Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, an Actor Award, and two Critics' Choice Awards.<!--Main body says nominated for one Movie and one TV Award, but no wins-->
After appearing on several television shows and films in the 1980s, Leo became a regular on the television shows All My Children, for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, and The Young Riders. Her breakthrough role came in 1993 as detective and later sergeant Kay Howard on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1997).
Leo received critical acclaim for her performance as Ray Eddy in the 2008 film Frozen River, earning her several nominations and awards, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 2010, Leo won several awards for her performance as Alice Eklund-Ward in the film The Fighter, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2013, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role on the television series Louie. She starred in the 2015 Fox event series Wayward Pines as Nurse Pam. She then starred in the 2017 Netflix film The Most Hated Woman in America as American Atheists founder Madalyn Murray O'Hair.
Early life
Leo was born in Manhattan and grew up on the Lower East Side. She is the daughter of Margaret (née Chessington), a California-born teacher, and Arnold Leo III, an editor at Grove Press, fisherman, and former spokesman for the East Hampton Baymen's Association. She has an older brother, Erik Leo. Her paternal aunt is art historian Christine Leo Roussel. Leo's parents divorced, and her mother moved them to Red Clover Commune, in Putney, Vermont. Leo spent summers at her father's house in Springs, a section of East Hampton, New York.
Career
Leo's acting debut came in 1984, for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy at the 12th Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Ingenue/Woman in a Drama Series for All My Children. Following this, Leo appeared in several films, including Streetwalkin, A Time of Destiny, Last Summer in the Hamptons, and Venice/Venice. She also had several appearances on television, most notably her role as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on Homicide: Life on the Street until 1997. Three years later she reprised her role in the television film Homicide: The Movie. After a brief hiatus from acting, Leo's breakthrough came three years later in the Alejandro González Iñárritu film, 21 Grams released to critical acclaim. Leo appeared in a supporting role alongside Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio del Toro, and Clea DuVall. Leo shared a Best Ensemble Acting award from the Phoenix Film Critics Society in 2003 and the runner-up for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actress.
thumb|150px|Leo in January 2006|left
Leo appeared in supporting roles throughout the 2000s including the film Hide and Seek, the independent film American Gun, both in 2005, and a minor role in the comedy Mr. Woodcock. In 2006, she won the Bronze Wrangler at the Western Heritage Awards for Outstanding Theatrical Motion Picture for The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada shared with Tommy Lee Jones who also produced the film. In 2008, she won the Maverick Actor Award and also the Best Actress award at the Method Fest for Lullaby (2008).
That same year, Leo earned critical praise for her performance in the film Frozen River, winning several awards, including the Best Actress award from the Independent Spirit Awards, the Spotlight award from the National Board of Review, and Best Actress nominations from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Broadcast Film Critics Association, and Academy Awards. Critic Roger Ebert backed her for a win, stating: "Best Actress: Melissa Leo. What a complete performance, evoking a woman's life in a time of economic hardship. The most timely of films, but that isn't reason enough. I was struck by how intensely determined she was to make the payments, support her two children, carry on after her abandonment by a gambling husband, and still maintain rules and goals around the house. This was a heroic woman."
Following Frozen River, Leo continued to appear in several independent films, and had a minor role in the 2008 film Righteous Kill, with Al Pacino and her Hide and Seek co-star, Robert De Niro. Leo appeared in a series of films throughout 2009, including According to Greta, the title character in Stephanie's Image, True Adolescents, and Veronika Decides to Die.
In 2010, Leo received fame for her role in David O. Russell's The Fighter. Rick Bentley of The Charlotte Observer said: "Both actors (Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale) are very good, but they get blown off the screen by Melissa Leo, who plays their mother, Alice Ward. Leo's Oscar-worthy portrayal of Alice as a master manipulator goes beyond acting to a total transformation." Roger Ebert referred to it as a "teeth-gratingly brilliant performance." Leo and several of the film's actors including her co-star Amy Adams and Bale were nominated. For her performance Leo received several awards, including the Golden Globe, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Circle, Screen Actors Guild, and culminating in her winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. While accepting her Oscar, Leo said: "When I watched Kate two years ago, it looked so fucking easy!" She apologized afterwards for using profanity, admitting that it was "a very inappropriate place to use that particular word ... those words, I apologize to anyone that they offend".
Prior to her win, Leo had created some controversy by attempting to self-promote her Oscar campaign, rather than rely on the marketing department of the studio. Leo personally bought ad space in Hollywood trade publications, which was initially thought might backfire in a similar manner to previous Oscar contenders Chill Wills and Margaret Avery.
Following her Oscar win, Leo appeared in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce alongside Kate Winslet, Evan Rachel Wood and Guy Pearce. Her performance garnered an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. Her next projects include the satirical horror film Red State, the independent comedy Why Stop Now with Jesse Eisenberg, and the crime thriller The Dead Circus based on the novel by John Kaye with Michael C. Hall and James Marsden currently in development. She guest-starred in an episode of the hit FX comedy Louie, which garnered her an Emmy win for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Leo appeared in the action-thriller Olympus Has Fallen as Ruth McMillan, the Secretary of Defense who was held hostage by terrorists in the White House; and Oblivion as the main antagonist Sally. She reprised her role in the Olympus sequel London Has Fallen.
Leo appeared in supporting roles in the thriller films Prisoners, The Equalizer, and The Equalizer 2, having previously appeared as Russian ballerina Irina Dzershinsky in "The Defector", a 1985 episode of the original series. Leo appeared on the Fox series Wayward Pines as Nurse Pam.
Personal life
In 1987, Leo had a son with actor John Heard, whom she dated from 1986 to 1988, while living in Manhattan. In 2019, she moved back to Manhattan. She moved out of the city during the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned in 2023. She reiterated these sentiments in a 2017 interview.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| Always
| Peggy
|
|-
| Streetwalkin
| Cookie
|
|-
| 1986
| Deadtime Stories
| Judith 'Mama' Baer
|
|-
| 1988
| '
| Josie Larraneta
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| Immaculate Conception
| Hannah
|
|-
|Venice/Venice
| Peggy
|
|-
| 1993
| '
| Beatrice Grey
|
|-
| 1994
| Garden
| Elizabeth
|
|-
| 1995
| Last Summer in the Hamptons
| Trish
|
|-
| 1997
| Under the Bridge
| Kathy
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1999
| The 24 Hour Woman
| Dr. Suzanne Pincus
|
|-
| Code of Ethics
| Jo DeAngelo
|
|-
| 2000
| Fear of Fiction
| Sigrid Anderssen
|
|-
| 2003
| 21 Grams
| Marianne Jordan
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| First Breath
| Detective Waxman
|
|-
| From Other Worlds
| Miriam
|
|-
| rowspan="7" | 2005
| Hide and Seek
| Laura
|
|-
| Runaway
| Lisa Adler
|
|-
| No Shoulder
| Ruth
|
|-
| Patch
| Maelynn
|
|-
| '
| Rachel
|
|-
| American Gun
| Louise
|
|-
| Confess
| Agnes Lessor
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2006
| Stephanie Daley
| Miri
|
|-
| The Limbo Room
| K.C. Collins
|
|-
| Hollywood Dreams
| Aunt Bee
|
|-
| '
| Mrs. Miller
|
|-
| Falling Objects
| Helga
|
|-
| rowspan="8" | 2007
| Bomb
| Sharon
|
|-
| Midnight Son
| Rita
|
|-
| Black Irish
| Margaret McKay
|
|-
| '
| Ceci
|
|-
| Racing Daylight
| Sadie Stokes / Anna Stokes
|
|-
| I Believe in America
| Soto
|
|-
| Mr. Woodcock
| Sally Jansen
|
|-
| One Night
| Wendy
|
|-
| rowspan="9" | 2008
| Frozen River
| Ray Eddy
|
|-
| '
| Kathy Walsh
|
|-
| Lullaby
| Stephanie
|
|-
| Night of the Living Jews
| Jewish Mother Zombie
|
|-
| Santa Mesa
| Maggie
|
|-
| Ball Don't Lie
| Georgia
|
|-
| This is a Story About Ted and Alice
| Alice
|
|-
| Righteous Kill
| Cheryl Brooks
|
|-
| Predisposed
| Penny
|
|-
| rowspan="7" | 2009
| According to Greta
| Karen
|
|-
| Stephanie's Image
| Stephanie
|
|-
| True Adolescents
| Sharon
|
|-
| Veronika Decides to Die
| Mari
|
|-
| Dear Lemon Lima
| Mrs. Howard
|
|-
| Don McKay
| Marie
|
|-
| Everybody's Fine
| Colleen
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2010
| Welcome to the Rileys
| Lois Riley
|
|-
| '
| Martha
|
|-
| The Space Between
| Montine McLeod
|
|-
| The Fighter
| Alice Eklund-Ward
|
|-
| Conviction
| Nancy Taylor
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011
| Red State
| Sarah Cooper
|
|-
| The Sea Is All I Know
| Sara
| Short film
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2012
| Flight
| Ellen Block
|
|-
| Why Stop Now
| Penny Bloom
|
|-
| Francine
| Francine
|
|-
| rowspan="6" | 2013
| Olympus Has Fallen
| Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
|
|-
| Bottled Up
| Fay
|
|-
| Oblivion
| Sally / alien AI
|
|-
| Lee Daniels' The Butler
| Mamie Eisenhower
| Scenes deleted
|-
| Prisoners
| Holly Jones
|
|-
| Charlie Countryman
| Kate Countryman
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2014
| The Ever After
| Unknown
|
|-
| The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
| Bette Altmann
|
|-
| The Equalizer
| Susan Plummer
|
|-
| Dwegons and Leprechauns
| Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald
|
|-
| 2015
| The Big Short
| Georgia Hale
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2016
| London Has Fallen
| Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
|
|-
| Burn Country
| Gloria
|
|-
| Snowden
| Laura Poitras
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| Novitiate
| Reverend Mother Marie Saint-Clair
|
|-
| The Most Hated Woman in America
| Madalyn Murray O'Hair
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2018
| The Ashram
| Chandra
|
|-
| Unlovable
| Maddie
|
|-
| Furlough
| Joan Anderson
|
|-
| The Parting Glass
| Al
|
|-
| The Equalizer 2
| Susan Plummer
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2021
| Body Brokers
| Dr. White
|
|-
| Thunder Force
| Allie
|
|-
| Ida Red
| Ida 'Red' Walker
|
|-
| Coast
| Olivia
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2022
| Measure of Revenge
| Lillian
|
|-
| Alone Together
| Deborah
|
|-
| Jane
| Principal Rhodes
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2024
| The Clean Up Crew
| Siobhan
|
|-
| Long Gone Heroes
| Olivia Peterson
|
|-
||The Knife
|Detective Carlsen
|
|-
| King Ivory
| Ginger Greene
|
|-
| 2025
| Guns Up
| Michael Temple
|
|-
| 2026
| Passenger
| Diana Marsh
|
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1984–1988
| All My Children
| Linda Warner
| 38 episodes. Contract cast member (1984–1985)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| Silent Witness
| Patti Mullen
| TV movie
|-
| The Equalizer
| Irina Dzershinsky
| Episode: "The Defector"
|-
| 1987
| Spenser: For Hire
| Mary Hamilton
| Episode: "Mary Hamilton"
|-
| 1988
| Miami Vice
| Kathleen Gilfords
| Episode: "Bad Timing"
|-
| 1989
| Gideon Oliver
| Rebecca Hecht
| Episode: "Kennonite"
|-
| 1989–1990
| The Young Riders
| Emma Shannon
| 24 episodes. Main cast member season 1
|-
| 1989
| Nasty Boys
| Katie Morrisey
| rowspan="3" | TV movie
|-
| 1990
| The Bride in Black
| Mary Margaret Muldoon
|-
| 1991
| Carolina Skeletons
| Cassie
|-
| 1993
| Law & Order
| Alice Sutton
| Episode: "Sweeps"
|-
| 1993–1997
| Homicide: Life on the Street
| Sergeant Kay Howard
| 77 episodes. Main cast member seasons 1–5
|-
| 1994
| Scarlett
| Suellen O'Hara Benteen
| TV miniseries
|-
| 1995
| In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice
| Carol Manning
| TV movie
|-
| 1998
| Legacy
| Emma Bradford
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2000
| Homicide: The Movie
| Sergeant Kay Howard
| TV movie
|-
| 2002
| Law & Order
| Sherri Quinn
| Episode: "Who Let the Dogs Out"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| Veronica Mars
| Julia Smith
| Episode: "Meet John Smith"
|-
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
| Sybil Perez
| Episode: "Harvest"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2005
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent
| Maureen Curtis
| Episode: "The Good Child"
|-
| The L Word
| Winnie Mann
| 3 episodes
|-
| 2006
| Shark
| Elizabeth Rourke
| Episode: "Pilot"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2007
| Criminal Minds
| Georgia Davis
| Episode: "No Way Out"
|-
| Cold Case
| Tayna Raymes '94–'07
| Episode: "Thrill Kill"
|-
| 2008
| Law & Order
| Donna Cheponis
| Episode: "Personae Non Gratae"
|-
| 2010–2013
| Treme
| Toni Bernette
| 36 episodes. Main cast member seasons 1–4
|-
| 2011
| Mildred Pierce
| Lucy Gessler
| TV miniseries. 5 episodes
|-
| 2012
| Louie
| Laurie
| Episode: "Telling Jokes/Set Up"
|-
| 2013
| Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
| Robin
| TV movie. Segment: "Grace"
|-
| 2014–2016
| BoJack Horseman
| Diane's Mother (voice)
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2015
| LFE
| Julie
| TV movie
|-
| 2015–2016
| Wayward Pines
| Nurse Pam Pilcher
| 11 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2016
| Broad City
| Lori
| Episode: "Co-Op"
|-
| All the Way
| Lady Bird Johnson
| TV movie
|-
| 2017–2018
| I'm Dying Up Here
| Golda 'Goldie' Herschlag
| 20 episodes
|-
| 2019
| Heartstrings
| Amelia Meegers
| Episode: "Two Doors Down"
|-
| 2020
| I Know This Much Is True
| Ma
|5 episodes
|}
Stage
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! Year
! Title
! Role(s)
! Notes
! Ref.
|-
| 1982
| Don Juan
| Ensemble
|
|
|-
| 1984
| Cinders
| Stepmother
|
|
|-
| 1986
| Today I Am A Fountain Pen
| Annie
|
|
|-
| 1991
| The White Rose
| Sophie Scholl
|
|
|-
| 1998
| How I Learned to Drive
| Li'l Bit
|
|
|-
| 1999
| Tongue of a Bird
| Dessa
|
|
|-
| 2004
| The Distance from Here
| Cammie
|
|
|-
| 2005
| The Argument
| Sophie
|
|
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
|
| Daytime Emmy Awards
| Outstanding Ingenue in a Daytime Drama Series
| <div style="text-align: center;">All My Children</div>
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
| rowspan="2"| <div style="text-align: center;">21 Grams</div>
|
|-
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Cast
|
|-
|
| Bronze Wrangler Awards
| Outstanding Theatrical Motion Picture
| <div style="text-align: center;">The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada</div>
|
|-
| rowspan="21"|
| Academy Awards
| Best Actress
| rowspan="20"| <div style="text-align: center;">Frozen River</div>
|
|-
| Actor Awards
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
|
|-
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards
| Best Breakthrough Performance
|
|-
| Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Detroit Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Gotham Awards
| Breakthrough Actor
|
|-
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Independent Spirit Awards
| Best Female Lead
|
|-
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Marrakech International Film Festival
| Best Actress
|
|-
| National Society of Film Critics Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Satellite Awards
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
|
|-
| San Sebastián International Film Festival
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Utah Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Women Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Method Fest Independent Film Festival
| Best Actress
| <div style="text-align: center;">Lullaby</div>
|
|-
| rowspan="33"|
| Tribeca Festival
| Best New York Narrative – Special Jury
| <div style="text-align: center;">The Space Between</div>
|
|-
| Academy Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
| rowspan=32| <div style="text-align: center;">The Fighter</div>
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Actor Awards
| Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
|
|-
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
|
|-
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Best Ensemble Cast
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Critics' Choice Movie Awards
| Best Cast
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Capri Hollywood International Film Festival Award
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Denver Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Detroit Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Golden Globe Awards
| Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
|
|-
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Iowa Film Critics Awards
| rowspan="2"| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
|
|-
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| New York Film Critics Online Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| North Texas Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Online Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Best Ensemble Performance
|
|-
| St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Utah Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Ensemble
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|
| California Independent Film Festival Slate Awards
| Best Actress
| rowspan="2"| <div style="text-align: center;">The Sea Is All I Know</div>
|
|-
| Rhode Island International Film Festival
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Primetime Emmy Awards
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
| <div style="text-align: center;">Mildred Pierce</div>
|
|-
| rowspan="6"|
| Critics' Choice Television Awards
| Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series
| rowspan="2"| <div style="text-align: center;">Louie</div>
|
|-
| Primetime Emmy Awards
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
|
|-
| National Board of Review Awards
| Best Ensemble
| rowspan="3"| <div style="text-align: center;">Prisoners</div>
|
|-
| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Performance by an Ensemble
|
|-
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Ensemble
|
|-
| Satellite Awards
| Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film
| <div style="text-align: center;">Call Me Crazy: A Five Film</div>
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|
| Actor Awards
| Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
| rowspan="2"| <div style="text-align: center;">The Big Short</div>
|
|-
| National Board of Review Awards
| Best Ensemble
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|
| Critics' Choice Television Awards
| Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries
| rowspan="3"| <div style="text-align: center;">All the Way</div>
|
|-
| Primetime Emmy Awards
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
|
|-
|
| Satellite Awards
| Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film
|
|}