Biography
Melissa Leo received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award, and a Critics' Choice Award for her tour-de-force performance in David O. Russell's The Fighter. She also received SAG and Academy Award nominations for her starring role in Courtney Hunt's Frozen River. The latter portrayal also brought her the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead and a Spotlight Award from the National Board of Review, among other accolades.
She originated the role of Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan in Olympus Has Fallen, directed by Antoine Fuqua, and now plays her anew in London Has Fallen. In addition to the latter films, she has also starred with Morgan Freeman in Joseph Kosinski's Oblivion, opposite Tom Cruise; and she again starred for Mr. Fuqua in The Equalizer, alongside Denzel Washington, whom she previously played opposite in Robert Zemeckis' Flight.
Ms. Leo's other films include Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners, with Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano, and Jake Gyllenhaal; Tony Goldwyn's Conviction, opposite Hilary Swank; Tommy Lee Jones' The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada; John Polson's Hide and Seek and Kirk Jones' Everybody's Fine, both with Robert De Niro; Jake Scott's Welcome to the Rileys, alongside James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart; and Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams. With her fellow actors from the latter film, she shared the Best Ensemble prize from the Phoenix Film Critics Society.
She won an Emmy Award for Oustanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, for her hilarious and outrageous performance on FX's Louie. She was previously an Emmy Award nominee for her performance in Mildred Pierce, the HBO miniseries directed by Todd Haynes. Television viewers also know Ms. Leo for her groundbreaking portrayal of Detective Kay Howard on the acclaimed series Homicide: Life on the Street; for starring on the HBO series Treme; and for playing in the Fox Network event series Wayward Pines. She next stars in the Showtime dramedy I'm Dying Up Here, executive-produced by Jim Carrey.
More recently part of the SAG Award-nominated ensemble of Adam McKay's The Big Short, she can be seen starring as Lady Bird Johnson in Jay Roach's HBO telefilm All the Way and as Oscar-winning documentarian Laura Poitras in Oliver Stone's Snowden.
Ms. Leo studied drama at Mount View Theatre School in London, England; and later at the SUNY Purchase Acting Program.
Focus Features
Actress
Documentaries | |
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2022 |
Bonnie |
2015 |
After the Spill |
She's The Best Thing In It |
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2013 |
Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy |
Prisoners: Powerful Performances |
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The Only Real Game - narrator |
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1996 |
Who Is Henry Jaglom? |
Short | |
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2017 |
The View from Up Here |
2015 |
Mother's Day |
2008 |
This Is a Story About Ted and Alice |
2007 |
Bomb |
Dear Lemon Lima |
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Midnight Son |
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Night of the Living Jews |
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2006 |
Falling Objects |
2005 |
No Shoulder |
Patch |
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2004 |
First Breath |
1994 |
Garden |
Performer
Producer
Movies | |
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2018 |
Furlough |
Fans
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