Entertainment

'Goodfellas' star Ray Liotta dead at 67

Ray Liotta in a black coat
Ray Liotta. Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Read in app

Legendary actor and "Goodfellas" star Ray Liotta has died at the age of 67, Deadline reported on Thursday. 

Liotta died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic where he was shooting the upcoming thriller "Dangerous Waters," sources told Deadline. 

His cause of death was not immediately known.

Liotta's acting career spanned more than four decades, and most recently he appeared in the "Sopranos" prequel film, "The Many Saints of Newark."

Liotta also won an Emmy in 2005 for his guest role on "ER."

The actor's breakout role was playing psycho Ray Sinclair opposite Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels in the 1986 cult classic "Something Wild," which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. But the actor would find stardom four years later when he played Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's 1990 classic "Goodfellas."

Goodfellas movie
Ray Liotta (center) in "Goodfellas."  Warner Bros.

As Hill, based on the real-life mobster who became an FBI informant in 1980, Liotta was a powerhouse on-screen with his unmistakable New Jersey accent, infectious laugh, and piercing eyes. What was even more impressive was he gave the towering breakout performance opposite two seasoned Hollywood actors, and Scorsese regulars, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

In an interview with Insider back in 2018, Liotta admitted the stardom of "Goodfellas" was so sudden and shocking he didn't know how to use it to elevate his career.

"I didn't have a publicist up until 'Goodfellas,'" he said. "I didn't know that was what you're supposed to do. Nobody was helping me. I had the agents, but back then I think I was with the wrong people at that time to get me to the next thing."

While navigating Hollywood Liotta continued to find work, often in tough-guy roles. He put his mark on titles like 1997's "Cop Land" and 2002's "Narc."

Billy Magnussen, Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Alessandro Nivola in "The Many Saints of Newark."
(L-R) Billy Magnussen, Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Alessandro Nivola in "The Many Saints of Newark."  Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema

Most recently, Liotta had memorable roles in Noah Baumbach's 2019 drama "Marriage Story" and "The Many Saints of Newark" in 2021.

"Younger people, like 14-, 15-year-old kids, come up to me, and they'll say that they saw a movie of mine," Liotta told Insider back in 2018, adding that he's "very, very lucky" he did movies that "will live for a long time."

The movies Liotta recently completed are "El Tonto" by "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star Charlie Day  and actress Elizabeth Banks' "Cocaine Bear."

Read next

Jason Guerrasio
Jason Guerrasio
Jason Guerrasio is an award-winning entertainment correspondent at Business Insider and has covered various aspects of the film industry for over two decades. On the site, his reporting can range from what's going on behind the scenes at some of the biggest companies in Hollywood, colorful interviews with some of the most well-known names in entertainment, and exploring the darker side of the industry.In 2020, Jason received the New York Press Club award and Los Angeles Press Club award for his story on the rise and fall of MoviePass. It has since been made into the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary "MoviePass, MovieCrash."Previous to BI, Jason was the managing editor at Filmmaker Magazine, one of the leading publications in the independent film industry. He's also written for numerous publications over the years, including Vanity Fair, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Variety, and indieWire.Popular ArticlesMary Carole McDonnell built a true-crime empire. Then the FBI came for her. Growing up Marvel: The tormented life of Stan Lee's child, JC LeeA bullet. A legend. A lie. Bufford Pusser killed his wife, authorities say. What happens to his legacy now?
Natalie Musumeci's face on a gray background
Natalie Musumeci
Natalie is a senior reporter on Business Insider's Business News team covering the AI and data center boom.She was previously on BI's Legal Affairs team, where she handled major cases coming out of state and federal court, as well as bankruptcy. Her coverage often focused on stories at the intersection of law, business, politics, and technology. Natalie has covered Donald Trump’s criminal and civil cases, the wave of lawsuits against the second Trump administration, the indictment and criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the legal battles facing Elon Musk and his companies. Natalie came to Business Insider in June 2021 as a breaking news reporter, focusing on the most interesting angles on the day's trending news. Natalie largely drove BI’s coverage around the fatal “Rust” shooting involving Alec Baldwin and the disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito.Prior to joining BI, Natalie worked for the New York Post, the New York Daily News, and The Brooklyn Paper. She has an extensive background covering crime and courts. During her more than 12-year journalism career, she did a stint covering the police beat out of the New York Police Department's headquarters. Natalie, a Brooklyn native, graduated from Brooklyn College in 2012 with a degree in journalism.