(Photo : Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Veteran actor Ray Liotta, who was widely known for his roles in "Field of Dreams" and the mob classic "Goodfellas" by Martin Scorsese, has died at the age of 67.
Veteran actor Ray Liotta, who was widely known for his roles in "Field of Dreams" and the mob classic "Goodfellas" by Martin Scorsese, has died at the age of 67.
According to publicist Jennifer Allen, the actor was found in his hotel room in the Dominican Republic while filming Dangerous Waters on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Ray Liotta's Cause of death was he passed away while asleep, per Hollywood Reporter.
Jacy Nittolo, his fiancée, was there. He had just been working on the movie for about a week.
One of Hollywood's Brightest Stars
Ray Liotta was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Alfred and Mary Liotta, who also adopted a daughter, Linda.
He attended Union High School and went to the University of Miami after excelling in sports. He majored in drama and had his first acting role in "Cabaret."
After graduating from college, Liotta relocated to New York City, where he worked in commercials until he landed the role of Joey Perrini on the daytime soap opera "Another World," where he starred from 1978 to 1981.
His portrayal of insane ex-con Ray Sinclair in Jonathan Demme's 1986 film "Something Wild" was a career-defining role for him.
Following the performance, Liotta starred alongside Kevin Costner in the box office blockbuster "Field of Dreams" as a baseball player "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.
Perhaps his most famous performance was as real-life mobster Henry Hill in the 1990 film "Goodfellas," in which he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, as per a report from CNN.
He won an Emmy Award in 2005 for his guest turn as an alcoholic ex-con who comes to County General on the NBC drama ER - an episode that was shot in real-time - then spoofed that performance in Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie (2007).
He excelled as sinister cops in Unlawful Entry (1992), Cop Land (1997), and Narc (2002), as well as providing the voice of mobster Tommy Vercetti in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
With big-screen roles in Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story (2019), Steven Soderbergh's No Sudden Move (2021), and Alan Taylor's The Many Saints of Newark (2021) - as two members of the Moltisanti family in The Sopranos prequel - and a role as a villain on the third season of the Amazon series Hanna, Liotta has been quite busy recently.
Fellow Artists Pay Tribute to Liotta
Lorraine Bracco, who co-starred as Liotta's wife in "Goodfellas," took to Twitter to her tribute for the late actor on Thursday.
"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," she tweeted. "Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same...Ray Liotta."
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. pic.twitter.com/3gNjJFTAne— Lorraine Bracco (@Lorraine_Bracco) May 26, 2022
Alessandro Nivola, who recently co-starred with him in "The Sopranos" prequel "The Many Saints of Newark," and the film's writer and producer David Chase also paid tribute to Liotta.
"We all felt we lucked out having him on that movie," Chase said in a statement per AP News.
Nivola described the late actor as "dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors.
Related Article: Who Is Camille Vasquez? Johnny Depp's True, Deeper Relationship to Trial Lawyer Who Grills Amber Heard
