American actor Ray Liotta, who headlined Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed gangster drama Goodfellas, has died at 67, according to reports.
Liotta died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting for the film Dangerous Waters, Deadline reported.
Goodfellas (1990), in which Liotta played Henry Hill, who works for a Mafia gang and later turns informer against them, is one of the actor’s most well-regarded films. Liotta held his own against a cast that included Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
Among his early well-regarded roles was in Something Wild (1986), in which he plays a violent husband, and Field of Dreams (1989), in which he is sstar baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Other iconic roles include a psychotic police officer in Unlawful Entry (1992), a prisoner in the futuristic No Escape (1994), a corrupt policeman in Cop Land (1997) and a gambler in Phoenix (1998).
Liotta’s roles in the 2000s include Hannibal, Narc, Observe and Report, Killing Them Softly, Kill The Messenger, Marriage Story, No Sudden Move and the Many Saints of Newark.
Liotta also appeared in a series of television shows, including ER, Smith, Texas Rising and Hanna.
Among his upcoming projects is Cocaine Bear, an untitled comedy with showbiz as the backdrop, and the Apple TV+’s true crime series Black Bird.
Lorraine Bracco paid tribute to her Goodfellas co-star on Twitter. The Many Saints of Newark star Alessandro Nivola described Liotta as “dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors”.
RIP Ray Liotta. One of the best performances and narrations in film history ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bEsgUt7uRK
— Martino (@MartinoPuccio) May 26, 2022
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
RIP Ray Liotta. I feel so lucky to have squared off against this legend in one of his final roles. The scenes we did together were among the all time highlights of my acting career. He was dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors.Too soon pic.twitter.com/FvsV2NNHkw
— Alessandro Nivola (@SandroNivola) May 26, 2022
Shocked and saddened to hear of Ray Liotta’s passing. Beyond the tough guy exterior and the tightly wound emotions of his signature characters, he was a sweet, playful and passionate collaborator and brilliant actor. RIP. pic.twitter.com/O5tueLlBMP
— Mangold (@mang0ld) May 26, 2022
Ray Liotta has died. His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. A gentle man. So sad to hear.
— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) May 26, 2022
We're very sad to hear the news of Ray Liotta's passing.
— Edinburgh Film Fest (@edfilmfest) May 26, 2022
A great actor, Ray starred in #StickyNotes, which premiered at #EIFF in 2016, in a role almost completely unrecognisable from the gangster/mobster roles he was so famously associated with.
RIP Ray pic.twitter.com/Q40Z13tTvq
Ray Liotta. Man. Just met dude for the first time last year. GREAT actor. Nice to have had a chance to say that to him. RIP.
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) May 26, 2022