Ray Liotta
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| Ray Liotta | |
 Ray Liotta |
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| Born | December 18, 1954 (age 52) Newark, New Jersey |
| Notable roles | Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams (1989), Henry Hill in Goodfellas (1990), Gary 'Figgsy' Figgis in Cop Land (1997), Tommy Vercetti (voice) in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) |
Ray Liotta (born Raymond Julian Vicimarli on December 18, 1954) is an American actor. He is well known for his roles in the Hollywood films Something Wild, Field of Dreams, Goodfellas, and Cop Land.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Liotta was born in Newark, New Jersey and was adopted six months after birth by Alfred Liotta, the president of a local Democratic club, and Mary, an appointed township clerk. Both of his parents unsuccessfully ran for local office. Despite his surname, he is not of Italian descent;[1] his last name was changed to Liotta after his adoption. In 1973, he graduated from Union High School in Union, New Jersey, and in 1992, he was inducted into their Hall of Fame. Liotta studied acting at the University of Miami, where he performed at the university's highly-regarded Jerry Herman Ring Theatre.
[edit] Career
One of his earliest roles was as Joey Perrini on the daytime program Another World. He appeared on the show from 1978 to 1981. In 1987, he earned a Golden Globe nomination[2] for his portrayal of a volatile ex-con in Jonathan Demme's film Something Wild (1986) In 1990, Liotta portrayed real-life mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's film Goodfellas, one of his most famous roles to date. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
In addition to his movie roles, Liotta provided the voice of Tommy Vercetti for the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He also narrated "Inside the Mafia" for the National Geographic Channel. In 2005, Liotta had a memorable guest appearance 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". He starred in the 2006 CBS television series Smith, but the series was pulled from the schedule after only three episodes had aired.
[edit] Personal life
Liotta married actress Michelle Grace in February 1997. They met on the set of the television movie The Rat Pack, in which Liotta played Frank Sinatra and Grace played Judy Campbell. Their daughter, Karsen, was born in December 1998. The couple divorced in 2004. Liotta currently resides in Pacific Palisades, California.
On February 17, 2007, Liotta was arrested in the Highlands of Pacific Palisades after crashing his Cadillac Escalade into two parked cars on Palisades Drive, approximately one-half mile from his residence on Chastain Parkway. He was charged with a misdemeanor DUI. Liotta was released on $15,000 bail and a court date will be planned for March, 2007. Liotta was alone in his car, and no one was injured in the crash.[3] [4]
[edit] Quotes
"I’ve only seen Goodfellas three times. The first time I didn’t even feel like I was in it. I was numb and overwhelmed by it all. I was looking at what they did with the camera. By the third time I got a feel for it. But to this day when it’s on TV or something… I don’t watch myself. Some actors can do that, but I cannot. I don’t think you can be objective."
- Liotta in March 2007 Interview with Maxim [5]
[edit] Partial filmography
- The Lonely Lady (1983), Joe Heron
- Something Wild (1986), Ray Sinclair
- Field of Dreams (1989), Shoeless Joe Jackson
- Goodfellas (1990), Henry Hill
- Unlawful Entry (1992), Officer Pete Davis
- Corrina, Corrina (1994), Manny Singer
- No Escape (1994), Captain J.T. Robbins
- Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), Captain T.C. Doyle
- Turbulence (1997), Ryan Weaver
- Cop Land (1997), Gary 'Figgsy' Figgis
- The Rat Pack (1998) (TV), Frank Sinatra
- Muppets From Space (1999), Gate Guard
- Hannibal (2001), Paul Krendler
- Heartbreakers (2001), Dean Cumanno
- Blow (2001), Fred Jung
- The Hire: Ticker (2001), FBI Agent
- Narc (2002), Detective Lt. Henry Oak
- John Q (2002), Chief Gus Monroe
- Point of Origin (TV) (2002), John Orr/Aaron
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002), voice of Tommy Vercetti
- Identity (2003), Rhodes
- heineken (Advert) (2004)
- Control (2004), Lee Ray Oliver
- Revolver (2005), Macha
- Comeback Season (2006), Walter Pearce
- In the Name of the King (2006), Gallian
- Smoking Aces (2007), Donald Carruthers
- Wild Hogs (2007), Jack
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2006/10/06/ray_liotta_is_glad_he_met_his_biological/
- ^ http://www1.hfpa.org/browse/member/29970
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070219/ap_en_mo/people_liotta
- ^ http://people.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1265518.php/Ray_Liotta_arrested
- ^ "Ray Liotta: American Gangster", Maxim Magazine Online, March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
[edit] External links
- Ray Liotta at the Internet Movie Database.
- Ray Liotta at the Notable Names Database.
- University of Miami: Famous Alumni.
Categories: 1954 births | American adoptees | American film actors | American soap opera actors | American television actors | American voice actors | Emmy Award winners | Grand Theft Auto cast members | Living people | New Jersey actors | People from Newark, New Jersey | Scottish-Americans | Scots-Irish Americans | University of Miami alumni
