Profile Text
Leo in 2013, photo by s_bukley /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Melissa Chessington Leo
Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: September 14, 1960
Ethnicity: German, English, distant Scottish
Melissa Leo is an American actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Fighter (2010). Her roles also include the films Streetwalkin’ , Deadtime Stories , The 24 Hour Woman , 21 Grams , American Gun , Stephanie Daley , Midnight Son , Black Irish , The Cake Eaters , Mr. Woodcock , Frozen River , The Alphabet Killer , Righteous Kill , Veronika Decides to Die , Don McKay , Everybody’s Fine , Welcome to the Rileys , The Dry Land , Conviction (2010), Red State , Why Stop Now , Francine , Flight (2012), Olympus Has Fallen , and its sequel, London Has Fallen ; Oblivion , Lee Daniels’ The Butler , Prisoners (2013), Charlie Countryman , The Ever After , The Angriest Man in Brooklyn , The Equalizer (2014), and its sequel; The Big Short , Burn Country , Snowden (2016), Novitiate , The Most Hated Woman in America , The Ashram , Unlovable , Furlough , Body Brokers , Thunder Force , Ida Red , Coast (2021), Measure of Revenge , Jane (2022), Long Gone Heroes , The Knife (2024), King Ivory , and Guns Up ; and the series All My Children , The Young Riders , Homicide: Life on the Street , Treme , Mildred Pierce , Wayward Pines , I’m Dying Up Here , and I Know This Much Is True .
She has German, English, and distant Scottish, ancestry; her surname is of German origin. She is the daughter of Margaret (Chessington), a teacher, and Arnold Leo III, a fisherman, editor at Grove Press, and spokesperson for the East Hampton Baymen’s Association. Her aunt (father’s sister) is author, art historian, curator, photographer, and consultant Christine Leo Roussel. She was raised partly on the Red Clover Commune, in Putney, Vermont.
Melissa has a son with her former partner, actor John Heard .
While Melissa is sometimes described as being of Italian descent, there is no documented Italian heritage anywhere in her recent or relatively recent ancestry.
Melissa’s paternal grandfather was Arnold Gustav Leo (the son of Arnold Gustave/Gustav Leo and Lida/Leda May Christman). Melissa’s grandfather Arnold was born in New York. Melissa’s great-grandfather Arnold was the son of German parents, Gustave “Carl” Leo, from Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, and Caroline/Carolina “Lina” Baptistella, from Mainz, Darmstadt, Rhineland-Palatinate. Lida was the daughter of Charles Christman and Mary Hyne.
Melissa’s paternal grandmother was Elinore Baisley Wellington (the daughter of James M. Higby Wellington and May Bird Howell). Elinore was born in New York. James was the son of James Wellington and Jane Wilson. Melissa’s great-grandmother May was the daughter of George Howell and Sarah Eleanor Baisley.
Melissa’s maternal grandfather was James Buell Chessington (the son of James Buell Chessington and Mollie Past). Melissa’s grandfather James was born in New York. Melissa’s great-grandfather James was the son of Guy M. F. Montgomery/Chessington and Sarah Priscilla Glover. Mollie was the daughter of Edward Swain Past and Mary Ann Whiteman.
Melissa’s maternal grandmother was Frances Clara/Clarise Stone (the daughter of Clarence Albert Stone and Ferna/Fern May/Mae Forrest). Frances was born in California. Ferna was the daughter of Wilson Albro Forrest and Ethel Lenora Chapman. Ethel was the daughter of Martin Van Buren Chapman and Mary E. Stiles; Mary E. was the daughter of David Stiles and Clarinda Cummings Shaw; Clarinda was the daughter of Levi Shaw and Phila Merritt.
Sources: Genealogy of Melissa Leo – https://www.geni.com
Marriage record of Melissa’s paternal grandparents, Arnold Gustav Leo and Elinore Baisley Wellington – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Melissa’s maternal great-grandmother, Ferna/Fern May/Mae Forrest – https://www.wikitree.com