Ray Liotta, star of Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, has died at the age of 67.
According to his representative who confirmed the news, the actor died while sleeping in the Dominican Republic while shooting his latest film Dangerous Waters with Saffron Burrows.
Liotta was born in New Jersey and was abandoned in an orphanage before being adopted at six months old. “At first, I didn’t understand how a father could give up a child,” he told People magazine. “So I had that kind of energy of being like, that’s shit. And when I finally met my biological mother at forty, I wasn’t so angry about it anymore. It’s just another trip.”
After small roles in television and a small role in 1983’s The Lonely Lady, Liotta was nominated for a 1986 Golden Globe for Something Wild. She starred in Field of Dreams in 1989 before taking on the role of ‘Henry Hill to Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese.
“If you have a movie that people remember, it’s great. If you have two, it’s great,” he told The Guardian in 2021 about his association with gangster drama.
The 1990s also saw him star in the thriller Illegal Entry with Kurt Russell, Cop Land with Robert De Niro and the family drama Corrina, Corrina with Whoopi Goldberg. He also received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for his role in Frank Sinatra’s 1998 film The Rat Pack.
The following decade included roles in Hannibal by Ridley Scott, Narc by Joe Carnahan and an Emmy for a guest appearance on ER.
Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco at Goodfellas Photography: Warner Bros / Sportsphoto / Allstar
Liotta was offered a role in The Sopranos, but was turned down. “I didn’t want to do anything else with the mob, and I was shooting Hannibal,” he told the Guardian. “It just didn’t feel right at the time.” He later starred in the 2021 prequel film Sopranos The Many Saints of Newark.
Despite being known for his roles as a tough guy, Liotta has admitted that he is far from what people see of him. “I’ve never been in a fight except during sports, and that’s just push stuff and silly kids,” he said in an interview.
Her most recent work included Marriage Story and the remake of Amazon for Hanna’s small screen. Her latest roles, yet to be seen, include the Apple Black Bird thriller series starring Taron Egerton and Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks.
Online tributes to those in the industry have begun to appear. Her Goodfellas co-star Lorraine Bracco tweeted that she was “completely devastated” to hear the news. “I can be anywhere in the world and people will come and tell me that their favorite movie is Goodfellas,” he wrote. “Then they always ask what was the best part about making that movie. My answer has always been the same … Ray Liotta.
Jamie Lee Curtis, who co-starred with Liotta in the 1988 drama Dominic and Eugene, tweeted that “his work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being” and that he was “a gentle man.”
James Mangold, who directed Liotta in the 2003 thriller Identity, also tweeted: “I was shocked and saddened to learn of Ray Liotta’s death. , was a sweet, playful and passionate collaborator and a brilliant actor “.
Viola Davis also wrote “RIP Ray Liotta !! I loved your job” while Rosanna Arquette tweeted: “I am very sad to hear that Ray Liotta is dead. many laughs Rest in peace my friend “.
Liotta is survived by her fiancée Jacy Nittolo, who was with him while filming, and his daughter Karsen.