Ray Liotta Biography (2)
Beginning with his Golden Globe-nominated performance in Jonathan Demme's edgy Something Wild, Liotta then went on to portray the unique role of medical student caring for his mentally challenged brother in Dominick and Eugene. He followed with a dynamic performance as the soul-searching ghost, Shoeless Joe Jackson, in the Academy Award -nominated Field of Dreams.
Perhaps the film that brought Liotta his most widespread acclaim is Martin Scorcese's Goodfellas. Portraying the tortured half-Sicilian, half-Irish Henry Hill opposite such actors as Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, Liotta not only solidified his status as an actor but also his widely applauded performance helped garner the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
Now, with over 25 feature films under his belt, Liotta has shown his acting diversity in comedies such as Corrina, Corrina, with Whoopi Goldberg and Heartbreakers, with Gene Hackman and Sigourney Weaver, along with thrillers such as Unlawful Entry, with Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe and the futuristic prison drama, No Escape. Most recently, Liotta appeared in Ted Demme's Blow, with Johnny Depp, Nick Cassavetes' John Q, with Denzel Washington and Robert Duvall and Ridley Scott's worldwide box-office hit, Hannibal, opposite Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore.
Liotta recently completed production on I.D., which reunites Liotta with Cop Land director James Mangold. The exciting crime/thriller, scheduled for release in April, also stars John Cusack and Amanda Peet.
In addition to his very busy film schedule, Liotta has also received acclaim for his work on the small screen, garnering a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Frank Sinatra in HBO's miniseries The Rat Pack.
In 1999, Liotta founded Tiara Blu Films with his wife, actress/producer Michelle Grace, and producer Diane Nabatoff. Since then, in addition to Narc, the company has produced a pilot for the HBO series Baseball Wives, which was recently picked up for 13 episodes to air in 2003. Also in that year, the company will go into production on Between the Lines, starring country music singer LeAnn Rimes.
A New Jersey native, who began acting while a student at the University of Miami, Liotta credits working on the stage and in musicals with helping to shape him as a performer.
Buy more detailed movie star biographies in the Movie Star Bookstore.