Here’s every character Jessica Lange played on American Horror Story. Lange was one of the go-to actresses for the series creator, Ryan Murphy. The horror anthology is heading into season 9, subtitled 1984, with season 10 having already been confirmed.
Lange is considered one of the most iconic actresses of the generation. Her decades of notable work provided Murphy with some star power when American Horror Story made its debut. Lange served as the AHS queen for the first handful of seasons before making a special guest appearance down the line. During her absence on the series, Lange starred as Joan Crawford on Murphy’s fellow FX series, Feud.
There’s no indication that Lange will appear in American Horror Story: 1984 and it’s unclear if the actress will be involved in any future seasons. Viewers have hoped that she will return to the season in a more prominent role. Considering her frequent collaboration with Murphy, it’s possible that her time on AHS isn’t over.
Constance Langdon In American Horror Story: Murder House
Lange made her American Horror Story debut with the show’s premiere season in 2011. She played Constance Langdon, the neighbor of the Harmon family and the former owner of the infamous Murder House. Constance had four children, two of which - Tate and Beauregard - were ghosts inside the Harmon’s new house. She shared a bit of the house’s history while revealing some of her own secrets. Constance killed the maid when she lived in the house, and the woman’s ghost still worked for the Harmons. After Tate impregnated Vivien, the Harmon family matriarch, Constance took her grandson and raised him outside of the Murder House. But that wouldn’t be the last of Constance in American Horror Story.
Sister Jude Martin In American Horror Story: Asylum
The actress returned for American Horror Story season 2 in the role as Sister Jude, the nun that oversaw the doctors and patients at Briarcliff. She was very strict but after the mistreatment of her own, she vowed to right some of her wrongs. After investigating one of the doctors as being a Nazi, Jude found herself admitted to the asylum as a patient. Lana had plans to help get Jude out but the asylum tried to keep Jude’s presence a secret. Jude fell into insanity, but she eventually left Briarcliff. Fellow inmate, Kit Walker, took care of her and helped her through her detox. Jude bonded with Kit’s children and taught them a great deal before she passed away.
Fiona Goode In American Horror Story: Coven
In American Horror Story: Coven, Lange portrayed Fiona Goode, the current Supreme which stood as the title of the leader of the Salem descendants. Fiona returned to Miss Robichaux’s Academy to prepare the next generation of witches. Her daughter, Cordelia, was the current headmistress, and the two had a rocky relationship. Fiona craved power but she started to weaken, meaning a new witch was rising to become the Supreme. She later found out that she had terminal cancer, so she tried to find immortality through voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. When that didn’t work, she killed some of the students to prevent a new Supreme from emerging. She eventually died and was stuck in her own personal hell.
Elsa Mars In American Horror Story: Freak Show
Lange’s most recent appearance as a lead came in American Horror Story season 4, Freak Show. The actress portrayed Elsa Mars, the manager of the freak show in Jupiter, Florida. Elsa was brutally mutilated in Germany and lost both of her legs. She moved to the United States and tried to make it as a singer when she realized how awful some people treated performers. She then gathered her own group of “freaks” for a separate show. Elsa was later overcome with jealousy, and she turned on some of her fellow freaks. The tension led her to sell the freak show, so that she could pursue a career in Hollywood. In the years that followed, it was revealed that Elsa’s variety show became a hit until her past life was uncovered. She ended up offering herself to Edward Mordrake and was taken to an afterlife that reunited her with her old performers.
Constance Langdon In American Horror Story: Apocalypse
Lange reprised her role as Constance for American Horror Story season 8, Apocalypse. Constance appeared in the episode that featured Madison and Behold investigating the Murder House to dig up details on Michael Langdon, aka the Antichrist. At the end of Murder House, Michael’s murderous tendencies were teased. Constance revealed that Michael’s disturbing behavior continued. When he seemingly aged ten years overnight, Constance knew something was wrong. She realized her grandson was a monster; she went to the Murder House and overdosed so that her spirit could be reunited with her children. When Mallory went back in time, she ran over Michael with a car at the time Constance was contemplating suicide. She ultimately decided to let Michael succumb to his wounds and rewrote her own fate, as well as the fate of the rest of the world.
Next: American Horror Story Timeline: When Each Season Takes Place
