Great Fella

Growing up in my household, Gangster films were a big deal because my mother loved them to death. I'll never forget the day she brought home Goodfellas written and directed by one of my favorite filmmakers Martin Scorsese. This movie instantly became one of my favorite movies ever, like most before who had seen the film. I was captivated by its true story and amazing cast of actors who I've loved forever. The leading man of the cast was of course the great Ray Liotta.

On May 26th 2022 the world of entertainment lost the amazing and Ray Liotta at the age of 67 and fans along with the world of entertainment grieved at the news of his passing. As a big Ray Liotta fan myself, I too was saddened by the news of his passing, but more than the pain of wishing he was still here, I have been inspired to want to celebrate the great body of work he left behind.

Raymond Allen Liotta was born on December 18th 1954 in Newark, New Jersey. Having been abandoned by his birth parents and left at a group home, he was adopted by Alfred and Mary Liotta, who raised him Roman Catholic with his adopted sister Linda. From the moment he graduated high school and entered college, Raymond knew he was going to be an actor. He earned a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts from the University of Miami in 1978 and performed in a number of musicals at Miami's Jerry Herman Ring Theatre. After working as a bartender for some time Ray would eventually land one of his earliest successful roles on the daytime soap opera Another World as the character Joey Perrini from 1978 to 1981. In 1983 Ray Liotta made his big screen debut in the Peter Sasdy's The Lonely Lady and in 1986 he landed his first major leading role in Jonathan Demme's action based romantic-comedy, Something Wild, this is the film that would propel Ray to stardom. For his performance in Something Wild, Ray would receive a Golden Globe award nomination for best supporting actor.

Following the success of his portrayal of Shoeless Joe Jackson in the 1989 fantasy-drama Field of Dreams, Ray Liotta would land his most memorable role to date as Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's landmark true story gangster film, Goodfellas in 1990. Ray Liotta's emotionally heartfelt and in-depth performance as real-life gangster Henry Hill solidified his status as a Hollywood heavyweight and showcased his range as a performer. With depiction of Henry Hill in Goodfellas Ray Liotta showed how multidimensional he could be in even just one role going from impressionable young teenager, to esteemed gentleman, to hardened gangster, to loving husband and father.

Ray Liotta was able to showcase his talent in a way that made him Chameleon like in most of his roles following Goodfellas. He did a great job of portraying the role of lovable father and husband again when he co-starred along side Whoopi Goldberg in the 1994 fan-favorite family drama Corrina Corrina. It's safe to say that with movies like 1997's Copland, which reunited him with Goodfellas co-star Robert Deniro and 2002's Narc written and directed by Joe Carnahan, Ray Liotta recaptured the essence of his gangster beginnings. He even portrayed a comedic take on his gangster persona when he co-starred alongside Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt in the 2001 romantic comedy film Heartbreakers.

Something that always stood out to me was his performance in the 2001 true story crime drama Blow written by Nick Cassavetes and directed by Ted Demme. In this film he portrays the father of Boston drug dealer George Jung portrayed by Johnny Depp and he does it in a way that is very reminiscent to what his father was in Goodfellas, as secondary as his role may have seemed, it really was a true testament to his range of talent.

Ray Liotta wasn't just a great actor, he had a true sense of sentiment towards real life impact on his work. In 2012 the real life Henry Hill whom he portrayed in Goodfellas passed away and immediately following his death, Ray Liotta released a statement speaking of Hill saying though he did not know him very well in real life, he did hope that he found peace in death. This is who Ray Liotta will be remembered as, a heartfelt human being and a multifaceted performer who's work will forever live on as some of the greatest memories of our time.

Dedicated to the memory of Raymond Allen Liotta (December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022). Your amazing work and spirit will live on in our hearts forever.