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Friday, May 27, 2022

Godspeed Ray Liotta

Ray Liotta, who starred in such movies as Field of Dreams (1989) and Goodfellas (1990), died yesterday, May 26 2022, at the age of 67. No cause has been given.

Ray Liotta was born on December 18 1954 in Newark, New Jersey. He was abandoned at an orphanage as an infant and was adopted by Mary and Alfred Liotta when he was six months. He grew up in Union, New Jersey. He did not want to be an actor growing up, but he was interested in sports and played baseball, basketball, and football. It was in his senior year at Union High School that the school's drama teacher asked him if he wanted to be in the school play. Ray Liotta agreed and his interest in acting began. He studied acting at the University of Miami and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1978.

Mr. Liotta worked as a bartender on Broadway in New York City before he landed the role of Joey Perrini on the soap opera Another World. He remained with the show until 1981. He appeared in the 1980 TV movies Hardhat and Legs. Ray Liotta made his film debut in 1983 in the movie The Lonely Lady. In the Eighties he appeared in the films Something Wild (1986), Dominick and Eugene (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), and Goodfellas (1990). He was a regular on the short-lived television shows Casablanca and Our Family Honour. He guest starred on the shows St. Elsewhere and Mike Hammer.

In the Nineties Ray Liotta appeared in the movies Article 99 (1992), Unlawful Entry (1992), No Escape (1994), Corrina, Corrina  (1994), Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), Unforgettable (1996), Turbulence (1997), Cop Land (1997), Phoenix (1998), Muppets from Space (1999), Forever Mine (1999), Pilgrim (2000), and A Rumour of Angels (2000). On television he guest starred on the show Frasier. He played Frank Sinatra in the 1998 TV movie The Rat Pack.

In the Naughts Mr. Liotta appeared in the movies Hannibal (2001), Heartbreakers (2001), Blow (2001), Narc (2002), John Q (2002), Identity (2003), The Last Shot (2004), Control (2004), Revolver (2005), Slow Burn (2005), Even Money (2006), Local Colour (2006), Comeback Season (2006), Smokin' Aces (2007), Wild Hogs (2007), In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007), Battle in Seattle (2007), Hero Wanted (2008), Crossing Over (2009), Observe and Report (2009), Powder Blue (2009), La Linea (2009), Youth in Revolt (2009), Crazy on the Outside (2010), Date Night (2010), Snowmen (2010), Chasing 3000 (2010), and Charlie St. Cloud (2010). He was a voice in the animated film Bee Movie (2007). On television he starred in the TV series Smith. He guest starred on Just Shoot Me!, ER, and Hannah Montana. He was a guest voice on the animated series Spongebob Squarepants.

In the Teens Ray Liotta starred in the TV show Shades of Blue. He appeared in the mini-series Texas Rising and was the narrator on the documentary series The Making of the Mob. He guest starred on the shows The League, NTSF:SD:SUV, Modern Family, Unbreakable Kimberly Schmidt, Young Sheldon, and Great News. He was a guest voice on the animated series The Simpsons. In the Teens he appeared in the movies The Son of No One (2011), The Details (2011), All Things Fall Apart (2011), The River Murders (2011), The Entitled (2011), Ticket Out (2012), Wanderlust (2012), Killing Them Softly (2012), Breathless (2012), The Iceman (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Yellow (2012), Bad Karma (2012), The Devil's in the Details (2013), Pawn (2013), Suddenly (2013), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), Better Living Through Chemistry (2014), The Identical (2014), Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), Revenge of the Green Dragons (2014), Kill the Messenger (2014), Go with Me (2015), Campus Code (2015), Flock of Dudes (2016), Sticky Notes (2016), Marriage Story (2019), and Hubie Halloween (2020).

In the Twenties Ray Liotta appeared in the films No Sudden Move (2021), The Many Saints of Newark (2021), and Broken Soldier (2022). He was a regular on the TV show Hanna and will appear in the upcoming show Black Bird.

Ray Liotta was certainly a remarkable actor. He could convincingly play historical figures, playing  Shoeless Joe Jackson, Henry Hill, and Frank Sinatra. He could also play a wide variety of characters. Over the years he played everything from mobsters to police officers. He also appeared in a wide variety of genres of films and TV shows, including comedies such as Wild Hogs, science fiction movies, such as No Escape and thrillers such as Unlawful Entry. Ray Liotta was very prolific. The reason he was in so demand is that he was just that good.

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