“Goodfellas,” “Field of Dreams” actor Ray Liotta has passed way. According to his publicist, Jennifer Allen, Liotta was in the Dominican Republic shooting his movie, “Dangerous Waters,” when he died in his sleep.
The actor is perhaps best known for his role as Henry Hill in the 1990 Martin Scorsese movie, “Goodfellas,” where he helped shape the idea of a gangster movie for years to come. The movie was based on the non-fiction book, “Wise Guy by Nicholas Pileggi.”
Raymond Allen Liotta was born in Newark, New Jersey, on December 18, 1954, after he was abandoned at an orphanage, he was adopted at the age of six months by a car store owner Alfred Liotta, the son of Italian Immigrants.
Then, he started acting at the University of Miami, where he majored in drama and performed Cabaret, Oklahoma, and Sound of Music. After graduation, while he was working as a bartender, he got an agent and landed the roles was as Joey Perrini on the soap opera, “Another World,” which he appeared from 1978 to 1981. After he quitted the show to explore a chance in films industry. The he got his breakout role was in 1986’s “Something Wild,” directed by Jonathan Demme.
Liotta followed that with an acclaimed performance as baseball player “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in the box office hit “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner. His most memorable role, perhaps, was as real-life mobster Henry Hill in the 1990 film “Goodfellas,” which cast him opposite heavy hitters Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
Liotta’s many film and television credits include “John Q,” “Blow,” “Narc,” “Control,”“Operation Dumbo Drop,” “Hannibal,” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” More recently, Liotta narrated the TV docuseries “The Making of the Mob” and starred in “The Many Saints of Newark,” the prequel film to the hit television mob series “The Sopranos.” Liotta was engaged to Jacy Nittolo and has a daughter, Karsen.
Celebrities paid tribute to the “Shades of Blue” actor across social media on May 26.
“I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing, he is way too way young to have left us. May he Rest in Peace.” said by “Goodfellas” co-star Robert De Niro.
Another “Goodfells” co-star, Lorraine Bracco write 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”
Alessandro Nivola, who appeared alongside with actor Liotta in the 2021 “Sopranos” prequel film “The Many Saints of Newark,” he said on twitter,” RIP Ray Liotta. I feel so lucky to have squared off against this legend in one of his final roles,” he wrote. “The scenes we did together were among the all time highlights of my acting career. He was dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors. Too soon.”
And Jennifer Lopez, who co-starred alongside Liotta for three seasons in the NBC cop drama “Shades of Blue,” shared her thought on twitter.
Ray was my partner in crime on Shades of Blue … the first thing that comes to mind is he so was kind to my children. Ray was the epitome of a tough guy who was all mushy on the inside … I guess that’s what made him such a compelling actor to watch. The original Goodfella. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/IDbOBPNydY
— jlo (@JLo) May 26, 2022