MOVIE STAR RAY Liotta has died aged 67.
Liotta, who was best known for his parts in movies such as Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, died in his sleep.
Tributes have started to come in from Hollywood, including from actor Seth Rogan.
I can’t believe Ray Liotta has passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person. Working with him was one of the great joys of my career and we made some of my favorite scenes I ever got to be in. A true legend of immense skill and grace.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) May 26, 2022
Actor Lorraine Bracco, who played alongside Liotta in the hit Goodfellas, said he was “the best part of making the movie”.
I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray.
— Lorraine Bracco (@Lorraine_Bracco) May 26, 2022
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
The Hollywood Reporter said the news of Liotta’s passing was confirmed by his agent Jennifer Craig at Gersh. She told that publication that he died in his sleep.
He had been filming a new movie in the Dominican Republic at the time of his death. He is survived by his fiancée Jacy Nittolo, who was on location at the time of his death, and his daughter.
Liotta found fame playing ex-con Ray Sinclair in 1986 black comedy Something Wild, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.
He went on to star as Shoeless Joe Jackson in the 1989 film Field Of Dreams and is best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in Goodfellas opposite Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci and directed by Martin Scorsese.
Liotta was the adopted son of a town clerk and auto-parts shop owner, who insisted he never contemplated acting while growing up in Newark, New Jersey.
After graduating he moved to New York City and worked as a barman until he was cast in soap opera Another World in 1980.
After his role in Something Wild, Liotta resisted the countless psychopathic roles he was offered following the film’s success, and instead starred in the acclaimed drama Dominick And Eugene, about a complex relationship between twin brothers.
During the 1990s Liotta starred in Unlawful Entry, Cop Land and Corrina alongside Whoopi Goldberg.
In 2016 he told the PA news agency about regrets he had in the way he handled his career, including turning down the chance to audition for Tim Burton’s Batman movie.
“I wish I’d handled my career differently but, you know, hindsight…” he said at the time.
“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.”
He enjoyed a varied career, also appearing as Frank Sinatra in the 1998 TV movie The Rat Pack.
With reporting by Garreth MacNamee and Zuzia Whelan
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