Melissa Leo
Known for Acting · 137 credits
- Born
- 1960-09-14 (age 65)
- Place of birth
- Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Margaret May · Melissa Chessington 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
TV Shows (24)
Law & Order
1990
as Donna Cheponis / Defense Attorney Alice Sutton / Sherri Quinn
Criminal Minds
2005
as Sheriff Georgia Davis
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
as Sybil Perez
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
as Maureen Curtis
Miami Vice
1984
as Kathleen Gilfords
Cold Case
2003
as Tayna Raymes (1994 & 2007)
BoJack Horseman
2014
as Ma Nguyen (voice)
Veronica Mars
2004
as Julia Smith
Homicide: Life on the Street
1993
as Kay Howard
The Equalizer
1985
as Irina Dzershinsky
The L Word
2004
as Winnie Mann
Broad City
2014
as Lori
Shark
2006
as Elizabeth Rourke
Wayward Pines
2015
as Nurse Pam
I Know This Much Is True
2020
as Concettina Ipolita Tempesta 'Ma' Birdsey
Spenser: For Hire
1985
Treme
2010
as Toni Bernette
The Arsenio Hall Show
2013
as Self
I'm Dying Up Here
2017
as Goldie
The Young Riders
1989
as Emma Shannon
Mildred Pierce
2011
as Lucy Gessler
Legacy
1998
as Emma Bradford
Scarlett
1994
as Suellen O'Hara Benteen
Dolly Parton's Heartstrings
2019
as Amelia Meegers
Movies (113)
Passenger
2026
as Diana Larson
The Equalizer
2014
as Susan Plummer
Prisoners
2013
as Holly Jones
Oblivion
2013
as Sally
Olympus Has Fallen
2013
as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
The Equalizer 3
2023
as Susan Plummer
The Equalizer 2
2018
as Susan Plummer
The Big Short
2015
as Georgia Hale
London Has Fallen
2016
as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
Flight
2012
as Ellen Block
Snowden
2016
as Laura Poitras
Novitiate
2017
as Reverend Mother
The Fighter
2010
as Alice Ward
King Ivory
2025
as Ginger Greene
21 Grams
2003
as Marianne Jordan
Body Brokers
2021
as Dr. White
Long Gone Heroes
2024
as Olivia
Guns Up
2025
as Michael Temple
Righteous Kill
2008
as Cheryl
Hide and Seek
2005
as Laura
Unlovable
2018
as Maddie
Who Is Henry Jaglom?
1997
as Self
The Rooster Prince
as Elaine
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
2014
as Bette Altmann
Everybody's Fine
2009
as Colleen
Welcome to the Rileys
2010
as Lois Riley
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
2013
as Robin
Streetwalkin'
1985
as Cookie
Thunder Force
2021
as Allie
The Ballad of Little Jo
1993
as Beatrice Grey
Seven Days in Utopia
2011
as Lily
Francine
2012
as Francine
Red State
2011
as Sara
I Believe in America
2007
as Soto
Bonnie
2022
as Self
Carolina Skeletons
1991
as Cassie
Bomb
2007
Measure of Revenge
2022
as Lillian
Dear Lemon Lima
2007
as Mrs. Howard
Charlie Countryman
2013
as Kate
Mr. Woodcock
2007
as Sally Jansen
Dwegons and Leprechauns
2014
as Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald
Conviction
2010
as Nancy Taylor
The Clean Up Crew
2024
as Siobhan
The Ashram
2018
as Chandra
Ida Red
2021
as Ida ‘Red’ Walker
Why Stop Now?
2012
as Penny
From Other Worlds
2004
as Miriam
All the Way
2016
as Lady Bird Johnson
Confess
2005
as Agnes Lessor
A Time of Destiny
1988
as Josie Larraneta
Alone Together
2022
as Deborah
Nasty Boys
1989
as Katie Morrissey
Furlough
2018
as Joan Anderson
Deadtime Stories
1986
as Judith 'MaMa' Baer
Frozen River
2008
as Ray Eddy
Ron Forever
as Hilda
The Mannequin
Garden
1995
as Elizabeth
Coast
2022
as Olivia
The Most Hated Woman in America
2017
as Madalyn Murray O'Hair
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
2005
as Rachel
The Space Between
2011
as Montine
According to Greta
2009
as Karen
Dear Lemon Lima
2009
as Mrs. Howard
One Night
2007
as Wendy
The Bride in Black
1990
as Mary Margaret
Don McKay
2009
as Marie
Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy
2013
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Silent Witness
1985
as Patti Mullen
The Alphabet Killer
2008
as Kathy Walsh
Immaculate Conception
1992
as Hannah
Stephanie's Image
2009
as Stephanie
Veronika Decides to Die
2009
as Mari
The 24 Hour Woman
1999
as Dr. Suzanne Pincus
Homicide: The Movie
2000
as Kay Howard
The Limbo Room
2006
as KC Collins
The Cake Eaters
2007
as Ceci Kimbrough
The Knife
2025
as Detective Carlsen
American Gun
2005
as Louise
The View from Up Here
2017
as Claire
The Ever After
2015
as Penny
Last Summer in the Hamptons
1995
as Trish Axelrod
Fear of Fiction
2000
as Sigrid Anderssen
Code of Ethics
1999
as Jo DeAngelo
Hollywood Dreams
2007
as Aunt Bee
Bottled Up
2013
as Fay
Stephanie Daley
2007
as Miri Daley
Racing Daylight
2007
as Sadie / Anna
The House Is Burning
2006
as Mrs. Miller
The Sea Is All I Know
2011
as Sara
True Adolescents
2009
as Sharon Mitchell
Burn Country
2016
as Gloria
After the Spill
2015
as Narrator
Jane
2022
as Principal Rhodes
Venice/Venice
1992
as Peggy
Damnation: The Flashback
2015
as Noda Marra
By a Thread
1992
as Helen
Black Irish
2007
as Margaret McKay
The Parting Glass
2018
as Al
The Dry Land
2010
as Martha
Santa Mesa
2008
as Maggie
Queen of the Lot
2010
as Aunt Bee
Midnight Son
2007
as Rita
In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice
1995
as Carol Manning
Always … But Not Forever
1985
as Peggy
She's The Best Thing in It
2015
as Self
Runaway
2005
as Lisa Adler
AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence
2024
Lullaby
2008
as Stephanie
Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer
2018
as Narrator
I'm Only There...
1984
as Maggie
The Butterfly, The Harp, and The Timepiece
2015
as Papillon
About 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 award… With 137 credits spanning from 1984 to 2026, Melissa Leo has appeared in 113 films and 24 TV shows.
Fans searching for Melissa Leo movies, Melissa Leo filmography, or the latest projects starring Melissa Leo can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Melissa Leo Movies
- Passenger (2026) — as Diana Larson
- The Equalizer (2014) — as Susan Plummer
- Prisoners (2013) — as Holly Jones
- Oblivion (2013) — as Sally
- Olympus Has Fallen (2013) — as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
Where to Watch Melissa Leo Films
Most Melissa Leo movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Melissa Leo, check our movies catalogue and browse page.