Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She appeared in television shows and films in the 1980s, including regular roles on All My Children and The Young Riders. In 1985, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for All My Children. Her breakthrough role was as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on Homicide: Life on the Street from 1993 to 1997.
Leo received critical acclaim for her role as Ray Eddy in the 2008 film Frozen River, earning several nominations including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 2010, she won the Golden Globe, SAG, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Fighter. In 2013, she won an Emmy for her guest role on Louie. She starred as Nurse Pam in the 2015 Fox series Wayward Pines and portrayed Madalyn Murray O'Hair in Netflix’s 2017 film The Most Hated Woman in America.
United States
