Melissa Leo

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

136

Gender

Female

Birthday

1960-09-14 (64 years old)

Place of Birth

New York City, New York, USA

Also Known As

  • Margaret May
  • Melissa Chessington Leo
  • 멜리사 레오
  • ملیسا لیو

Melissa Leo

Biography

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

Prisoners
8.1%

Prisoners

Sep 19, 2013

Oblivion
6.7%

Oblivion

Apr 10, 2013

The Equalizer
7.3%

The Equalizer

Sep 24, 2014

The Big Short
7.4%

The Big Short

Dec 11, 2015

Olympus Has Fallen
6.4%

Olympus Has Fallen

Mar 20, 2013

Flight
6.8%

Flight

Nov 2, 2012

The Equalizer 2
6.8%

The Equalizer 2

Jul 19, 2018

London Has Fallen
6.2%

London Has Fallen

Mar 2, 2016

The Fighter
7.4%

The Fighter

Dec 10, 2010

Snowden
7.1%

Snowden

Sep 15, 2016

Criminal Minds
8.3%

Criminal Minds

Sep 22, 2005

The Equalizer 3
7.3%

The Equalizer 3

Aug 30, 2023

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Acting

Untitled André Øvredal Horror Film
2025
King Ivory as Ginger Greene
2024
AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence
2024
Long Gone Heroes as Olivia
2024
The Clean Up Crew as Siobhan
2024
The Knife as Detective Carlsen
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
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
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
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
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
Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy as Narrator (voice)
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
Francine as Francine
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
The Sea Is All I Know 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
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
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
Black Irish as Margaret McKay
2007
Mr. Woodcock as Sally Jansen
2007
Racing Daylight as Sadie / Anna
2007
I Believe in America as Soto
2007
Hollywood Dreams as Aunt Bee
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
2007
One Night as Wendy
2006
The House Is Burning as Mrs. Miller
2006
Shark
2006
The Limbo Room as KC Collins
2005
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada as Rachel
2005
Criminal Minds as Sheriff Georgia Davis
2005
American Gun as Louise
2005
Runaway as Lisa Adler
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
Fear of Fiction as Sigrid Anderssen
2000
Homicide: The Movie as Kay Howard
1999
Code of Ethics as Jo DeAngelo
1999
The 24 Hour Woman as Dr. Suzanne Pincus
1998
Legacy
1997
Who Is Henry Jaglom? as Self
1995
Last Summer in the Hamptons as Trish Axelrod
1995
In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice as Carol Manning
1994
Scarlett
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
1992
Venice/Venice as Peggy
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
Nasty Boys as Katie Morrissey
1989
The Young Riders as Emma Shannon
1988
A Time of Destiny as Josie Larraneta
1986
Deadtime Stories as Judith 'MaMa' Baer
1985
Silent Witness as Patti Mullen
1985
Always … But Not Forever as Peggy
1985
Spenser: For Hire
1985
Streetwalkin' as Cookie
1985
The Equalizer as Irina Dzershinsky
1984
Miami Vice
1984
I'm Only There... as Maggie

Production

2018
Furlough as Producer
2013
Bottled Up as Producer
Movies
TV Shows
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Melissa Leo