Melissa Leo
Melissa Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in 1985, for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Ingenue/Woman in the Drama Series “All My Children”. Her most notable role as was as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on “Homicide: Life on the Street” for the show's first five seasons from 1993–1997. Following several films, Leo received critical acclaim and national attention in earning several nominations and awards, including an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Leo earned several awards for her role as Alice Ward in the critically acclaimed film, “The Fighter” (2010). For this role Leo won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Leo currently appears on the television series Treme. Leo currently resides in Stone Ridge, New York and two sons John Matthew Heard (born 1987), and Adam (adopted - born 1984).
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · The Knife as Detective Carlsen
- 2025 · Guns Up as Michael Temple
- 2025 · King Ivory as Ginger Greene
- 2024 · Long Gone Heroes as Olivia
- 2024 · The Clean Up Crew as Siobhan
- 2023 · The Equalizer 3 as Susan Plummer
- 2022 · Jane as Principal Rhodes
- 2022 · Measure of Revenge as Lillian
- 2021 · Thunder Force as Allie
- 2020 · I Know This Much Is True as Concettina Ipolita Tempesta 'Ma' Birdsey
- 2019 · Dolly Parton's Heartstrings as Amelia Meegers
- 2018 · The Equalizer 2 as Susan Plummer
- 2018 · Furlough as Joan Anderson
- 2018 · The Ashram as Chandra
- 2016 · Snowden as Laura Poitras
- 2016 · London Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
- 2015 · The Big Short as Georgia Hale
- 2015 · Wayward Pines as Nurse Pam
- 2014 · The Equalizer as Susan Plummer
- 2014 · BoJack Horseman as Ma Nguyen (voice)
- 2014 · The Angriest Man in Brooklyn as Bette Altmann
- 2014 · Broad City as Lori
- 2013 · Prisoners as Holly Jones
- 2013 · The Arsenio Hall Show as Self
- 2013 · Oblivion as Sally
- 2013 · Olympus Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
- 2013 · Charlie Countryman as Kate
- 2012 · Flight as Ellen Block
- 2012 · Why Stop Now? as Penny
- 2011 · The Space Between as Montine
- 2011 · Red State as Sara
- 2011 · Mildred Pierce as Lucy Gessler
- 2010 · The Fighter as Alice Ward
- 2010 · Conviction as Nancy Taylor
- 2010 · The Dry Land as Martha
- 2010 · Treme as
- 2010 · Treme as Toni Bernette
- 2009 · Everybody's Fine as Colleen
- 2008 · The Alphabet Killer as Kathy Walsh
- 2008 · Righteous Kill as Cheryl
- 2008 · Santa Mesa as Maggie
- 2008 · Lullaby as Stephanie
- 2007 · Racing Daylight as Sadie / Anna
- 2007 · Hollywood Dreams as Aunt Bee
- 2006 · The House Is Burning as Mrs. Miller
- 2006 · Shark as
- 2005 · Criminal Minds as Sheriff Georgia Davis
- 2005 · American Gun as Louise
- 2005 · Hide and Seek as Laura
- 2004 · Veronica Mars as Julia Smith
- 2004 · The L Word as Winnie Mann
- 2003 · Cold Case as Tayna Raymes (1994 & 2007)
- 2003 · 21 Grams as Marianne Jordan
- 2001 · Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Maureen Curtis
- 2000 · CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Sybil Perez
- 2000 · Homicide: The Movie as Kay Howard
- 1994 · Scarlett as
- 1993 · The Ballad of Little Jo as Beatrice Grey
- 1993 · Homicide: Life on the Street as Kay Howard
- 1992 · Immaculate Conception as Hannah
- 1990 · Law & Order as Donna Cheponis
- 1990 · Law & Order as Defense Attorney Alice Sutton
- 1990 · Law & Order as Sherri Quinn
- 1989 · The Young Riders as Emma Shannon
- 1988 · A Time of Destiny as Josie Larraneta
- 1986 · Deadtime Stories as Judith 'MaMa' Baer
- 1985 · Spenser: For Hire as
- 1985 · The Equalizer as Irina Dzershinsky
- 1984 · Miami Vice as
- Future · Passenger as
- 2024 · AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence as
- 2022 · Bonnie as Self
- 2022 · Alone Together as Deborah
- 2022 · Coast as Olivia
- 2021 · Ida Red as Ida ‘Red’ Walker
- 2021 · Body Brokers as Dr. White
- 2018 · Unlovable as Maddie
- 2018 · The Parting Glass as Al
- 2018 · Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer as Narrator
- 2017 · Novitiate as Reverend Mother
- 2017 · The View from Up Here as
- 2017 · I'm Dying Up Here as Goldie
- 2017 · The Most Hated Woman in America as Madalyn Murray O'Hair
- 2016 · All the Way as Lady Bird Johnson
- 2016 · Burn Country as Gloria
- 2015 · Damnation: The Flashback as Noda Marra
- 2015 · After the Spill as Narrator
- 2015 · The Butterfly, The Harp, and The Timepiece as Papillon
- 2015 · She's The Best Thing in It as Self
- 2015 · The Ever After as Penny
- 2014 · Dwegons and Leprechauns as Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald
- 2013 · Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · Call Me Crazy: A Five Film as Robin
- 2013 · Bottled Up as Fay
- 2012 · Francine as Francine
- 2011 · Seven Days in Utopia as Lily
- 2011 · The Sea Is All I Know as Sara
- 2010 · Queen of the Lot as Aunt Bee
- 2010 · Welcome to the Rileys as Lois Riley
- 2009 · According to Greta as Karen
- 2009 · Dear Lemon Lima as Mrs. Howard
- 2009 · Veronika Decides to Die as Mari
- 2009 · Don McKay as Marie
- 2009 · True Adolescents as Sharon Mitchell
- 2009 · Stephanie's Image as Stephanie
- 2008 · Frozen River as Ray Eddy
- 2007 · Black Irish as Margaret McKay
- 2007 · Mr. Woodcock as Sally Jansen
- 2007 · I Believe in America as Soto
- 2007 · The Cake Eaters as Ceci Kimbrough
- 2007 · Dear Lemon Lima as Mrs. Howard
- 2007 · Stephanie Daley as Miri Daley
- 2007 · Midnight Son as Rita
- 2007 · Bomb as
- 2007 · One Night as Wendy
- 2006 · The Limbo Room as KC Collins
- 2005 · The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada as Rachel
- 2005 · Runaway as Lisa Adler
- 2005 · Confess as Agnes Lessor
- 2004 · From Other Worlds as Miriam
- 2000 · Fear of Fiction as Sigrid Anderssen
- 1999 · Code of Ethics as Jo DeAngelo
- 1999 · The 24 Hour Woman as Dr. Suzanne Pincus
- 1998 · Legacy as
- 1997 · Who Is Henry Jaglom? as Self
- 1995 · Last Summer in the Hamptons as Trish Axelrod
- 1992 · By a Thread as Helen
- 1990 · The Bride in Black as Mary Margaret
- 1985 · Always … But Not Forever as Peggy
- Future · Ron Forever as Hilda
- 1995 · In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice as Carol Manning
- 1992 · Venice/Venice as Peggy
- 1991 · Carolina Skeletons as Cassie
- 1989 · Nasty Boys as Katie Morrissey
- 1989 · Nasty Boys as Katie Morrissey
- 1985 · Silent Witness as Patti Mullen
- 1985 · Streetwalkin' as Cookie
- 1984 · I'm Only There... as Maggie