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More Ray Liotta Bios & Profiles

 

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Biography #2 (for Slow Burn)

There are certain actors whose eyes inhabit the character they are portraying with such simple conviction and authority that it's easy to forget that they're acting in the first place. Ray Liotta's ice-blue eyes have carved a setting among the most diverse actors of the last twenty years with roles both dramatic and comedic next to and with the top actors and directors in the industry.

November 2004, Liotta's tour-de-force guest role on the NBC drama, ER, ignited ratings for the series in the most talked about episode of the season. September 2005 he received an Emmy award for his performance.

Liotta recently completed production on the following films: the Mark Rydell-directed drama, EVEN MONEY, which co-stars Danny DeVito and Kim Basinger; SMOKIN ACES, in which he stars opposite Ryan Reynolds and Andy Garcia and the Bruce McCullough-directed comedy, COMEBACK SEASON, in which he plays Walter Pearce, a married man who after cheating on his wife, moves in next door with the local high school football star. A bit of a change of pace, Liotta also recently completed production on the fantasy film, IN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE, opposite Jason Statham and John Rhys-Davies.

A Golden Globe-nominated performance in Jonathan Demme's edgy SOMETHING WILD, began the ascent for Liotta. Deluged afterwards with tough-guy movie role offers, Liotta waited until he found a project that was more unique. In DOMINICK AND EUGENE, Liotta portrayed a medical student caring for his mentally challenged brother. He followed this up with his portrayal of 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. Liotta was playing at the same level as his acting heroes, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, and his performance as the tortured half-Sicilian, half-Irish Henry Hill did not disappoint. Liotta's widely applauded performance helped garner the film a Best Picture nomination for the Academy Awards and solidified Liotta's status as an actor which with to contend.

Now with over 25 feature films under his belt, Liotta has shown diversity in his roles, whether it be comedies such as CORRINA, CORRINA and HEARTBREAKERS to thrillers like HANNIBAL, UNLAWFUL ENTRY and NO ESCAPE. Now Liotta is adding a new skill to his resume: that of producer. In 2002 he produced NARC which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and was later released by Paramount. Liotta was nominated for an IFP Award for Best Actor for his performance

2001/2002 proved to be one of Liotta's busiest periods to date. He starred in Ridley Scott's worldwide box office hit HANNIBAL, Ted Demme's BLOW, HEARTBREAKERS, JOHN Q, and RUMOR OF ANGELS. Liotta's additional film credits include COPLAND, IDENTITY, CONTROL and Guy Ritchie's REVOLVER.

In addition to his very busy film schedule, Liotta has also received acclaim for his work in other mediums. His portrayal of Frank Sinatra in HBO's The Rat Pack garnered Liotta a Screen Actors Guild nomination. He has also appeared as himself on NBC's Just Shoot Me. In the video game world, he voiced the main character, Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto.

Liotta made his Broadway debut in the Spring of 2004 opposite Frank Langella, in Stephen Belber's Match, for which he received a Distinguished Performance honor at the 70th Annual Drama League Awards.

The New Jersey native 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. He began his career on NBC's daytime series, Another World, where he spent three years before moving to Los Angeles.

Bio courtesy Lionsgate Films for "Slow Burn" (22-Jul-2007)


Biography #3 (for Narc)

Ray Liotta has carved out an impressive filmography of both dramatic and comedic roles while working with the most diverse actors of the last twenty years and the top directors in the industry.

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.

Bio courtesy Paramount for "Narc" (22-Dec-2002)