NEW YORK – Ray Liotta, the actor best known for his role in the Mafia classic “Goodfellas,” has died.
The 67-year-old New Jersey native died while sleeping in the Dominican Republic, where he had been working on a new film.
As Dick Brennan of CBS2 reported Thursday, the Union High School graduate did not exactly intend to enter Hollywood.
Remembering Ray Liotta through the 23 years photos
He was the arrogant star of one of the greatest mafia movies of all time. Ray Liotta played Henry Hill in the 1990s classic “Goodfellas,” featuring some of the most iconic movie scenes on the big screen.
A year earlier, Liotta had made a big impression as literally a baseball ghost, playing Shoeless Joe Jackson in “Field of Dreams.”
He started with soap operas, appearing in “Another World” and was not really interested in acting.
“Did you think you would do it now?” CBS2’s Mary Calvi asked Liotta in 2006.
“Never. I had no idea. I played sports all the time. I quit basketball my senior year and was in high school, which was a horrible experience. He hated me,” Liotta said.
Liotta told Calvi that for a moment it changed everything.
“This nice girl said, ‘You’re going to rehearse the play tonight,’ and I said no. She said, ‘Well, why are you doing this? It’s all about the play.’ auditioning and I got it, and I was a dance waiter at the ‘Cabaret,’ “he said.
Liotta was born on December 18, 1954 in Newark and grew up in Union. It’s even in the High Union Hall of Fame.
In the early 1990s, it looked like Liotta would be heading to the superstar, but Hollywood was planning a plot twist.
“He was riding high after ‘Goodfellas’ and just fell to the floor,” said New York Post entertainment critic Johnny Oleksinski.
Oleksinsky said Liotta did not want to make any more mafia movies.
“She made terrible decisions. Look at Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci and Lorraine Bracco, their careers went up and up. Liotta didn’t work with Martin Scorsese again, and they all did,” Oleksinski said.
Liotta recently starred in “The Many Saints of Newark,” a prequel to “The Sopranos.”
Liotta might have looked like a natural person like the tough guy in the movie, but she was far from that in real life.
“I’ve only been in a fight all my life, and that was in seventh grade. It’s funny, friends. They see me doing these bad things, as people say, and they laugh. Because it’s not me.” dir Liotta a Calvi.
And the Newark boy who climbed the heights of Hollywood now leaves behind his touch of cinematic magic.
“I’m totally devastated to hear this terrible news about my Ray. I can be anywhere in the world and people will come and tell me that their favorite movie is Goodfellas. And then they always ask me what was the best part of And my answer was always the same … Ray Liotta, “actor Lorraine Bracco, her co-star in” Goodfellas, “wrote on Instagram.
Ray Liotta was an absolute legend in film and television: a winner of the Primetime Emmy Award and a native of Newark, NJ. His work on screen touched the lives of many. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and many fans. https://t.co/HDYMi2IURM
– Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 26, 2022
“Ray Liotta was an absolute legend in film and television: a winner of the Primetime Emmy Award and a native of Newark, NJ. His work on screen touched the lives of so many people. Our thoughts are with his family. friends and many fans “, NJ. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote on Twitter.
“It saddened me to hear of Ray’s death. He’s too young to leave us. Let him rest in peace,” De Niro said.
Ray was my crime partner in Shades of Blue … the first thing that comes to mind is that he was so kind to my kids. Ray was the epitome of a tough guy who was very soft on the inside … I guess that’s what made him such an attractive actor to watch. The original Goodfella. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/IDbOBPNydY
– jlo (@JLo) May 26, 2022
“Ray was my crime partner in Shades of Blue … the first thing that comes to mind is him [was so] kind to my kids. Ray was the epitome of a tough guy who was very soft on the inside … I guess that’s what made him such an attractive actor to watch, “Jennifer Lopez wrote on Twitter.
No Ray 💔
– James Caan (@James_Caan) May 26, 2022
“No Ray,” tweeted actor James Caan.
Dick Brennan
Dick Brennan joined CBS2 in 2012 as a presenter and reporter. In addition, we present on our digital channel CBS News New York, which is also seen on the News at Nine of our sister station WLNY-TV.