Melissa Leo
September 14, 1960 (64 years old) in New York City, New York, USA
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 · Bonnie as Self
- 2022 · Jane as Principal Rhodes
- 2022 · Alone Together as Deborah
- 2022 · Coast as Olivia
- 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 · The Parting Glass as Al
- 2018 · Furlough as Joan Anderson
- 2018 · The Ashram as Chandra
- 2017 · Novitiate as Reverend Mother
- 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 · Burn Country as Gloria
- 2016 · London Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
- 2015 · The Big Short as Georgia Hale
- 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 · 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 · Bottled Up as Fay
- 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 · Seven Days in Utopia as Lily
- 2011 · Red State as Sara
- 2011 · Mildred Pierce as Lucy Gessler
- 2010 · The Fighter as Alice Ward
- 2010 · Queen of the Lot as Aunt Bee
- 2010 · Welcome to the Rileys as Lois Riley
- 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
- 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
- 2008 · The Alphabet Killer as Kathy Walsh
- 2008 · Righteous Kill as Cheryl
- 2008 · Frozen River as Ray Eddy
- 2007 · Black Irish as Margaret McKay
- 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 · Stephanie Daley as Miri Daley
- 2007 · Bomb as
- 2007 · One Night as Wendy
- 2006 · The House Is Burning as Mrs. Miller
- 2006 · Shark as
- 2005 · The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada as Rachel
- 2005 · Criminal Minds as Sheriff Georgia Davis
- 2005 · American Gun as Louise
- 2005 · Hide and Seek as Laura
- 2005 · Confess as Agnes Lessor
- 2004 · From Other Worlds as Miriam
- 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
- 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
- 1994 · Scarlett as
- 1993 · The Ballad of Little Jo as Beatrice Grey
- 1993 · Homicide: Life on the Street as Kay Howard
- 1990 · Law & Order as Donna Cheponis
- 1990 · Law & Order as Defense Attorney Alice Sutton
- 1990 · Law & Order as Sherri Quinn
- 1989 · Nasty Boys as Katie Morrissey
- 1989 · The Young Riders as Emma Shannon
- 1986 · Deadtime Stories as Judith 'MaMa' Baer
- 1985 · Spenser: For Hire as
- 1985 · Streetwalkin' as Cookie
- 1985 · The Equalizer as Irina Dzershinsky
- Future · Passenger as
- 2024 · AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence as
- 2018 · Unlovable as Maddie
- 2018 · Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer as Narrator
- 2017 · The View from Up Here as
- 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
- 2014 · Dwegons and Leprechauns as Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald
- 2013 · Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · Francine as Francine
- 2011 · The Sea Is All I Know as Sara
- 2009 · Stephanie's Image as Stephanie
- 2008 · Santa Mesa as Maggie
- 2008 · Lullaby as Stephanie
- 2007 · I Believe in America as Soto
- 2007 · Dear Lemon Lima as Mrs. Howard
- 2007 · Midnight Son as Rita
- 2006 · The Limbo Room as KC Collins
- 2005 · Runaway as Lisa Adler
- 2000 · Fear of Fiction as Sigrid Anderssen
- 1999 · Code of Ethics as Jo DeAngelo
- 1995 · In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice as Carol Manning
- 1992 · By a Thread as Helen
- 1992 · Immaculate Conception as Hannah
- 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
- 1985 · Silent Witness as Patti Mullen
- 1985 · Always … But Not Forever as Peggy
- 1984 · Miami Vice as
- 1984 · I'm Only There... as Maggie
- Future · Ron Forever as Hilda