Acclaimed GOODFELLAS star Ray Liotta Remembered

The Very Versatile Actor Ray Liotta in Retrospect

Ray Liotta, one of the most charismatic and reliable actors of our time, and star of the hit movie Goodfellas, has passed away.

Hollywood has lost one of its most distinguished actors. The always fascinating Ray Liotta was, in almost every role he ever played, intriguing to watch yet in retrospect, his diverse talents seem to have been underappreciated by many. When his most prestigious project, Goodfellas, was up for six Academy Awards, Liotta seemed to have been given the cold shoulder when he failed to land a nod for his role in the movie. However, without Liotta’s turn as Henry Hill, could Goodfellas have existed as the masterpiece it has become known as today? I don’t think so.

Martin Scorsese’s aforementioned 1990 picture was so great, and Liotta was so perfect, that many took Liotta’s performance as Henry Hill in the movie for granted. Academy Award winner Joe Pesci had the more showy role in the film, for sure, but Liotta quietly carried the movie towards greatness.

I am sad to report that Liotta has passed away. He died in his sleep while filming a movie called Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic. He was 67 years of age.

Liotta started his fantastic movie career with a wonderful, fierce performance in Jonathan Demme’s 1986 dramatic comedy, Something Wild. Liotta played his part to perfection and held his own opposite Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith in the offbeat movie. Someone could easily say that whenever Liotta was on screen in that picture, he stole the show.

In 1989’s Field of Dreams, Liotta showed his softer side as Shoeless Joe Jackson, an old-time baseball player who showed up on Kevin Costner’s field to play ball. That movie was a masterpiece and one that showcased a kinder, gentler Liotta than we would come to know in many of his other pictures.

It was in 1992’s thriller, Unlawful Entry, however, where Liotta delivered the performance of his career. In that nail-biter, Liotta portrayed a crooked cop who moves in on an everyday citizen (Kurt Russell)’s wife (Madeleine Stowe) and makes the couple’s lives a living hell. Liotta gave the role a creepy edge and a distinctness that differentiated the villain from other psychopaths who were portrayed in similar thrillers which were prevalent at the time.

While Liotta continued working throughout the decades, he was always best known for his work in Scorsese’s Goodfellas which has become known as the definitive mob movie. One of Liotta’s most memorable recent roles came when he expertly played a hard nosed lawyer in the 2019 Oscar-nominated dramatic picture, Marriage Story.

Liotta was engaged to a woman he deemed the love of his life, Jacy Nittolo. This remarkable actor leaves behind a body of work which is extremely impressive and it’s also noteworthy to say that, although he didn’t get an Oscar nomination for it, playing Henry Hill was a claim to fame which will make Liotta a cinematic legend forever.

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