Ray Liotta

Ray Liotta, the actor known for his roles in "Field of Dreams" and the Martin Scorsese mob classic "Goodfellas," has died.

"For some reason, I've been busier this year than I have in all the years that I've been doing this. "It's weird how this business works, because I've definitely had a career that's up and down," he added. "Ray was working on a project in the Dominican Republic called 'Dangerous Waters' when he passed. My response has always been the same...Ray Liotta." But I'd love to." He is survived by his daughter, Karsen and his fiancée, Jacy Nittolo," his publicist Jennifer Allen told CNN.

The actor died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming a movie.

“He’s very powerful in his stillness. The most notable of those was his portrayal of the gangster Henry Hill in “Goodfellas,” Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed 1990 film. “Ray can be very still, almost like a cat,” the director Howard Deutch told The Times in 1992.

LOS ANGELES: Actor Ray Liotta, who starred in Martin Scorsese's gangster classic Goodfellas, has died suddenly in the Dominican Republic, the country's ...

Advertisement He was dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors." A gentle man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement

Known for his tough-guy roles, he also starred in the baseball classic "Field of Dreams" as Shoeless Joe Jackson.

I’d wake up at night with the smell of the ballpark in my nose, the cool of the grass on my feet … the thrill of the grass.” After “Goodfellas,” Mr. Liotta played a doctor in the poorly received “Article 99″ (1992) and seldom had top billing in his later films. At the time of his death, he was engaged to be married to Jacy Nittolo. He landed his role in “Something Wild” by calling its star, Melanie Griffith, whose former boyfriend, Steven Bauer, had gone to college with Mr. Liotta. He also learned, to his surprise, that his ancestry was primarily Scottish, not Italian. His marriage to actress Michelle Grace ended in divorce. The real Jackson Joe batted left-handed and threw righty.) “Of all the scary legends I’ve worked with, De Niro, Christopher Walken, Joaquin Phoenix, Shirley MacLaine,” Nivola added, “Ray is the one I was most intimidated by. Handsome in a rugged way, with a square jaw and steely blue eyes, Mr. Liotta could explode in cackling laughter or maintain a glaring, stony silence, never far away from a sudden outburst of violence. To me, being a gangster was better than being president of the United States.” I just want to say hi to Marty. I just want to say hi.’ Marty said that’s when he realized he was going to cast me.” The film, which also starred Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, relied on Mr. Liotta’s narration to portray Hill’s childhood fascination with the criminal underworld and how he entered that life. “And the bodyguard threw me off.

The actor, whose films also include Something Wild and Hannibal, died in his sleep while shooting his latest project in the Dominican Republic.

He was an friend back in the day and it’s very sad. James Mangold, who directed Liotta in the 2003 thriller Identity, also tweeted: “Shocked and saddened to hear of Ray Liotta’s passing. “Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. Liotta was born in New Jersey and abandoned at an orphanage before being adopted at six months. Liotta was offered a role on The Sopranos but turned it down. Despite being known for his tough guy roles, Liotta has admitted that he is far from what people see him as.

Liotta died in bed at a hotel where he was staying with fiancee Jacy Nittolo while filming Dangerous Waters. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

Liotta was born in Newark, New Jersey, in December 1954. a lovely, talented and hilarious person.” Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who worked with Liotta on Dominick And Eugene, tweeted: “His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. We lost a great today... “Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same...

SANTO DOMINGO: American actor Ray Liotta, 67, who starred in the 1990 blockbuster crime film Goodfellas, died in his sleep on Thursday in the Dominican ...

Advertisement He was dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors." A gentle man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement

According to his publicist, the actor died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting a movie.

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. In 2002, he starred in the hit video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as Tommy Vercetti, a mobster who rises up the ranks of the game's criminal empire. After graduation, he worked small roles in various commercials and TV shows, but his breakout turn was in 1986's Something Wild, directed by Jonathan Demme. He started acting at the University of Miami, where he majored in drama. He was 67 years old. The actor Ray Liotta has died.

Actor Ray Liotta, who rocketed to film stardom in Goodfellas, has died in his sleep at a hotel in the Dominican Republic where he was filming a movie.

LIOTTA: (As Henry Hill) Even before I first wandered into the cabstand for an after-school job, I knew I wanted to be a part of them. And with more than 100 roles to his credit, it would be hard to say he was ever in a career slump. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GOODFELLAS") (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GOODFELLAS") (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GOODFELLAS") Actor Ray Liotta, who rocketed to film stardom in "Goodfellas," has died in his sleep at a hotel in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming a movie.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - American actor Ray Liotta, who starred in Martin Scorsese's gangster classic Goodfellas, has died suddenly in the Dominican Republic, ...

Toggle Dropdown Toggle Dropdown Toggle Dropdown

According to his publicist, the actor died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting a movie.

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. In 2002, he starred in the hit video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as Tommy Vercetti, a mobster who rises up the ranks of the game's criminal empire. After graduation, he worked small roles in various commercials and TV shows, but his breakout turn was in 1986's Something Wild, directed by Jonathan Demme. He started acting at the University of Miami, where he majored in drama. He was 67 years old. The actor Ray Liotta has died.

Ray Liotta, the actor best known for playing mobster Henry Hill in “Goodfellas” and baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson in “Field of Dreams,” has died.

But he’d still end up playing a mob type with James Gandolfini in Andrew Dominik’s “Killing Them Softly.” And later, he would pay his own ticket to audition for “The Many Saints of Newark.” For gamers, he’s immortalized as the voice of Tommy Vercetti in the video game “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.” He also starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the series “Shades of Blue.” A few years later, he would get the memorable role of the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson in “Field of Dreams.” Though it moved many to tears, it wasn’t without its critics. “The business is rough, no matter where you’re at in your career,” Liotta said in 2012. It would take a few years for him to land his first big movie role, in Jonathan Demme’s “Something Wild” as Melanie Griffith’s character’s hotheaded ex-convict husband Ray. He was 30 years old at the time and hadn’t had a steady job in five years. The one physical thing he does do, when he goes after the guy who went after Karen — you know, most audiences, they actually like him for that.” And later, at the University of Miami he picked drama and acting because they had no math requirement attached. The Newark, New Jersey, native was born in 1954 and adopted at age six months out of an orphanage by a township clerk and an auto parts owner. Robert De Niro, who co-starred with Liotta in “Goodfellas,” said in an emailed statement: “I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. “I hated doing it, because that’s politics for me; calling someone to help you out. Liotta’s publicist, Jen Allen, said he was in the Dominican Republic shooting a new movie and didn’t wake up Thursday morning. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”

The Many Saints star was impervious to my attempts to butter him up – maybe his lack of air-kissing pretension is what stopped him becoming a leading man ...

And maybe it was his lack of pretension that allowed him to be such a gifted actor, one I thrilled to see every time he was on screen. “Nah, not really.” He was adopted but found his birth mother as an adult – did that change his sense of self? His baffling career (why HADN’T he become a leading man after Goodfellas?) only added to the mystery. He was ominously convincing playing psychopaths in movies such as Something Wild, Goodfellas and The Many Saints. But he was just as convincing as Gary Figgis in Cop Land and the mysterious ghost of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in The Field of Dreams. With some movie stars – Tom Hanks, say, or Meryl Streep – we may not know what they’re REALLY like, but you’re pretty safe assuming that they’re going to give you a good interview. Phone interviews are pretty thankless at the best of times, as it’s impossible to get a sense of a person down the phone line, and Liotta was rumoured to be difficult, truculent, rude. When I phoned Ray Liotta last September, to interview him about his genuinely astonishing performance in the (underrated!) Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, I was braced for the worst.

Martin Scorsese, Lorraine Bracco, Kevin Costner, and Jennifer Lopez are among those reflecting on the actor's life and career.

He is way too young to have left us. Playing Henry Hill in Good Fellas was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”

The shocking death of Ray Liotta caused an outpouring of grief in Hollywood. Robert De Niro, Lorraine Braco and Kevin Costner are among the stars ...

"When I first heard he took the job on Shades of Blue I was thrilled, and the first time we walked on set to do our first scene together there was an electric spark and a mutual respect and we both knew this was going to be good. While he leaves an incredible legacy, he'll always be 'Shoeless Joe Jackson' in my heart," Costner wrote along with a clip of a the two of them in the film. "Devastated to hear the news of Ray Liotta's passing. "Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. Playing Henry Hill in 'Goodfellas' was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot," the statement read. "He was so uniquely gifted, so adventurous, so courageous as an actor.

Liotta was in the Dominican Republic shooting the movie Dangerous Waters when he died. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Henry Hill in the 1990 ...

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

Actor whose charred handsomeness and mercurial qualities led to magnetic performances in Goodfellas and Something Wild.

Though he never became a superstar – he expressed regret that he had declined an offer to meet Tim Burton, who wanted him to play Batman in his 1989 film – he worked consistently. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, where he was adopted at six months old and raised by Mary, a township clerk, and Alfred Liotta, who owned an auto parts store. In later years, he often insisted that he had been unfairly pigeonholed as a villain or a gangster. Goodfellas made Liotta a star but he had already given an equally magnetic performance in Something Wild (1986), his first lead role. “I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.” Liotta, playing the real mobster-turned-informant Henry Hill, has just been seen taking part in the fatal knifing of a mob rival when the camera zooms on to his face, bathed in the infernal red glow of a car’s brake-lights.

A lot of the late Ray Liotta's performances operate on the edge of ravenous and resigned, but he's almost pious in his line reading as Jay in 'Marriage ...

All on the behalf of a director of the avant-garde. The way I still think about it all these years later: “a well-regarded up-and-coming director of the avant-garde.” Liotta is almost pious in the line reading: “director of the avant-garde.” It’s as if Jay has copied-and-pasted the phrase from the lede of whatever Time Out issue Charlie was on the cover of. Liotta spent his career bouncing around the courthouse, playing a lot of criminals and then playing a lot of cops. (And it’s not that she’s blue blood but he’s blue collar; he invites her to some Stand Up to Cancer event featuring John Legend on the way into the courtroom.) Nora pulls technicalities and details to make her case; Jay makes his with binaries and sheer force of will alone. “Listen, if we start from a place of reasonable, and they start from a place of crazy,” Jay growls, “when we settle, we’ll be somewhere between reasonable and crazy.” Cue Ted from the corner: “Which is still crazy.” In between arguing with Nora, steam all but comes out of his ears when he learns that his “director of the avant-garde” deposited MacArthur “genius” grant money into the couple’s joint account and wrongly assumed the rental-car company would buckle in Henry’s car seat. The script is full of clever asides, sly observations, and bitter truths that come out mangled, selfish, cruelly (and sometimes funnily) inexact (“ You shouldn’t be upset that I fucked her, you should be upset that I had a laugh with her!” Charlie cries out to Nicole. He’s trying to make a case for a stupid affair, but the very act of justifying it is the biggest joke.) Charlie and Nicole talk one way; their lawyers talk another. (His chiding of Nicole is such a funny, gross dismissal but not all that different from what Charlie himself might say if he’s angry enough.) “Ten years ago, Charlie takes a risk when he first hires Nicole as an actress in his play in New York City. He’s a well-regarded up-and-coming director of the avant-garde. And she’s known as the girl in that college sex movie who takes her top off.” The shark gray of Jay’s suit, the way he talks about “money” and “assets” instead of art and family. Love, marriage, betrayal, neglect, sized down to serif font: “Case #BD 646-058.” Liotta and Laura Dern, as Nicole’s lawyer, Nora, do their jobs a little too well, making the actual inner details of whatever Charlie and Nicole’s whole deal was seem almost like a long afterthought.

Liotta was in the Dominican Republic shooting the movie Dangerous Waters when he died. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Henry Hill in the 1990 ...

PESCI: (As Tommy DeVito) What do you mean? Not until late in his career did he return to that genre, notably in the recent Sopranos prequel, "The Many Saints Of Newark." LIOTTA: (As Henry Hill) It's just - you know. LIOTTA: (As Henry Hill) It's funny. You mean the way I talk? He studied acting at the University of Miami, and he played a jealous ex-husband in the 1986 movie "Something Wild."

Robert De Niro, who co-starred with Liotta in Goodfellas, said in an emailed statement that he was saddened by Liotta's passing. "He is way too way young to ...

But he'd still end up playing a mob type with James Gandolfini in Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly. And later, he would pay his own ticket to audition for The Many Saints of Newark. "The business is rough, no matter where you're at in your career," Liotta said in 2012. "He absolutely amazed me, and I'll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture." A few years later, he would get the memorable role of the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams. Though it moved many to tears, it wasn't without its critics. For gamers, he's immortalised as the voice of Tommy Vercetti in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He also starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the series Shades of Blue. It would take a few years for him to land his first big movie role, in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild as Melanie Griffith's character's hotheaded ex-convict husband Ray. He was 30 years old at the time and hadn't had a steady job in five years. And later, at the University of Miami he picked drama and acting because they had no math requirement attached. The Newark, New Jersey, native was born in 1954 and adopted at age six months out of an orphanage by a township clerk and an auto parts owner. Robert De Niro, who co-starred with Liotta in Goodfellas, said in an emailed statement that he was saddened by Liotta's passing. Chase said in a statement that "We all felt we lucked out having him on that movie." Robert De Niro, who co-starred with Liotta in Goodfellas, said in an emailed statement that he was saddened by Liotta's passing. Thursday at a hotel where Liotta was staying with his fiancee and found the actor dead.