Melissa Leo
American actress (born 1960) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960)[2] is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Critics' Choice Awards.
Melissa Leo | |
|---|---|
 Leo at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival | |
| Born | (1960-09-14) September 14, 1960 (age 63) |
| Education | State University of New York, Purchase |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Partner | John Heard (1986–1988)[1] |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Christine Leo Roussel (aunt) |
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).
In 2008, Leo received critical acclaim for her performance as Ray Eddy in the crime drama film Frozen River, earning her several nominations and awards, including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2010, Leo earned widespread acclaim and won several awards for her performance as Alice Eklund-Ward in the biographical sports drama 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.