Who was Ray Liotta? Goodfellas actor dies at 67

Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci’s co-star in ‘Goodfellas’, actor Ray Liotta breathed his last on Thursday.

Image: Ray Liotta/Instagram

Renowned for playing the character of mobster ‘Henry Hill’ in the Oscar-winning movie ‘Goodfellas’, actor Ray Liotta breathed his last on Thursday. The actor died at the age of 67 while he was in his sleep. He passed away in the Dominican Republic.

According to Ray Liotta’s publicist, Jennifer Allen, the actor was out on a location for the filming of the movie ‘Dangerous Waters’, reportedly. Ray Liotta was best known for portraying the character of mobster ‘Henry Hill’ in Martin Scorsese's 1990 gangster film Goodfellas. Liotta also appeared in the movie ‘Field of Dreams’.

Ray Liotta’s big break in the entertainment industry came with the 1986 movie ‘Something Wild’. In this black comedy film, Liotta played the character of an ex-convict, ‘Ray Sinclair’.

The 67-year-old actor had also received a Golden Globe nomination for his ‘Ray Sinclair’ character in the 1986 film ‘Something Wild’. Furthermore, he also went on to act in the 1988 film ‘Dominick and Eugene’. The film revolved around the strained relationship between twins, both of whom had very different characters from one another.

By the 90s, Ray Liotta was seen starring in movies such as ‘Unlawful Entry’, ‘Cop Land and Corrina’, and ‘Corrina with Whoopi Goldberg’, among others.

In the year 2021, Ray Liotta starred in the 'Sopranos' prequel film ‘The Many Saints Of Newark’. Interestingly, the actor had turned down a role that was offered to him in the original series. Born in New Jersey, actor Ray Liotta once in 2016 said that he regretted turning down the chance to audition for Tim Burton's Batman film.

"When I did my first movie, Tim Burton was getting ready to do Batman and he was interested in me because he wanted it to be edgy and real. "I thought, 'Batman? That's a stupid idea', even though he had just done one of my favourite movies of all time, Beetlejuice. So yes, I regret not auditioning for that'."

Furthermore, Ray Liotta has also played a lawyer named ‘Jay Marotta’ in the 2019 film ‘Marriage Story’ which received critical appreciation. The film also starred actors Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a couple whose relationship was on the verge of ending. Laura Dern won an Oscar for this film in the best-supporting actress for playing a lawyer. Meanwhile, Ray Liotta had recently wrapped up working on the 2023 film ‘The Cocaine Bear’, helmed by Elizabeth Banks. The actor is now survived by his daughter Karsen and his fiancee Jacy Nittolo.