Ray Liotta: A Tribute To The Late Actor

Actor Ray Liotta, best known for his role in Goodfellas, has died suddenly aged 67. The actor was working on a film titled Dangerous Waters that was being shot on location in the Dominican Republic when he passed away in his sleep.

Early career and breakthrough roles

Ray Liotta began as a soap actor on Another World, which he starred in between 1978 and 1981. The actor made the move to LA and landed a role in the 1983 film The Lonely Lady, yet it wasn’t until the 1986 film Something Wild, when Liotta made his name playing the role of an ex-convict Ray Sinclair, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

He is well-known for his role as the ghost of baseball player ‘Shoeless Joe Jackson’ in the 1989 film Field of Dreams, however it would be the following year that cemented Liotta into pop culture and the hearts of cinephiles everywhere. Portraying the real-life mobster Henry Hill in the Martin Scorsese cult film Goodfellas would prove to be Liotta’s most acclaimed role, with the gangster film considered to be a classic, if not ‘the best’ of all time by many.

His roles included starring in 90s films Unlawful Entry, No Escape, Unforgettable, Cop Land, Corina, Corina, Phoenix, and Blow. There were also numerous TV appearance throughout the 90s and 2000s, and Liotta is also fondly known by gamers for performing the voice of character Tommy Vercetti in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Recent works

Ray Liotta continued to work right until the end, and was celebrated for his role as lawyer Jay Marotta in the award-winning 2019 film Marriage Story.

While being celebrated and well-known for it, Liotta wanted to take a break from the mob genre at times, and admitted that in the 2000s he’d turned down a role in iconic gangster television series The Sopranos – the truly devilish character of Ralph Cifaretto, which was then landed by actor Joe Pantoliano.

This decision proved to be for the best, as twenty years later Liotta starred in the 2021 Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints Of Newark. Speaking to The Guardian last year about it, he explained:

“I didn’t want to do another mafia thing, and I was shooting Hannibal. It just didn’t feel right at the time. I’m really not sure what made me so determined, but I was and luckily it all worked out.”

Liotta played twin brothers “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti and Salvatore “Sally” Moltisanti in The Many Saints Of Newark movie, which was hotly anticipated and well-received by Sopranos enthusiasts everywhere.

Tributes

Tributes have flowed from fans and industry folks alike. Goodfellas director and film legend Martin Scorsese spoke to PEOPLE Thursday, saying:

“I’m absolutely shocked and devastated by the sudden, unexpected death of Ray Liotta. He was so uniquely gifted, so adventurous, so courageous as an actor. Playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot. He absolutely amazed me, and I’ll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture. My heart goes out to his loved ones, and it aches for his loss, way too early.”

Also expressing their condolences to PEOPLE, fellow actor and Goodfellas co-star Robert De Niro said:

“I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. He is way too young to have left us.”

While Paul Sorvino remembered:

“Ray was a terrific actor and a ‘goodfella’ in the best sense of the word. He was great to work with and a good friend. I’m really going to miss him.”

Liotta’s on-screen wife in Goodfellas, actress Lorraine Bracco left a touching tribute with a photo of the pair on Twitter:

“I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray. I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”

Ray Liotta is survived by his fiancée Jacy Nittolo, his daughter Karsen and his ex-wife Michelle Grace. The world will sorely miss this good fella.

Also by Michelle Sciarrotta: