Melissa Leo is an American actress known for her versatility and the intensity of her performances. She began her career in the 1980s, gaining her first recognition with the soap opera *All My Children* and the crime drama series *Homicide: Life on the Street*. Her film breakthrough came in 2008 with the independent film *Frozen River*, which earned her her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her international success was solidified with *The Fighter* (2010), where her performance as Alice Eklund-Ward, the combative mother of the two protagonists, earned her the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other significant works include *21 Grams*, *The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada*, *Prisoners*, and the television series *Treme* and *Mildred Pierce*. She also won an Emmy Award in 2013 for her guest appearance in the comedy series *Louie*.