulson in many of his other projects, including "Ratched," "Feud: Bette and Joan," and multiple seasons of "American Crime Story." The two met back in 2004 when he cast her in an episode of "Nip/Tuck" (via Elle). Murphy actually wanted to cast Paulson in "Glee" as Emma (a role that eventually went to Jayma Mays), but prior commitments got in the way. Their bond is immensely strong: "I feel like, you know what? I don't know why I got this opportunity. I don't know why I was gifted with this person," Murphy told Elle Magazine, regarding Paulson. "But I know we're on the highway, and we're not getting off until there's a crash."

Frances Conroy first garnered widespread acclaim as Ruth Fisher on "Six Feet Under," a drama centered around a family-run funeral home. Who could have guessed her career would go on to include even more dead bodies? Conroy has appeared on eight seasons of "American Horror Story." Surprisingly, she's only been a main cast member in three of those seasons: "Coven," "Freak Show," and "Double Feature." Despite this somewhat smaller presence, her work on the show has earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Conroy's first brush with the Murphy-verse came when she appeared on an episode of "Nip/Tuck" back in 2010. Though she's since become a fixture of his work, the actress isn't as into horror as the rest of us. "I haven't seen some of the episodes [of "American Horror Story"] because I was so freaked out reading some of them that I couldn't bear the thought of seeing them on TV," she told The Hollywood Reporter. It even took a while for the show's sinister vibes to wear off: "It did get under my skin, and it did take a little while to let it go. Between the fact that you get physically and mentally tired, the emotional stuff stays with you, and you can't help that."

While wider Hollywood might spurn actresses over 40, no matter how talented they are, Murphy loves putting them at the center of his work. So, when he first cast Kathy Bates on Season 3 of "American Horror Story," it fit his M.O. All told, Bates has starred on five seasons of the show: "Coven, "Freak Show," "Hotel," "Roanoke," and "Apocalypse." Bates has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for this work, winning once for playing Delphine LaLaurie in "Coven." She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her part in "Freak Show," and two Critics Choice Television Awards for "Coven" and "Hotel."

As Bates told Entertainment Tonight in 2014, Ryan Murphy has played a very special role in her life, following a cancer diagnosis and the 2012 cancelation of her show, "Harry's Law."  "Life is good now, and that's due in no small part to him," she remarked. "I don't know where he gets these amazing characters in his head, but I feel so lucky to have played two now. I'm so proud of all of us. I think this year has a very exciting ensemble, and it's been fun to go to work and be with lots of different people every day. I just feel blessed." Since this interview went live, Bates has appeared in plenty more seasons of the scary series, as well as five episodes of Murphy's acclaimed miniseries, "Feud: Bette and Joan."

Emma Roberts has appeared on five seasons of "American Horror Story." She portrays a main character in "Coven," "Freak Show," "Apocalypse," and "1984," and a recurring one in "Cult." Like so many stars of the series, Roberts has portrayed a huge range of figures during her time on "American Horror Story" — pure-hearted young women, cold-blooded actresses, and complex con artists are all part of her repertoire.

In a 2018 interview with Collider, Roberts reflected on the "extremes" of the series. "It's so fun! Sometimes Sarah [Paulson] and I just start laughing and get laugh attacks because we are struck by the absurdity of what we have to do, in that moment," the actress remarked. "There was a time where I was FaceTime-ing my friends, and I forgot that I was covered in blood, and they were like, 'Oh, my god! What happened?' And I was like, 'Oh, sorry, this is the new normal for me. I didn't realize you needed a heads up that I literally had blood all over my face. I'm just working.'" In addition to "American Horror Story," Roberts also stars on Murphy's satirical series, "Scream Queens." There, she plays Chanel, a sorority queen not unlike Madison Montgomery.

Finn Wittrock is one of Murphy's most frequent collaborators. He has appeared in memorable roles in "The Normal Heart," "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story," and "Ratched." And then there's "American Horror Story," in which Wittrock has played a number of key roles. Wittrock can be found on five of the 10 seasons, including leading roles in "Freak Show" and "Double Feature." He also appeared in "Hotel," "Roanoke," and "1984," in a guest or recurring capacity. "I wish other people could hear the pitch that [Murphy] makes to the actors," Wittrock told Collider in 2020. "It's the reason that he gets all of these amazing actors to do his stuff. He's so good at selling you on a part, it's incredible."

In that same interview, Wittrock discussed how working with Murphy has impacted his career. Crucially, Murphy offered him the part of killer clown Dandy Mott on "Freak Show" while they were working together on "The Normal Heart." "He saw something in me that I didn't quite know was there," Wittrock remarked. "From that point on, it was just this domino effect of one thing and then another. I can't believe all of this time has passed by and we've created this whole working relationship. I'm just very, very blessed."

Jamie Brewer has appeared on five seasons of "American Horror Story." She is the only person on this list who has never appeared as a main character in any season: Brewer enjoyed recurring roles on "Murder House," "Coven," "Freak Show," "Cult," and "Apocalypse." While she hasn't been on the show since "Apocalypse," many fans hope she'll eventually return and finally claim a main part for herself.

Since her first appearance on "American Horror Story" in 2011, Brewer has snagged many small roles in film and television. Off-screen, she played Amy in the off-Broadway play "Amy and the Orphans," for which she earned a Drama Desk Award for Featured Actress in a Play. As an actor and model with Down syndrome, Brewer is proud of the barriers she has broken. "Having [actors with a disability] brings diversity to the projects of directors and writers. It's bringing even more diversity into their work," Brewer told Enable Magazine in 2020. "Giving actors with a disability the chance to show who they are and what they can do means being accepting and allowing growth."