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
- 2026 · Passenger as
- 2025 · The Knife as Detective Carlsen
- 2025 · Guns Up as Michael Temple
- 2025 · King Ivory as Ginger Greene
- 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 · 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 · Unlovable as Maddie
- 2018 · The Equalizer 2 as Susan Plummer
- 2018 · The Parting Glass as Al
- 2018 · Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer as Narrator
- 2018 · Furlough as Joan Anderson
- 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 · Burn Country as Gloria
- 2016 · London Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
- 2015 · The Big Short as Georgia Hale
- 2015 · After the Spill as Narrator
- 2015 · The Butterfly, The Harp, and The Timepiece as Papillon
- 2014 · The Angriest Man in Brooklyn as Bette Altmann
- 2014 · Dwegons and Leprechauns as Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald
- 2013 · Bottled Up as Fay
- 2013 · Charlie Countryman as Kate
- 2011 · The Space Between as Montine
- 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
- 2010 · The Dry Land as Martha
- 2009 · According to Greta as Karen
- 2009 · Veronika Decides to Die as Mari
- 2009 · Don McKay as Marie
- 2008 · The Alphabet Killer as Kathy Walsh
- 2008 · Frozen River as Ray Eddy
- 2008 · Santa Mesa as Maggie
- 2008 · Lullaby as Stephanie
- 2007 · Mr. Woodcock as Sally Jansen
- 2007 · The Cake Eaters as Ceci Kimbrough
- 2007 · Stephanie Daley as Miri Daley
- 2006 · The House Is Burning as Mrs. Miller
- 2005 · The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada as Rachel
- 2005 · Confess as Agnes Lessor
- 2005 · American Gun as Louise
- 2000 · Homicide: The Movie as Kay Howard
- 1995 · Last Summer in the Hamptons as Trish Axelrod
- 1992 · Venice/Venice as Peggy
- 1989 · Nasty Boys as Katie Morrissey
- 1988 · A Time of Destiny as Josie Larraneta
- Future · Ron Forever as Hilda
- 2015 · Damnation: The Flashback as Noda Marra
- 2015 · Wayward Pines as Nurse Pam
- 2015 · She's The Best Thing in It as Self
- 2015 · The Ever After as Penny
- 2014 · The Equalizer as Susan Plummer
- 2014 · BoJack Horseman as Ma Nguyen (voice)
- 2014 · Broad City as Lori
- 2013 · Prisoners as Holly Jones
- 2013 · The Arsenio Hall Show as Self
- 2013 · Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · Call Me Crazy: A Five Film as Robin
- 2013 · Oblivion as Sally
- 2013 · Olympus Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
- 2012 · Francine as Francine
- 2012 · Why Stop Now? as Penny
- 2012 · Flight as Ellen Block
- 2011 · Red State as Sara
- 2011 · Mildred Pierce as Lucy Gessler
- 2010 · The Fighter as Alice Ward
- 2010 · Conviction as Nancy Taylor
- 2010 · Treme as
- 2010 · Treme as Toni Bernette
- 2009 · Everybody's Fine as Colleen
- 2009 · Dear Lemon Lima as Mrs. Howard
- 2009 · True Adolescents as Sharon Mitchell
- 2009 · Stephanie's Image as Stephanie
- 2008 · Righteous Kill as Cheryl
- 2007 · Black Irish as Margaret McKay
- 2007 · Racing Daylight as Sadie / Anna
- 2007 · I Believe in America as Soto
- 2007 · Hollywood Dreams as Aunt Bee
- 2007 · Dear Lemon Lima as Mrs. Howard
- 2007 · Midnight Son as Rita
- 2007 · Bomb as
- 2007 · One Night as Wendy
- 2006 · Shark as Elizabeth Rourke
- 2006 · The Limbo Room as KC Collins
- 2005 · Criminal Minds as Sheriff Georgia Davis
- 2005 · Runaway as Lisa Adler
- 2005 · Hide and Seek as Laura
- 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 · 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 · In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice as Carol Manning
- 1994 · Scarlett as Suellen O'Hara Benteen
- 1993 · The Ballad of Little Jo as Beatrice Grey
- 1993 · Homicide: Life on the Street as Kay Howard
- 1992 · By a Thread as Helen
- 1992 · Immaculate Conception as Hannah
- 1991 · Carolina Skeletons as Cassie
- 1990 · The Bride in Black as Mary Margaret
- 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 · Silent Witness as Patti Mullen
- 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
- Future · The Rooster Prince as Elaine