“As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster.”
A sentiment no doubt shared by countless audience members worldwide, simply because Ray Liotta made it seem so effortlessly cool.
Liotta, who sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 67, will forever be acclaimed for his iconic starring role in Martin Scorsese’s mob classic Goodfellas (1990). To the role of Henry Hill, Liotta brought a youthful, boyish naivety that masked a dangerous, violent undercurrent – a feverish, unquenchable passion that ultimately threatens to undo everything (and everyone) around him.
As Henry Hill in Goodfellas (1990) - Image courtesy of Warner Brothers
Liotta’s performance as Hill was one among a career defined by scene-stealing roles and larger-than-life characters, spanning almost four decades of remarkable performances.
Liotta, born in 1954 in New Jersey, received his big break in Something Wild (1986) alongside Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith, playing the psychotic ex-husband of Griffith’s character. The role earned Liotta a Golden Globe nomination, after which he then starred in Dominick and Eugene (1988) with Tom Hulce, playing two very different twins with opposing outlooks and ambitions.
Battling Jeff Daniels in Something Wild (1986) - Image © 1986 Orion Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
In 1989, Liotta's star was raised further with an appearance opposite Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, playing the ghost of baseball legend “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. In the following years and decades, he also appeared in Article 99 (1992) alongside Kiefer Sutherland, was reunited with Robert De Niro in Cop Land (1997), and starred alongside John Cusask in Identity (2003).
In 2001, Liotta also appeared as the crooked Justice Department official Paul Krendler in Hannibal, Ridley Scott's sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, alongside Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore. A career highlight includes a particularly – and unforgettably – nasty dinner scene opposite Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter.
With Anthony Hopkins in Hannibal (2001) - Image © 2001 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. and Universal City Studios, Llp. All Rights Reserved.
Spoken of by friends and colleagues as a sweet, personable individual - a good fella - as far removed from his intense, gritty screen persona as possible, Ray Liotta leaves behind a legacy of unique, unforgettable performances, and an indelible contribution to the gangster genre. He will be missed.
"You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, ‘You’re gonna like this guy. He’s all right. He’s a good fella. He’s one of us.’ You understand? We were good fellas."
