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
- 2023 · The Equalizer 3 as Susan Plummer
- 2021 · Ida Red as Ida ‘Red’ Walker
- 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 · Furlough as Joan Anderson
- 2018 · The Ashram as Chandra
- 2017 · I'm Dying Up Here as Goldie
- 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 · 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 · Oblivion as Sally
- 2013 · Olympus Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
- 2013 · Charlie Countryman as Kate
- 2012 · Francine as Francine
- 2012 · Flight as Ellen Block
- 2011 · Seven Days in Utopia as Lily
- 2011 · Mildred Pierce as Lucy Gessler
- 2010 · The Fighter as Alice Ward
- 2010 · Queen of the Lot as Aunt Bee
- 2010 · Treme as
- 2010 · Treme as Toni Bernette
- 2009 · Everybody's Fine as Colleen
- 2009 · According to Greta as Karen
- 2009 · Don McKay as Marie
- 2008 · Frozen River as Ray Eddy
- 2008 · Santa Mesa as Maggie
- 2007 · Black Irish as Margaret McKay
- 2007 · Mr. Woodcock as Sally Jansen
- 2007 · Midnight Son as Rita
- 2007 · Bomb as
- 2006 · Shark as Elizabeth Rourke
- 2006 · The Limbo Room as KC Collins
- 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
- 1998 · Legacy as
- 1997 · Who Is Henry Jaglom? as Self
- 1994 · Scarlett as Suellen O'Hara Benteen
- 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
- 1988 · A Time of Destiny as Josie Larraneta
- 1985 · Silent Witness as Patti Mullen
- 1985 · Spenser: For Hire as
- 1985 · The Equalizer as Irina Dzershinsky
- 1984 · Miami Vice as Kathleen Gilfords
- Future · Ron Forever as Hilda
- 2026 · Passenger as
- 2024 · AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence as
- 2024 · The Clean Up Crew as Siobhan
- 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 · Thunder Force as Allie
- 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 Claire
- 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 · The Angriest Man in Brooklyn as Bette Altmann
- 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 · Why Stop Now? as Penny
- 2011 · The Space Between as Montine
- 2011 · Red State as Sara
- 2011 · The Sea Is All I Know as Sara
- 2010 · Welcome to the Rileys as Lois Riley
- 2010 · Conviction as Nancy Taylor
- 2010 · The Dry Land as Martha
- 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 · Lullaby as Stephanie
- 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 · One Night as Wendy
- 2006 · The House Is Burning as Mrs. Miller
- 2005 · The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada as Rachel
- 2005 · Confess as Agnes Lessor
- 2005 · Runaway as Lisa Adler
- 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
- 1995 · Last Summer in the Hamptons as Trish Axelrod
- 1995 · In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice as Carol Manning
- 1993 · The Ballad of Little Jo as Beatrice Grey
- 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
- 1986 · Deadtime Stories as Judith 'MaMa' Baer
- 1985 · Always … But Not Forever as Peggy
- 1985 · Streetwalkin' as Cookie
- 1984 · I'm Only There... as Maggie