'Goodfellas' actor Ray Liotta dead at 67 while shooting for film in Dominican Republic
Ray Liotta, who gained iconic status with 1990 Martin Scorsese gangster classic 'Goodfellas', has died at the age of 67. Reports said he died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic while shooting the film 'Dangerous Waters'. Liotta, who is survived by daughter Karsen, was engaged to be married to podcaster Jacy Nittolo.
It is not yet clear what he died of or when and more updates are awaited. Fellow actors, celebrities and politicians all started paying their tributes as news of his death spread.
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In a sort of resurgence of his acting career, Liotta's recent turns included 'The Many Saints of Newark', 'Marriage Story' and 'No Sudden Move'. He had just finished the Elizabeth Banks-directed 'Cocaine Bear' and was due to star in the Working Title film The Substance opposite Demi Moore.
He gave notice of his acting prowess with Jonathan Demme-directed 'Something Wild' in 1986, and then played banned Chicago superstar Shoeless Joe Jackson in 'Field of Dreams'. He then played gangster Henry Hill in 'Goodfellas' opposite Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in what came to be the defining role of his career. The actor's other memorable roles included 'Hannibal', 'Narc', 'Blow' and 'Copland'.
Liotta was born in Newark, New Jersey, on December 18, 1954. He was adopted at the age of six months after he was abandoned at an orphanage. He graduated from the University of Miami, where he studied acting and received a BFA in 1978. After college, Liotta moved to New York City where one of his earliest roles was as Joey Perrini on the soap opera 'Another World', on which he appeared from 1978 to 1981.
He quit the show and moved to Los Angeles where he made his film debut in 1983's 'The Lonely Lady'. His first major acting role was Demme's 'Something Wild', which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He hit the big time after his portrayal of real-life mobster Henry Hill in Scorsese's critically acclaimed and commercially successful film 'Goodfellas'.