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).
Gallery
Known For
Acting History
2025
The Knife as Detective Carlsen
2025Guns Up as Michael Temple
2025King Ivory as Ginger Greene
2024AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence
2024The Clean Up Crew as Siobhan
2024Long Gone Heroes as Olivia
2023The Equalizer 3 as Susan Plummer
2022Bonnie as Self
2022Jane as Principal Rhodes
2022Alone Together as Deborah
2022Coast as Olivia
2022Measure of Revenge as Lillian
2021Ida Red as Ida ‘Red’ Walker
2021Thunder Force as Allie
2021Body Brokers as Dr. White
2020I Know This Much Is True as Concettina Ipolita Tempesta 'Ma' Birdsey
2019Dolly Parton's Heartstrings as Amelia Meegers
2018Unlovable as Maddie
2018The Equalizer 2 as Susan Plummer
2018The Parting Glass as Al
2018Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer as Narrator
2018Furlough as Joan Anderson
2018The Ashram as Chandra
2017Novitiate as Reverend Mother
2017The View from Up Here as Claire
2017I'm Dying Up Here as Goldie
2017The Most Hated Woman in America as Madalyn Murray O'Hair
2016Snowden as Laura Poitras
2016All the Way as Lady Bird Johnson
2016Burn Country as Gloria
2016London Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
2015The Big Short as Georgia Hale
2015Damnation: The Flashback as Noda Marra
2015After the Spill as Narrator
2015The Butterfly, The Harp, and The Timepiece as Papillon
2015Wayward Pines as Nurse Pam
2015She's The Best Thing in It as Self
2015The Ever After as Penny
2014The Equalizer as Susan Plummer
2014BoJack Horseman as Ma Nguyen (voice)
2014The Angriest Man in Brooklyn as Bette Altmann
2014Dwegons and Leprechauns as Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald
2014Broad City as Lori
2013Prisoners as Holly Jones
2013The Arsenio Hall Show as Self
2013Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy as Self - Narrator (voice)
2013Call Me Crazy: A Five Film as Robin
2013Bottled Up as Fay
2013Oblivion as Sally
2013Olympus Has Fallen as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
2013Charlie Countryman as Kate
2012Francine as Francine
2012Why Stop Now? as Penny
2012Flight as Ellen Block
2011The Space Between as Montine
2011Seven Days in Utopia as Lily
2011Red State as Sara
2011The Sea Is All I Know as Sara
2011Mildred Pierce as Lucy Gessler
2010The Fighter as Alice Ward
2010Queen of the Lot as Aunt Bee
2010Welcome to the Rileys as Lois Riley
2010Conviction as Nancy Taylor
2010The Dry Land as Martha
2010Treme
2010Treme as Toni Bernette
2009Everybody's Fine as Colleen
2009According to Greta as Karen
2009Dear Lemon Lima as Mrs. Howard
2009Veronika Decides to Die as Mari
2009Don McKay as Marie
2009True Adolescents as Sharon Mitchell
2009Stephanie's Image as Stephanie
2008The Alphabet Killer as Kathy Walsh
2008Righteous Kill as Cheryl
2008Frozen River as Ray Eddy
2008Santa Mesa as Maggie
2008Lullaby as Stephanie
2007Black Irish as Margaret McKay
2007Mr. Woodcock as Sally Jansen
2007Racing Daylight as Sadie / Anna
2007I Believe in America as Soto
2007Hollywood Dreams as Aunt Bee
2007The Cake Eaters as Ceci Kimbrough
2007Dear Lemon Lima as Mrs. Howard
2007Stephanie Daley as Miri Daley
2007Midnight Son as Rita
2007Bomb
2007One Night as Wendy
2006The House Is Burning as Mrs. Miller
2006Shark as Elizabeth Rourke
2006The Limbo Room as KC Collins
2005The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada as Rachel
2005Confess as Agnes Lessor
2005Criminal Minds as Sheriff Georgia Davis
2005American Gun as Louise
2005Runaway as Lisa Adler
2005Hide and Seek as Laura
2004From Other Worlds as Miriam
2004Veronica Mars as Julia Smith
2004The L Word as Winnie Mann
2003Cold Case as Tayna Raymes (1994 & 2007)
200321 Grams as Marianne Jordan
2001Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Maureen Curtis
2000CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Sybil Perez
2000Fear of Fiction as Sigrid Anderssen
2000Homicide: The Movie as Kay Howard
1999Code of Ethics as Jo DeAngelo
1999The 24 Hour Woman as Dr. Suzanne Pincus
1998Legacy
1997Who Is Henry Jaglom? as Self
1995Last Summer in the Hamptons as Trish Axelrod
1995In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice as Carol Manning
1994Scarlett as Suellen O'Hara Benteen
1993The Ballad of Little Jo as Beatrice Grey
1993Homicide: Life on the Street as Kay Howard
1992By a Thread as Helen
1992Immaculate Conception as Hannah
1992Venice/Venice as Peggy
1991Carolina Skeletons as Cassie
1990The Bride in Black as Mary Margaret
1990Law & Order as Donna Cheponis
1990Law & Order as Defense Attorney Alice Sutton
1990Law & Order as Sherri Quinn
1989Nasty Boys as Katie Morrissey
1989Nasty Boys as Katie Morrissey
1989The Young Riders as Emma Shannon
1988A Time of Destiny as Josie Larraneta
1986Deadtime Stories as Judith 'MaMa' Baer
1985Silent Witness as Patti Mullen
1985Always … But Not Forever as Peggy
1985Spenser: For Hire
1985Streetwalkin' as Cookie
1985The Equalizer as Irina Dzershinsky
1984Miami Vice as Kathleen Gilfords
1984I'm Only There... as Maggie
—Ron Forever as Hilda
—Passenger