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
- 2027 · Supermax as
- 2026 · Passenger as Diana Larson
- 2025 · The Knife as Detective Carlsen
- 2025 · Guns Up as Michael Temple
- 2025 · King Ivory as Ginger Greene
- 2022 · Bonnie as Self
- 2022 · Coast as Olivia
- 2018 · Unlovable as Maddie
- 2018 · The Parting Glass as Al
- 2018 · Furlough as Joan Anderson
- 2016 · Burn Country as Gloria
- 2015 · She's The Best Thing in It as Self
- 2013 · Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · Bottled Up as Fay
- 2012 · Why Stop Now? as Penny
- 2012 · Francine as Francine
- 2011 · The Sea Is All I Know as Sara
- 2010 · Queen of the Lot as Aunt Bee
- 2009 · According to Greta as Karen
- 2009 · Don McKay as Marie
- 2007 · Black Irish as Margaret McKay
- 2007 · Stephanie Daley as Miri Daley
- 2007 · One Night as Wendy
- 2005 · American Gun as Louise
- 2000 · Homicide: The Movie as Kay Howard
- 1997 · Who Is Henry Jaglom? as Self
- 1993 · The Ballad of Little Jo as Beatrice Grey
- Future · The Rooster Prince as Elaine
- 2007 · I Believe in America as Soto
- 2004 · From Other Worlds as Miriam
- 2000 · Fear of Fiction as Sigrid Anderssen
- 1999 · The 24 Hour Woman as Dr. Suzanne Pincus
- 1992 · Venice/Venice as Peggy
- 1991 · Carolina Skeletons as Cassie
- 1990 · The Bride in Black as Mary Margaret
- 1989 · Nasty Boys as Katie Morrissey
- 1988 · A Time of Destiny as Josie Larraneta
- 1986 · Deadtime Stories as Judith 'MaMa' Baer
- Future · Mother Wolf as Babs
- 2024 · AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence as
- 2024 · The Clean Up Crew as Siobhan
- 2024 · Long Gone Heroes as Olivia
- 2023 · The Equalizer 3 as Susan Plummer
- 2022 · Jane as Principal Rhodes
- 2022 · Alone Together as Deborah
- 2022 · Measure of Revenge as Lillian
- 2021 · Ida Red as Ida ‘Red’ Walker
- 2021 · Thunder Force as Allie
- 2021 · Body Brokers as Dr. White
- 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 · Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer as Narrator
- 2018 · The Ashram as Chandra
- 2017 · Novitiate as Reverend Mother
- 2017 · The View from Up Here as Claire
- 2017 · I'm Dying Up Here as Goldie
- 2017 · The Most Hated Woman in America as Madalyn Murray O'Hair
- 2016 · Snowden as Laura Poitras
- 2016 · All the Way as Lady Bird Johnson
- 2016 · London Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
- 2015 · The Big Short as Georgia Hale
- 2015 · Damnation: The Flashback as Noda Marra
- 2015 · After the Spill as Narrator
- 2015 · The Butterfly, The Harp, and The Timepiece as Papillon
- 2015 · Wayward Pines as Nurse Pam
- 2015 · The Ever After as Penny
- 2014 · The Equalizer as Susan Plummer
- 2014 · BoJack Horseman as Ma Nguyen (voice)
- 2014 · The Angriest Man in Brooklyn as Bette Altmann
- 2014 · Dwegons and Leprechauns as Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald
- 2014 · Broad City as Lori
- 2013 · Prisoners as Holly Jones
- 2013 · The Arsenio Hall Show as Self
- 2013 · Call Me Crazy: A Five Film as Robin
- 2013 · Oblivion as Sally
- 2013 · Olympus Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
- 2013 · Charlie Countryman as Kate
- 2012 · Flight as Ellen Block
- 2011 · The Space Between as Montine McLeod
- 2011 · Seven Days in Utopia as Lily
- 2011 · Red State as Sara
- 2011 · Mildred Pierce as Lucy Gessler
- 2010 · The Fighter as Alice Ward
- 2010 · Welcome to the Rileys as Lois Riley
- 2010 · Conviction as Nancy Taylor
- 2010 · The Dry Land as Martha
- 2010 · Treme as Toni Bernette
- 2009 · Everybody's Fine as Colleen
- 2009 · Dear Lemon Lima as Mrs. Howard
- 2009 · Veronika Decides to Die as Mari
- 2009 · True Adolescents as Sharon Mitchell
- 2009 · Stephanie's Image as Stephanie
- 2008 · The Alphabet Killer as Kathy Walsh
- 2008 · Righteous Kill as Cheryl
- 2008 · Frozen River as Ray Eddy
- 2008 · Santa Mesa as Maggie
- 2008 · Lullaby as Stephanie
- 2007 · Mr. Woodcock as Sally Jansen
- 2007 · Racing Daylight as Sadie / Anna
- 2007 · Hollywood Dreams as Aunt Bee
- 2007 · The Cake Eaters as Ceci Kimbrough
- 2007 · Dear Lemon Lima as Mrs. Howard
- 2007 · Midnight Son as Rita
- 2007 · Bomb as
- 2006 · The House Is Burning as Mrs. Miller
- 2006 · Shark as Elizabeth Rourke
- 2006 · The Limbo Room as KC Collins
- 2005 · The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada as Rachel
- 2005 · Confess as Agnes Lessor
- 2005 · Criminal Minds as Sheriff Georgia Davis
- 2005 · Runaway as Lisa Adler
- 2005 · Hide and Seek as Laura
- 2004 · Veronica Mars as Julia Smith
- 2004 · The L Word as Winnie Mann
- 2003 · 21 Grams as Marianne Jordan
- 2003 · Cold Case as Tayna Raymes (1994 & 2007)
- 2001 · Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Maureen Curtis
- 2000 · CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Sybil Perez
- 1999 · Code of Ethics as Jo DeAngelo
- 1998 · Legacy as Emma Bradford
- 1998 · Under the bridge as Kathy
- 1995 · Last Summer in the Hamptons as Trish Axelrod
- 1995 · In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice as Carol Manning
- 1995 · Garden as Elizabeth
- 1994 · Scarlett as Suellen O'Hara Benteen
- 1993 · Homicide: Life on the Street as Kay Howard
- 1992 · Immaculate Conception as Hannah
- Future · The Mannequin as
- 1992 · By a Thread as Helen
- 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
- 1985 · Silent Witness as Patti Mullen
- Future · Ron Forever as Hilda
- 1985 · Always … But Not Forever as Peggy
- 1985 · Spenser: For Hire as
- 1985 · Streetwalkin' as Cookie
- 1985 · The Equalizer as Irina Dzershinsky
- 1984 · Miami Vice as Kathleen Gilfords
- 1984 · I'm Only There... as Maggie