Stage and film actor Ray Liotta died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic at the age of 67 on May 26, 2022. He was working on a film at the time of his death.
Raymond was born on December 18, 1954 in Newark, New Jersey and was adopted from an orphanage when he was six months old by Mary and Alfred Liotta. While he played sports in high school, it was a decision made on a lark that would define his future – a drama teacher asked him to perform in a play.
After graduating from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama, Ray moved to New York City where his first gig was not on the stage but behind a bar. He made his acting debut in 1980 in the made for TV movie “Hardhat and Legs” before spending 36 episodes on the daytime drama “Another World”.
It was thE film “Something Wild” that put Liotta on the Hollywood map and earned him over 100 roles throughout his career that included Shoeless Joe Jackson in “Field of Dreams”. His other roles include an episode of “St. Elsewhere”, “Article 99”, “Unlawful Entry”, “No Escape”, “Muppets from Space”, “Hannibal”, “Blow”, “Smith”, “Bee Movie”, the principal in “Hannah Montana”, “Muppets Most Wanted”, an episode of “The Simpson”, “Shades of Blue”, “Marriage Story”, and perhaps his biggest role in “Goodfellas”.
His lone Broadway role came in 2004 with “Match” playing opposite Frank Langella.
Married and divorced, Liotta is survived by his fiancée Jacy Nittolo and daughter Karsyn.
feature photo credit: [[File:Ray Liotta Cannes 2012.jpg|Ray_Liotta_Cannes_2012]]