Melissa Leo

Melissa Leo

1960-09-14 New York City, New York, USA 112 Credits

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 nom...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Guns Up

Guns Up

2025

as Michael

7.1
Acting

When a job goes horribly wrong, an ex-cop and family man who moonlights as a mob henchman has one night to get his family out of the city.

King Ivory

King Ivory

2025

as Ginger Greene

4.5
Acting

Based on extensive research involving law enforcement and gang members, a never-before-seen, authentic look inside the underworld of fentanyl traffick...

AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence

AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence

2024

Acting

Can poetry bring the dead back to life? Follow contemporary poets as they perform and examine the role of art in responding to the Holocaust and genoc...

Long Gone Heroes

Long Gone Heroes

2024

as Olivia

5.8
Acting

Gunner, a special forces soldier who has witnessed the darkest side of country and combat, is forced back into the field of battle to save his niece, ...

The Clean Up Crew

The Clean Up Crew

2024

as Siobhan

5.6
Acting

When a crime scene clean up crew discovers a briefcase full of money, they must out smart a criminal kingpin and corrupt FBI agents who want it back.

The Knife

The Knife

2024

as Detective Carlsen

8.0
Acting

All Chris wants is to build a promising future for his wife, Alex, and their two daughters—a young family chasing the American Dream. But one fateful ...

The Equalizer 3

The Equalizer 3

2023

as Susan Plummer

7.3
Acting

Robert McCall finds himself at home in Southern Italy but he discovers his friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly,...

Bonnie

Bonnie

2022

as Self

5.0
Acting

A portrait of casting director Bonnie Timmermann.

Jane

Jane

2022

as Principal Rhodes

5.9
Acting

When Olivia gets deferred from her dream college, she begins to spiral. In an attempt to regain control, she embarks on a social media-fueled rampage ...

Alone Together

Alone Together

2022

as Deborah

5.1
Acting

Strangers June and Charlie wind up double-booked in the same upstate New York Airbnb during the start of COVID-19. Exasperating the situation, the loc...

Coast

Coast

2022

as Olivia

4.6
Acting

Desperate to escape the trappings of her small coastal farming town, 16-year-old Abby falls for the lead singer of a touring rock band and must decide...

Measure of Revenge

Measure of Revenge

2022

as Lillian

4.8
Acting

Theater actress Lillian Cooper's son dies mysteriously. When the investigating officer rules the cause of death an accidental overdose, Lillian conduc...

Ida Red

Ida Red

2021

as Ida ‘Red’ Walker

5.8
Acting

Ida Red may not survive her 20-year prison sentence for armed robbery. She turns to her son, Wyatt, for one last job and a chance to regain her freedo...

Thunder Force

Thunder Force

2021

as Allie

5.5
Acting

In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends reunite after one devises a treatment that gives them powers to p...

Body Brokers

Body Brokers

2021

as Dr. White

6.2
Acting

Utah and his girlfriend Opal, are drug addicts living on the streets in rural Ohio. After getting recruited by body broker Wood and offered treatment ...

Unlovable

Unlovable

2018

as Maddie

5.7
Acting

A sex and love addicted woman learns what real intimacy is when she starts making music with a reclusive man.

The Equalizer 2

The Equalizer 2

2018

as Susan Plummer

6.8
Acting

Robert McCall, who serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, embarks on a relentless, globe-trotting quest for vengeance when his...

The Parting Glass

The Parting Glass

2018

as Al

5.4
Acting

A family dealing with their sister's death travel across country to collect her belongings and piece together their memories of the woman they lost.

Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer

Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer

2018

as Narrator

Acting

A story of the world's first female tiger trainer who claimed her love for her tigers was so great she wanted to die in the ring. Raised in poverty i...

Furlough

Furlough

2018

as Joan Anderson

5.7
Acting

In between caring for her mother, a young woman works part time at a prison. The rookie guard gets a chance to prove her mettle when she's tasked with...

Furlough

Furlough

2018

Producer

5.7
Producing

In between caring for her mother, a young woman works part time at a prison. The rookie guard gets a chance to prove her mettle when she's tasked with...

The Ashram

The Ashram

2018

as Chandra

5.6
Acting

After receiving a cryptic message, American skeptic Jamie travels to the Indian Himalayas to pick up on the trail of his disappeared girlfriend. There...

The View from Up Here

The View from Up Here

2017

6.0
Acting

Claire and Lila are neighbours. They both live in the same building, they see each other every day but they hardly know each other's names. Until toda...

Novitiate

Novitiate

2017

as Reverend Mother

6.4
Acting

In the early 1960s, during the Vatican II era, a young woman training to become a nun struggles with issues of faith, sexuality and the changing churc...

The Most Hated Woman in America

The Most Hated Woman in America

2017

as Madalyn Murray O'Hair

6.2
Acting

The true story of Madalyn Murray O'Hair -- iconoclast, opportunist, and outspoken atheist -- from her controversial rise to her untimely demise.

Snowden

Snowden

2016

as Laura Poitras

7.1
Acting

CIA employee Edward Snowden leaks thousands of classified documents to the press.

All the Way

All the Way

2016

as Lady Bird Johnson

6.7
Acting

Lyndon B. Johnson's amazing 11-month journey from taking office after JFK's assassination, through the fight to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and his...

Burn Country

Burn Country

2016

as Gloria

5.0
Acting

A former war journalist now writing for a paper in Northern California is drawn into conflict at home.

London Has Fallen

London Has Fallen

2016

as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan

6.2
Acting

In London for the Prime Minister's funeral, Mike Banning discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.

The Big Short

The Big Short

2015

as Georgia Hale

7.4
Acting

The men who made millions from a global economic meltdown.

Damnation: The Flashback

2015

as Noda Marra

1.0
Acting

In the swinging Appalachian town of Damnation, when the local mortician dies in the arms of 'the other woman', his widow enacts a simple but satisfyin...

After the Spill

After the Spill

2015

as Narrator

7.0
Acting

Ten years ago Hurricane Katrina devastated the coast of Louisiana. Five years later the Deepwater Horizon exploded and spilled more than 200 million g...

The Butterfly, The Harp, and The Timepiece

The Butterfly, The Harp, and The Timepiece

2015

as Papillon

Acting

In this magic shop, no matter who you are, you get what you need.

She's The Best Thing in It

She's The Best Thing in It

2015

as Self

1.0
Acting

Mary Louise Wilson is the most accomplished character actor you've never heard of. While teaching skeptical young students, she examines whether her l...

The Ever After

The Ever After

2015

as Penny

5.7
Acting

Ava and Thomas live--to outside eyes--the good life, complete with a child and a lovely home in Los Angeles, but something is lost. Ava has placed her...

The Equalizer

The Equalizer

2014

as Susan Plummer

7.3
Acting

McCall believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets Teri, a young girl u...

The Angriest Man in Brooklyn

The Angriest Man in Brooklyn

2014

as Bette Altmann

5.7
Acting

After learning that a brain aneurysm will kill him in about 90 minutes, a perpetually unhappy man struggles to come to terms with his fate and make am...

Dwegons and Leprechauns

Dwegons and Leprechauns

2014

as Grandma Fitz / Butterfly McDweg / Mrs. Fitzgerald

1.2
Acting

Family inherits an old house and to their surprise, finds the home filled with wonderful colorful creatures that brings the family together.

Prisoners

Prisoners

2013

as Holly Jones

8.1
Acting

Keller Dover is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minute...

Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy

Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy

2013

as Narrator (voice)

6.6
Acting

Revisits President John F. Kennedy's presidential legacy through 21 of the more than 800,000 condolence letters written to Jackie Kennedy after JFK's ...

Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

2013

as Robin

7.0
Acting

A psychotherapist helps a law student cope with schizophrenia in one of five interconnected tales dealing with mental illness.

Bottled Up

Bottled Up

2013

as Fay

5.5
Acting

A solitary woman (Melissa Leo) earning her living by delivering mail and body piercing, makes every attempt to help her volatile adult daughter (Marin...

Bottled Up

Bottled Up

2013

Producer

5.5
Producing

A solitary woman (Melissa Leo) earning her living by delivering mail and body piercing, makes every attempt to help her volatile adult daughter (Marin...

Oblivion

Oblivion

2013

as Sally

6.7
Acting

Jack Harper is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war wit...

Olympus Has Fallen

Olympus Has Fallen

2013

as Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan

6.4
Acting

When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former President...

Charlie Countryman

Charlie Countryman

2013

as Kate

6.4
Acting

While traveling abroad, a guy falls for a Romanian beauty whose unreachable heart has its origins in her violent, charismatic ex.

Flight

Flight

2012

as Ellen Block

6.8
Acting

Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs ...

Francine

Francine

2012

as Francine

3.6
Acting

Francine is released from prison and settles down in a small town. She is unable to regain a foothold in society and turns to animals for comfort.

Why Stop Now?

Why Stop Now?

2012

as Penny

5.4
Acting

When a college piano prodigy tries to check his mother into rehab, he is taken hostage by her drug dealer and swept along on a wild adventure.

The Space Between

The Space Between

2011

as Montine

6.8
Acting

Montine McLeod, a world-weary flight attendant, and Omar Hassan, a prematurely wise 10-year-old Pakastani-American boy connect with one another amidst...

Seven Days in Utopia

Seven Days in Utopia

2011

as Lily

5.6
Acting

Talent can only get you so far. For golfer Luke Chisholm, that turns out to be Utopia, Texas -- where he's left stranded after blowing his pro debut.

Red State

Red State

2011

as Sara

6.0
Acting

Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter Christian fundamentalists with a much more si...

The Sea Is All I Know

The Sea Is All I Know

2011

as Sara

Acting

When an estranged couple come to the aid of their dying daughter, the experience sends them spiraling into spiritual crisis and brutal heartbreak.

The Fighter

The Fighter

2010

as Alice Ward

7.4
Acting

Boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turn...

Queen of the Lot

Queen of the Lot

2010

as Aunt Bee

3.0
Acting

An electronic ankle bracelet and being under house arrest aren't about to stop up-and-coming actress Maggie Chase (Tanna Frederick) from the two thing...

Welcome to the Rileys

Welcome to the Rileys

2010

as Lois Riley

6.6
Acting

Years after their teenage daughter’s death, Lois and Doug Riley, an upstanding Indiana couple, are frozen by estranging grief. Doug escapes to New Orl...

Conviction

Conviction

2010

as Nancy Taylor

7.1
Acting

When Betty Anne Waters' older brother Kenny is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, ...

The Dry Land

The Dry Land

2010

as Martha

5.0
Acting

A U.S. soldier returning home from war struggles to reconcile his experiences abroad with the life and family he left in Texas.

Everybody's Fine

Everybody's Fine

2009

as Colleen

6.8
Acting

Eight months after the death of his wife, Frank Goode looks forward to a reunion with his four adult children. When all of them cancel their visits at...

According to Greta

According to Greta

2009

as Karen

6.1
Acting

Dumped on her grandparents for the summer by her indifferent mother, acerbic and self-destructive teenager Greta disrupts the elderly couple's staid l...

Dear Lemon Lima

Dear Lemon Lima

2009

as Mrs. Howard

5.5
Acting

After being dumped by Philip, her one true love, the infatuated Nessa enrolls at his private school in the hopes of winning him back.

Veronika Decides to Die

Veronika Decides to Die

2009

as Mari

5.9
Acting

After a frantic suicide attempt, Veronika awakens inside a mysterious mental asylum. Under the supervision of an unorthodox psychiatrist who specializ...

Don McKay

Don McKay

2009

as Marie

4.9
Acting

Everything appears off-kilter when a man returns to his hometown after 25 years to visit his former lover.

True Adolescents

True Adolescents

2009

as Sharon Mitchell

5.9
Acting

At 34, struggling Seattle musician Sam finds himself broke, jobless and losing touch with the person he wants to become. When his girlfriend kicks him...

Stephanie's Image

2009

as Stephanie

Acting

A documentary filmmaker investigates the murder of a former model and finds that everything she's been told about her death is false.

The Alphabet Killer

The Alphabet Killer

2008

as Kathy Walsh

5.1
Acting

Based on the true story of double killings occurring in Rochester, NY during the 80’s and the troubled police officer determined to solve them, with o...

Righteous Kill

Righteous Kill

2008

as Cheryl

5.9
Acting

Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; i...

Frozen River

Frozen River

2008

as Ray Eddy

6.6
Acting

After her husband deserts her, working-class mother Ray Eddy is in great need of money to find a home. Lured by the possibility of easy cash, she join...

Santa Mesa

Santa Mesa

2008

as Maggie

5.0
Acting

Following his mother's death, Hector arrives in Manila to live with his grandmother. Unable to speak Tagalog, Hector falls in with a street gang befor...

Lullaby

Lullaby

2008

as Stephanie

10.0
Acting

An American mother receives word that her drug addled son has been kidnapped by a drug lord operating in South Africa.

Black Irish

Black Irish

2007

as Margaret McKay

6.5
Acting

In South Boston, where Irish roots run deep and Catholic tradition reigns, two brothers face similar hardships but lead far different lives. While old...

Mr. Woodcock

Mr. Woodcock

2007

as Sally Jansen

5.0
Acting

Taken aback by his mother's wedding announcement, a young man returns home in an effort to stop her from marrying his old high school gym teacher, a m...

Racing Daylight

Racing Daylight

2007

as Sadie / Anna

3.3
Acting

RACING DAYLIGHT is a spooky murder mystery as well as a supernatural love story that transcends time. The film captures the journey of Sadie Stokes (M...

I Believe in America

I Believe in America

2007

as Soto

Acting

Three generations of one family, all involved at different levels with the Puerto Rican underground movement for independence, struggle with their nee...

Hollywood Dreams

Hollywood Dreams

2007

as Aunt Bee

2.6
Acting

The tale of a young girl fresh off the bus from Iowa, who falls in love with a sexy and promising young actor, though their relationship threatens to ...

The Cake Eaters

The Cake Eaters

2007

as Ceci Kimbrough

5.5
Acting

The death of the Kimbrough family matriarch affects the three male survivors of the clan. Widower Easy tries to reconnect with his old flame, Marg. El...

Dear Lemon Lima

Dear Lemon Lima

2007

as Mrs. Howard

Acting

A lonely girl with a vivid imagination struggles to plant seeds of love after her narcissistic sweetheart breaks her heart.

Stephanie Daley

Stephanie Daley

2007

as Miri Daley

5.9
Acting

Stephanie collapses in a pool of blood while on a school skiing trip. A doctor discovers that the blood is the after-effects of giving birth. Soon aft...

Midnight Son

Midnight Son

2007

as Rita

1.0
Acting

Mild-mannered professor Edward leaves his wife, Rita, one night to meet a stranger from an Internet chat room. It is only during his journey that we b...

Bomb

2007

Acting

What starts as an innocent flirtation between teenagers on the edge of an old bombing range turns askew when a trip home reveals a chaotic adult world...

One Night

2007

as Wendy

7.3
Acting

Fifteen New Yorkers go into a Friday night unaware of the fact that their lives are about to change.

The House Is Burning

The House Is Burning

2006

as Mrs. Miller

6.3
Acting

One day. One night. A group of teenagers struggles to find their way in a world that offers them few choices.

The Limbo Room

The Limbo Room

2006

as KC Collins

Acting

When an on stage rape scene sparks an offstage affair, the line between reality and fiction becomes blurred.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

2005

as Rachel

7.0
Acting

When brash Texas border officer Mike Norton wrongfully kills and buries the friend and ranch hand of Pete Perkins, the latter is reminded of a promise...

American Gun

American Gun

2005

as Louise

5.7
Acting

Seemingly disparate portraits of people -- among them a single mother, a high school principal, and an ace student -- Distinctly American -- all affec...

Runaway

Runaway

2005

as Lisa Adler

6.3
Acting

Michael Adler has run away from his suburban home with his little brother Dylan. Hiding out in a quiet, rural town, Michael's convinced he can make a ...

Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek

2005

as Laura

6.3
Acting

David Callaway tries to piece together his life in the wake of his wife's suicide and has been left to raise his nine-year-old daughter, Emily on his ...

Confess

Confess

2005

as Agnes Lessor

4.1
Acting

A young ex-hacker, disgruntled with his life, lashes back at those deemed responsible, uploading unfavorable video footage of them on the internet.

From Other Worlds

From Other Worlds

2004

as Miriam

3.8
Acting

FROM OTHER WORLDS is a sci-fi comedy about a depressed Brooklyn housewife who sleepwalks through her life until she encounters an alien force in her b...

21 Grams

21 Grams

2003

as Marianne Jordan

7.3
Acting

Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English émigré; Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife and mother of t...

Fear of Fiction

2000

as Sigrid Anderssen

Acting

This road movie explores the nature of the bond between twins by focusing on a love affair between a man and a woman, each of whom has a twin brother.

Homicide: The Movie

Homicide: The Movie

2000

as Kay Howard

6.8
Acting

Retired police lieutenant Al Giardello is running for mayor when he is suddenly shot at a press conference. All of the detectives, past and present, c...

Code of Ethics

1999

as Jo DeAngelo

Acting

The administrator of a medical company is forced to match wits with a serial killer, who targets people who commit insurance fraud with the State's Me...

The 24 Hour Woman

The 24 Hour Woman

1999

as Dr. Suzanne Pincus

3.0
Acting

Grace tries to be the perfect mother and TV producer but finds trouble in juggling both.

Who Is Henry Jaglom?

Who Is Henry Jaglom?

1997

as Self

6.6
Acting

Hailed by some as a cinematic genius, a feminist voice and a true maverick of American cinema, dismissed by others as a voyeuristic fraud and the "wor...

Last Summer in the Hamptons

Last Summer in the Hamptons

1995

as Trish Axelrod

5.5
Acting

Helena Mora, the head of an eccentric theatrical family, has decided to sell her large estate in the Hamptons because of her recent money troubles. Be...

In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice

In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice

1995

as Carol Manning

4.0
Acting

When a state trooper is gunned down on a New Jersey highway, his friend and colleague sets out to track down the killers. Realizing the murder is conn...

The Ballad of Little Jo

The Ballad of Little Jo

1993

as Beatrice Grey

5.9
Acting

After being thrown out of her home, a young woman decides to disguise herself as a man to survive the ruthless Wild West.

By a Thread

1992

as Helen

Acting

Television journalist Quentin Springer has two obsessions: first, he wants to help his schizophrenic nephew by making video recordings of his life; an...

Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Conception

1992

as Hannah

5.2
Acting

Alistair, a British representative for a wildlife conservation agency based in Karachi and his Jewish-American wife Hannah have been unsuccessful at c...

Venice/Venice

Venice/Venice

1992

as Peggy

6.5
Acting

Dean is a maverick American film director surprised that his most recent film has been chosen as the Official U.S. Entry at the Venice Film Festival. ...

Carolina Skeletons

Carolina Skeletons

1991

as Cassie

6.8
Acting

After a long time in the army, an Afro-American soldier returns to his hometown, where, years ago, his brother was executed for the rape and murder of...

The Bride in Black

The Bride in Black

1990

as Mary Margaret

6.0
Acting

A Brooklyn widow (Susan Lucci) traces the past of her boxer/sculptor husband (David Soul), gunned down on their wedding day.

Nasty Boys

Nasty Boys

1989

as Katie Morrissey

6.5
Acting

When a narcotics team sent to bust some drug dealers are massacred. The police department form a special unit of undercover cops whose identities are ...

A Time of Destiny

A Time of Destiny

1988

as Josie Larraneta

4.8
Acting

World War II provides the setting for a melodramatic tale of love and revenge.

Deadtime Stories

Deadtime Stories

1986

as Judith 'MaMa' Baer

4.9
Acting

A babysitting uncle tells his charges three horror stories: about a killer witch; Little Red Riding Hood and a werewolf; and Goldi Lox and the three b...

Silent Witness

Silent Witness

1985

as Patti Mullen

4.9
Acting

The marriage of a young working-class woman is jeopardized when she witnesses her brother-in-law's participation in a gang rape of an intoxicated woma...

Always … But Not Forever

Always … But Not Forever

1985

as Peggy

4.3
Acting

A middle-aged couple, on the verge of proceeding with a divorce, find themselves questioning their decision to separate when fellow friends and neighb...

Streetwalkin'

Streetwalkin'

1985

as Cookie

4.5
Acting

Cookie is a teen runaway who escapes her abusive stepfather and heads for the Big Apple with her younger brother. When she arrives at the Port Authori...

I'm Only There...

I'm Only There...

1984

as Maggie

Acting

Rare short film starring Oscar winner Melissa Leo in her first screen role, written and directed by Sundance award winner A. Dean Bell.

Passenger

N/A

Acting

A few weeks into their van life adventure, a young couple witness a horrific accident that leaves the driver dead. Soon they’re being pursued by a dem...

Ron Forever

Ron Forever

N/A

as Hilda

Acting

One arrest away from foster care, a ten-year-old with mental superpowers must choose to repeat her mom's path of self-destruction or channel her traum...