Ray Liotta
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Newark, NJhometown
- Hip-Hopgenre
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Ray Liotta
, Liotta at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
(1954-12-18) December 18, 1954 (age 58), Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater
University of Miami
Occupation
Actor
Years active
1976-present
Religion
Roman Catholic
Spouse(s)
Michelle Grace,
(1997 - 2004; divorced)
Children
Karsen Liotta
Raymond Allen "Ray" Liotta (born December 18, 1954) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas (1990) and for his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams (1989). He has won an Emmy Award and been nominated for Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards. Liotta is also known for starring as the protagonist, Tommy Vercetti in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002), and as Billy Handsome, a playable character in the Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies map, Mob of the Dead (2013).
Early life edit:
Liotta was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was adopted at the age of six months by Mary Liotta, an appointed township clerk, and Alfred Liotta, an auto parts store owner, personnel director, and the president of a local Democratic club. Both of his parents unsuccessfully ran for local office. Liotta's adoptive parents were of Italian ancestry; his biological parents were not of Italian descent. In 1973, Liotta graduated from Union High School in Union, New Jersey and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1992. Liotta studied acting at the University of Miami, where he performed at the university's Jerry Herman Ring Theatre.
Career edit:
One of Liotta's earliest roles was as Joey Perrini on the soap opera Another World; he appeared on the show from 1978 to 1981. He infamously made his film debut sexually assaulting Pia Zadora with a garden hose in the cult classic The Lonely Lady. In 1987, he earned his first Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of volatile ex-con Ray Sinclair in Jonathan Demme's film Something Wild (1986). In 1989, he costarred, along with Kevin Costner, in the fantasy/drama film, Field of Dreams. Liotta portrayed Shoeless Joe Jackson, the ghost of the famed baseball player. In 1990, Liotta portrayed real-life mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's film Goodfellas. In 1992, he costarred, along with Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe, in the thriller Unlawful Entry as a psychopathic cop. He also had a leading role in the sci-fi/action film No Escape. Liotta would earn more critical praise for his turn in James Mangold's film Cop Land, starring alongside Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, and Harvey Keitel. In 1998, he received critical praise for his performance as the compulsive gambler but decent policeman Harry Collins, in the crime film, Phoenix.
In addition to his film roles, Liotta portrayed singer Frank Sinatra in the 1998 TV movie The Rat Pack (for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination) and provided the voice of Tommy Vercetti for the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. That same year he appeared as Det. Lt. Henry Oak in the Joe Carnahan-directed film Narc, receiving an Independent Spirit Award nomination and a Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards nomination for Best Supporting Male, a praised performance that many critics considered to be Liotta's career best. He then reunited with director James Mangold in 2003, alongside John Cusack and Alfred Molina, in the dark horror-thriller Identity, remembered for its unique and clever twist. He also narrated Inside the Mafia for the National Geographic Channel in 2005. Liotta had a memorable guest appearance that year on the television drama ER, playing Charlie Metcalf in the episode "Time of Death". The role earned him an Emmy for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series". Liotta would later spoof himself and his Emmy win in Bee Movie. He starred in the 2006 CBS television series Smith, which was pulled from the schedule after only three episodes had aired. He later appeared in Smokin' Aces (reuniting with Narc director Joe Carnahan), portraying an FBI agent named Donald Carruthers in one of the lead roles. He appeared with John Travolta in the movie Wild Hogs and with Johnny Depp in the 2001 film Blow, portraying the father of drug dealer George Jung.
Liotta has appeared in Battle in Seattle as the city's mayor, and in Hero Wanted playing a detective alongside Cuba Gooding Jr.. He was also in Crossing Over, co-starring Harrison Ford. Liotta played Detective Harrison in the 2009 Jody Hill comedy Observe and Report as Seth Rogen's nemesis from the local police. In 2011, he starred in The Son of No One, opposite Channing Tatum and for the first time in his career, Al Pacino.
Liotta's recent movies include Date Night with Steve Carell, Charlie St. Cloud with Zac Efron, the independent drama Snowmen, and The River Sorrow, which stars Liotta as a detective alongside Christian Slater and Ving Rhames. In 2012, Liotta appeared in the hit Disney Channel comedy series Phineas & Ferb where he played the voice of himself in "What a Croc!"
Personal life edit:
Liotta married actress Michelle Grace in February 1997; they had met at her ex-husband (Mark Grace)'s professional baseball game. The couple co-starred in The Rat Pack, in which Liotta played Frank Sinatra and Grace played Judith Campbell Exner. Their daughter, Karsen, was born in December 1998. The couple divorced in 2004. Liotta currently resides in Pacific Palisades, California.
Filmography edit:
Film
Year
Film
Role
Notes
1983
Lonely Lady, TheThe Lonely Lady
Joe Heron
1986
Something Wild
Ray Sinclair
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor,
Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture,
Nominated: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (3rd place),
Nominated: New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (3rd place)
1988
Arena Brains
The Artist
Short film
Dominick and Eugene
Eugene "Gino" Luciano
1989
Field of Dreams
Shoeless Joe Jackson
1990
Goodfellas
Henry Hill
1992
Article 99
Dr. Richard Sturgess
Unlawful Entry
Officer Pete Davis
Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
1994
No Escape
Capt. J.T. Robbins
Corrina, Corrina
Manny Singer
1995
Operation Dumbo Drop
Capt. T.C. Doyle
1996
Unforgettable
Dr. David Krane
1997
Turbulence
Ryan Weaver
Cop Land
Det. Gary "Figgsy" Figgis
1998
Phoenix
Harry Collin
Also Co-Producer
Forever Mine
Mark Brice
1999
Muppets from Space
Gate Guard # 1
2000
Pilgrim
Jack
A Rumor of Angels
Nathan Neubauer
2001
Hannibal
Paul Krendler
Heartbreakers
Dean Cummano
Blow
Fred Jung
2002
Narc
Det. Lt. Henry Oak
Also producer,
Nominated: Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male,
Nominated: Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
John Q
Chief Gus Monroe
Ticker
FBI Agent
Short film
101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure
Tuck
Voice only
2003
Identity
Rhodes
2004
Last Shot, TheThe Last Shot
Jack Devine
Control
Lee Ray Oliver
Direct-to-video
2005
Revolver
Macha
2006
Comeback Season
Walter Pearce
2007
Slow Burn
Ford Cole
Even Money
Tom Carver
Smokin' Aces
Donald Carruthers
Wild Hogs
Jack
Bee Movie
Himself
Voice only
2008
Local Color
John Talia Sr.
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
Gallian
Battle in Seattle
Mayor Jim Tobin
Hero Wanted
Det. Terry Subcott
Chasing 3000
Adult Mickey
2009
Crossing Over
Cole Frankel
Powder Blue
Jack Doheny
Observe and Report
Det. Harrison
La Linea
Mark Shields
Also executive producer
Ticket Out
Jim
2010
Youth in Revolt
Lance Wescott
Crazy on the Outside
Gray
Date Night
Joe Miletto
Charlie St. Cloud
Florio Ferrente
Snowmen
Reggie Kirkfield
2011
Street Kings: Motor City
Marty Kingston
River Murders, TheThe River Murders
Jack Verdon
The Entitled
Richard Nader
Son of No One
Captain Marion Mathers
All Things Fall Apart
Dr. Brintall
2012
Killing Them Softly
Markie Trattman
2013
The Place Beyond the Pines
Deluca
The Iceman
Roy DeMeo
post-production
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Joey
post-production
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1978-1981
Another World
Joey Perrini #2
1980
Hardhat and Legs
Family
CBS Television movie
1983
St. Elsewhere
Murray
Episode: "Rain"
1983
Casablanca
Sacha
1984
Mike Hammer
Tony Cable
Episode: "Kill Devil"
1985
Our Family Honor
Officer Ed Santini
1990
Women and Men: Stories of Seduction
Jerry Damon
HBO television movie
1991
Women & Men 2: In Love There Are No Rules
Martin Meadows
HBO television movie
1995
Frasier
Bob
Episode: "Frasier Grinch"
1998
Rat Pack, TheThe Rat Pack
Frank Sinatra
Television movie,
Nominated: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2001
Family Guy
Zack
Episode: "Brian Does Hollywood"
2001.1 !2001-2002
Just Shoot Me
Himself
Episode: "Christmas? Christmas!",
Episode: Liotta? Liotta!"
2002
Point of Origin
John Leonard Orr/Aaron
HBO television movie
2004
ER
Charlie Metcalf
Episode: "Time of Death", Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Drama Series, Prism Award for Best Performance in a Drama Series Episode
2006-2007
Smith
Bobby Stevens
2008
SpongeBob SquarePants
Trevor (voice)
Guest appearance, Episode "What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?"
2010
Hannah Montana Forever
Principal Luger
Guest appearance
2011
The League
Guest appearance
2012
Phineas and Ferb
Himself
Guest appearance, Episode "What A Croc!"
2012
NTSF:SD:SUV::
The Reader
Season 2, Episode 12: Wasilla Hills Cop
Video games
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2002
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Tommy Vercetti
Voice Over, G-Phoria Award for Best Male Voice Performance, Spike Video Game Awards for Best Performance by a Human (2003)
2013
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Billy Handsome
Uprising DLC, on the zombies map Mob of the Dead
Source: Wikipedia
Text from this biography licensed under creative commons license
Source: Wikipedia
Text from this biography licensed under creative commons license
