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
| Birth Location | New York City, New York, USA |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960-09-14 |
Movies
King Ivory
as Ginger Greene
2024
The Knife
as Detective Carlsen
2024
The Equalizer 3
as Susan Plummer
2023
Bonnie
as Self
2022
Jane
as Principal Rhodes
2022
Alone Together
as Deborah
2022
Coast
as Olivia
2022
Measure of Revenge
as Lillian
2022
Ida Red
as Ida ‘Red’ Walker
2021
Thunder Force
as Allie
2021
Body Brokers
as Dr. White
2021
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
2018
Novitiate
as Reverend Mother
2017
The Most Hated Woman in America
as Madalyn Murray O'Hair
2017
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
2016
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
She's The Best Thing in It
as Self
2015
The Ever After
as Penny
2015
The Equalizer
as Susan Plummer
2014
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
as Bette Altmann
2014
Dwegons and Leprechauns
as Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald
2014
Prisoners
as Holly Jones
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
2013
Flight
as Ellen Block
2012
Francine
as Francine
2012
Why Stop Now?
as Penny
2012
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
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
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
2009
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
2008
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
2007
One Night
as Wendy
2007
The House Is Burning
as Mrs. Miller
2006
The Limbo Room
as KC Collins
2006
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
as Rachel
2005
American Gun
as Louise
2005
Runaway
as Lisa Adler
2005
Hide and Seek
as Laura
2005
Confess
as Agnes Lessor
2005
From Other Worlds
as Miriam
2004
21 Grams
as Marianne Jordan
2003
Fear of Fiction
as Sigrid Anderssen
2000
Homicide: The Movie
as Kay Howard
2000
Code of Ethics
as Jo DeAngelo
1999
The 24 Hour Woman
as Dr. Suzanne Pincus
1999
Who Is Henry Jaglom?
as Self
1997
Last Summer in the Hamptons
as Trish Axelrod
1995
In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice
as Carol Manning
1995
The Ballad of Little Jo
as Beatrice Grey
1993
Immaculate Conception
as Hannah
1992
Venice/Venice
as Peggy
1992
Carolina Skeletons
as Cassie
1991
The Bride in Black
as Mary Margaret
1990
Nasty Boys
as Katie Morrissey
1989
A Time of Destiny
as Josie Larraneta
1988
Deadtime Stories
as Judith 'MaMa' Baer
1986
Silent Witness
as Patti Mullen
1985
Always
as Peggy
1985
Streetwalkin'
as Cookie
1985
I'm Only There...
as Maggie
1984
Land of Grace
as Olivia
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Clean-Up Crew
as Siobhan
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