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Melissa Leo

Acting 65 years old Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA ★ 1.6
Born: September 14, 1960

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).

External Links

🎬 IMDb 🐦 Twitter

Known For

The Equalizer
The Equalizer Susan Plummer 2014
The Fighter
The Fighter Alice Ward 2010
Oblivion
Oblivion Sally 2013
Prisoners
Prisoners Holly Jones 2013
Flight
Flight Ellen Block 2012

Jimmy's Seen (1)

Prisoners
Prisoners Holly Jones 2013

Filmography

Acting Credits (139)

Passenger
Passenger 2026
The Knife
The Knife Detective Carlsen 2025
Guns Up
Guns Up Michael Temple 2025
King Ivory
King Ivory Ginger Greene 2025
AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence
AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence 2024
The Clean Up Crew
The Clean Up Crew Siobhan 2024
Long Gone Heroes
Long Gone Heroes Olivia 2024
The Equalizer 3
The Equalizer 3 Susan Plummer 2023
Bonnie
Bonnie Self 2022
Jane
Jane Principal Rhodes 2022
Alone Together
Alone Together Deborah 2022
Coast
Coast Olivia 2022
Measure of Revenge
Measure of Revenge Lillian 2022
Ida Red
Ida Red Ida ‘Red’ Walker 2021
Thunder Force
Thunder Force Allie 2021
Body Brokers
Body Brokers Dr. White 2021
I Know This Much Is True
I Know This Much Is True Concettina Ipolita Tempesta 'Ma' Birdsey 2020
Dolly Parton's Heartstrings
Dolly Parton's Heartstrings Amelia Meegers 2019
Unlovable
Unlovable Maddie 2018
The Equalizer 2
The Equalizer 2 Susan Plummer 2018
The Parting Glass
The Parting Glass Al 2018
Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer
Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer Narrator 2018
Furlough
Furlough Joan Anderson 2018
The Ashram
The Ashram Chandra 2018
The View from Up Here
The View from Up Here Claire 2017
Novitiate
Novitiate Reverend Mother 2017
I'm Dying Up Here
I'm Dying Up Here Goldie 2017
The Most Hated Woman in America
The Most Hated Woman in America Madalyn Murray O'Hair 2017
Snowden
Snowden Laura Poitras 2016
All the Way
All the Way Lady Bird Johnson 2016
Burn Country
Burn Country Gloria 2016
London Has Fallen
London Has Fallen Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan 2016
The Big Short
The Big Short Georgia Hale 2015
Damnation: The Flashback
Damnation: The Flashback Noda Marra 2015
After the Spill
After the Spill Narrator 2015
The Butterfly, The Harp, and The Timepiece
The Butterfly, The Harp, and The Timepiece Papillon 2015
Wayward Pines
Wayward Pines Nurse Pam 2015
She's The Best Thing in It
She's The Best Thing in It Self 2015
The Ever After
The Ever After Penny 2015
The Equalizer
The Equalizer Susan Plummer 2014
BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman Ma Nguyen (voice) 2014
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Bette Altmann 2014
Dwegons and Leprechauns
Dwegons and Leprechauns Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald 2014
Broad City
Broad City Lori 2014
Prisoners
Prisoners Holly Jones 2013
The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show Self 2013
Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy
Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy Self - Narrator (voice) 2013
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film Robin 2013
Bottled Up
Bottled Up Fay 2013
Oblivion
Oblivion Sally 2013
Olympus Has Fallen
Olympus Has Fallen Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan 2013
Charlie Countryman
Charlie Countryman Kate 2013
Francine
Francine Francine 2012
Why Stop Now?
Why Stop Now? Penny 2012
Flight
Flight Ellen Block 2012
The Space Between
The Space Between Montine 2011
Seven Days in Utopia
Seven Days in Utopia Lily 2011
Red State
Red State Sara 2011
The Sea Is All I Know
The Sea Is All I Know Sara 2011
Mildred Pierce
Mildred Pierce Lucy Gessler 2011
The Fighter
The Fighter Alice Ward 2010
Queen of the Lot
Queen of the Lot Aunt Bee 2010
Welcome to the Rileys
Welcome to the Rileys Lois Riley 2010
Conviction
Conviction Nancy Taylor 2010
The Dry Land
The Dry Land Martha 2010
Treme
Treme 2010
Treme
Treme Toni Bernette 2010
Everybody's Fine
Everybody's Fine Colleen 2009
According to Greta
According to Greta Karen 2009
Dear Lemon Lima
Dear Lemon Lima Mrs. Howard 2009
Veronika Decides to Die
Veronika Decides to Die Mari 2009
Don McKay
Don McKay Marie 2009
True Adolescents
True Adolescents Sharon Mitchell 2009
Stephanie's Image
Stephanie's Image Stephanie 2009
The Alphabet Killer
The Alphabet Killer Kathy Walsh 2008
Righteous Kill
Righteous Kill Cheryl 2008
Frozen River
Frozen River Ray Eddy 2008
Santa Mesa
Santa Mesa Maggie 2008
Lullaby
Lullaby Stephanie 2008
Black Irish
Black Irish Margaret McKay 2007
Mr. Woodcock
Mr. Woodcock Sally Jansen 2007
Racing Daylight
Racing Daylight Sadie / Anna 2007
I Believe in America
I Believe in America Soto 2007
Hollywood Dreams
Hollywood Dreams Aunt Bee 2007
The Cake Eaters
The Cake Eaters Ceci Kimbrough 2007
Dear Lemon Lima
Dear Lemon Lima Mrs. Howard 2007
Stephanie Daley
Stephanie Daley Miri Daley 2007
Midnight Son
Midnight Son Rita 2007
Bomb
Bomb 2007
One Night
One Night Wendy 2007
The House Is Burning
The House Is Burning Mrs. Miller 2006
Shark
Shark Elizabeth Rourke 2006
The Limbo Room
The Limbo Room KC Collins 2006
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Rachel 2005
Confess
Confess Agnes Lessor 2005
Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds Sheriff Georgia Davis 2005
American Gun
American Gun Louise 2005
Runaway
Runaway Lisa Adler 2005
Hide and Seek
Hide and Seek Laura 2005
From Other Worlds
From Other Worlds Miriam 2004
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars Julia Smith 2004
The L Word
The L Word Winnie Mann 2004
Cold Case
Cold Case Tayna Raymes (1994 & 2007) 2003
21 Grams
21 Grams Marianne Jordan 2003
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent Maureen Curtis 2001
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Sybil Perez 2000
Fear of Fiction
Fear of Fiction Sigrid Anderssen 2000
Homicide: The Movie
Homicide: The Movie Kay Howard 2000
Code of Ethics
Code of Ethics Jo DeAngelo 1999
The 24 Hour Woman
The 24 Hour Woman Dr. Suzanne Pincus 1999
Legacy
Legacy 1998
Who Is Henry Jaglom?
Who Is Henry Jaglom? Self 1997
Last Summer in the Hamptons
Last Summer in the Hamptons Trish Axelrod 1995
In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice
In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice Carol Manning 1995
Scarlett
Scarlett Suellen O'Hara Benteen 1994
The Ballad of Little Jo
The Ballad of Little Jo Beatrice Grey 1993
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street Kay Howard 1993
By a Thread
By a Thread Helen 1992
Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception Hannah 1992
Venice/Venice
Venice/Venice Peggy 1992
Carolina Skeletons
Carolina Skeletons Cassie 1991
The Bride in Black
The Bride in Black Mary Margaret 1990
Law & Order
Law & Order Donna Cheponis 1990
Law & Order
Law & Order Defense Attorney Alice Sutton 1990
Law & Order
Law & Order Sherri Quinn 1990
Nasty Boys
Nasty Boys Katie Morrissey 1989
Nasty Boys
Nasty Boys Katie Morrissey 1989
The Young Riders
The Young Riders Emma Shannon 1989
A Time of Destiny
A Time of Destiny Josie Larraneta 1988
Deadtime Stories
Deadtime Stories Judith 'MaMa' Baer 1986
Silent Witness
Silent Witness Patti Mullen 1985
Always … But Not Forever
Always … But Not Forever Peggy 1985
Streetwalkin'
Streetwalkin' Cookie 1985
Spenser: For Hire
Spenser: For Hire 1985
The Equalizer
The Equalizer Irina Dzershinsky 1985
Miami Vice
Miami Vice Kathleen Gilfords 1984
I'm Only There...
I'm Only There... Maggie 1984
Ron Forever
Ron Forever Hilda
The Rooster Prince
The Rooster Prince Elaine

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