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Melissa Leo Biography

Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. After appearing on several television shows and films in the 1980s, a regular on the television shows All My Children and The Young Riders, in 1985 she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance on All My Children. Her breakthrough role came in 1993 as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street for the show's first five seasons (1993–97).

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Melissa Leo Quotes

I think the funny thing about acting for me - and I hold it in a very holy, spiritual way - not to be overly fundamentalist about it, but it's that important to me - is that it is an ancient healing art.

Acting, Art, Healing, Hold, Holy, Spiritual

I'm very old-school. I like a director to direct me. I like to be the actor. I'm not particularly fond of the hybrid writer-director, or actor-director. Writers, directors, actors are all such very different people. I think it's unusual that two of those people are in one human.

Different, Fond, Like, People, Thinking, Unusual

The key to acting has much more to do with listening than with talking.

Acting, Key, Keys, Listening, Talking

An actor has to be very, very careful, as one of the most wonderful props - and actors love props - is a cigarette. There's so much to do with it: you can bring it up to your face, play with the smoke. It's just the greatest - ever since I was 16 and in acting school in England, I've been playing around with cigarettes.

Acting, Careful, Cigarettes, Love, Play, School

I have been known for almost 30 years to sort of do whatever comes my way. It's always been touch-and-go after each job finishes. I just like to be working.

Finishes, Known, Like, My Way, Way, Years

I have some close friends I keep in touch with. I knit. I watch a little too much TV. I ski, if the weather's right for that. If I can find a group of buddies, I go rock climbing.

Climbing, Group, Keep, Right, Rocks, Weather

The power of television - it's so present in our lives, we don't even know how powerful it is.

Know How, Lives, Powerful, Television

I am a smoker, I'm ashamed to say. I had given it up for many years, then picked it up again. It's a horrible habit. I struggle with myself all the time. And I love to smoke.

Struggle, Years, Habit, Ashamed, Time

It becomes more and more popular to call actors who play characters "character actors. " But I've always been somebody who is much more invested in who I am playing than how they look.

Becomes, Call, Character, Characters, Look, Popular

I was really not familiar at all with Edward Snowden. I like to get that right out of the way and really learned most of what I know from Oliver's [Stones] script.

Edward, Know, Scripts, Stones, Way

As actors, emotion is the sand in the sandbox for us. Without emotion, there's nothing to play - and we are playing. We know that. Whether you think we do or not, we know that.

Emotion, Sand, Think, Thinking

I love acting. I really do. I think that's maybe the one thing that is known about me.

Acting, Love, One Thing, Thing, Think, Thinking

I think this notion of acting and glamour is getting in everybody's way.

Thinking, Acting, Way, Notion, Glamour, Think

I'm very, very serious about what I do. I think there are a lot of people out there sort of thinking it's anybody's game. You know, "You pick up a camera and you make a movie. " My experiences over the years have taught me there's a lot more than that to making a film - there's also getting the film seen, and all kinds of complex realities.

Know, People, Reality, Seen, Sort, Thinking

That's probably the biggest secret of acting: If the actor believes it themselves, they can make you believe it.

Acting, Believe, Believes, Secret

I'm a little bit of a glutton for punishment, especially when it comes to work. I don't mind a bit of suffering. I think it's in suffering that we realize our best selves.

Mind, Punishment, Suffering, Thinking

One time, many, many years ago, I had the opportunity to dye my hair brunette for a film. And the day I walked out of the hotel where I had it done, I walked out onto the street and realized people looked me in the eye and greeted me good morning. I'd never had that experience before! And I began to notice that a brunette is treated as an affable human being. Later, when I dyed my hair for Lois Riley blonde, and then Alice Ward blonde, people come right up to you, they touch you on the arm, they ask you how you're doing. Men and women both! Blondes have more fun.

Experience, Eye, Fun, Looked, Morning, Walked

I think I understand the line between my job and the director's. I have no interest in directing. Not my movie, not your movie, nobody's movie.

Interest, Job, Line, Think, Thinking, Understand

I am a smoker, I'm ashamed to say. I had given it up for many years, then picked it up again. It's a horrible habit. I struggle with myself all the time. And I love to smoke. An actor has to be very, very careful, as one of the most wonderful props - and actors love props - is a cigarette. There's so much to do with it: you can bring it up to your face, play with the smoke. It's just the greatest - ever since I was 16 and in acting school in England, I've been playing around with cigarettes.

Acting, Cigarettes, School, Struggle, Wonderful

The director is the captain of the ship, without question. No matter what their talent or energy level is, everyone on the crew has all eyes on the captain. If they come in going, "I don't know. Maybe we'll do this. Maybe we'll do that," you've got 10 days to shoot and they don't care what you're doing.

Care, Days, Director, Directors, Energy, Eye

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