Ray Liotta, Goodfellas and Sin City Star, Dead at 67

Ray Liotta, the beloved character actor with roles in films like GoodFellas, and Sin City, has passed away. He was 67 years old. According to Deadline, who first reported his passing, the actor died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting the film Dangerous Waters. Liotta was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1954 — which likely came in handy when he later starred in The Sopranos and its prequel The Many Saints of Newark. For much of his career, he made a name for himself playing hard-edged tough guy characters, having become an instantly recognizable face following the success of Goodfellas in 1990 — although he certainly had another side to his performances, having turned some heads the year before that in his brief role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams. 

Liotta’s first film role was in 1983’s The Lonely Lady, and three years later he appeared in Something Wild, for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Golden Globe Awards. Once he became a household name, he didn’t take long to embrace the breadth and range of his skills, appearing in serious dramas like Corrina, Corrina and family comedies like Operation Dumbo Drop and Muppets From Space. He appeared in the first The Silence of the Lambs follow-up, Hannibal, and started a long run of playing gangsters, cops, and other intimidating figures in projects like John Q, Identity, and Smokin’ Aces.

Along the way, the film actor rarely shied away from TV. It wasn’t just The Sopranos, either; he had a recurring role as himself on the ’90s sitcom Just Shoot Me. He also appeared in SpongeBob Squarepants, Hannah Montana, and the TV movie The Rat Pack, in which he starred as Frank Sinatra. Like every other Hollywood A-lister in recent years, Liotta appeared on The Simpsons, too.

Recent screen roles included parts in The Many Saints of Newark, Marriage Story and No Sudden Move. Upcoming, he has Cocaine Bear, and had signed deals for Dangerous Waters and The Substance. His most recent TV role was in the Apple TV+ series Black Bird starring Kingsman‘s Taron Edgerton. No word on how much of Dangerous Waters he had completed, or whether he will appear in the finished film. 

Liotta is survived by his daughter, Karsen. He was engaged to be married to girlfriend Jacy Nittolo.