‘Goodfellas,’ ‘Field of Dreams’ star Ray Liotta dead at 67
Actor Ray Liotta, best known as Henry Hill in the New York City-set mob flick “Goodfellas,” has died at age 67.
The Newark, New Jersey, native died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting his new movie, “Dangerous Waters,” his publicist confirmed Thursday. His fiancee, Jacy Nittolo, was with him at the time.
“I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing,” Robert De Niro, who starred with Liotta in “Goodfellas,” told the Daily News Thursday. “He is way, way too young to have left us. May he Rest in Peace.”
Joe Pesci, who also starred in the film, told The News, “God is a Goodfella and so is Ray.”
The iconic actor, who has appeared on the big screen for decades, also played Shoeless Joe Jackson in “Field of Dreams.” More recently, he appeared in the 2019 Netflix movie “Marriage Story” and the “Sopranos” prequel series “Many Saints of Newark.”
Liotta first turned heads in the Jonathan Demmedirected “Something Wild,” which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. But it was his turn as the ruggedly handsome Henry Hill in “Goodfellas” narrating the rise and fall of a Brooklyn mob family that pulled off a $6 million heist from the Lufthansa vault at JFK Airport in 1978, that made him a star.
“It’s nice that the movie still lives on in people’s minds,” Liotta told the Daily News of “Goodfellas” in 2020. “It seems like it’s one that’s going to keep on going.”
“Goodfellas,” directed by Martin Scorsese, racked up six Oscar nominations, with co-star Joe Pesci taking home the trophy for best supporting actor. The movie also starred De Niro and
Lorraine Bracco as Henry Hill’s wife.
“I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray,” Bracco tweeted. “I can be anywhere in the world and people will come up and 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.”
“Field of Dreams,” the Kevin Costner flick about a farmer who builds a baseball field in his backyard to attract ghosts of MLB’s past, is widely regarded as one of the best sports movies.
Liotta played Shoeless Joe Jackson, who brings his Chicago Black Sox teammates out for one more ball game.
Liotta’s current project, “Dangerous Waters,” costars Odeya Rush, Eric Dane and Saffron Burrows in the story of a “sailing holiday that spirals out of control when a teenage daughter (Rush) uncovers the dark past of her mother’s new boyfriend.”
He also recently wrapped the Elizabeth Banks-directed “Cocaine Bear,” inspired by the true story of an American black bear that ingested a duffel bag full of cocaine in 1985.
The movie, co-starring Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Margo Martindale, is due out February.
In 2005, Liotta won a Primetime Emmy Award for a guest role on NBC’s “ER” as an alcoholic ex-con trying to make amends with his estranged son while the doctors try to save his life.
Fellow actors weighed in on Liotta’s death Thursday.
“His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being,” Jamie Lee Curtis tweeted. “A gentle man. So sad to hear.”
Cary Elwes wrote, “An extraordinary talent whose remarkable performances left an indelible mark on the screen. Our deepest condolences to his family.”
Rosanna Arquette tweeted, “He was a friend back in the day and it’s very sad. We had a lot of laughs. Rest in peace my friend.”
Liotta is survived by his daughter, Karen, and his fiancee.