Biography

Film historians Jay Robert Nash and Stanley Ralph Ross have defined Ray Liotta's principal appeal as "creepy charm"; years earlier, Charlton Heston's wife, speaking of her own husband's screen persona, labelled this quality as "hero/heel." A star athlete in high school, Liotta switched his field of interest to dramatics at the University of Miami, where he excelled in student productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a Salesman. Moving to New York in 1978, Liotta landed the role of Joey Perrini in the daytime drama Another World, which he played for three years before heading to the West Coast. Despite a good part in The Lonely Lady (1983) and the recurring role of Sacha the bartender in the short-lived TV revival of Casablanca (1983), Liotta was for the most part unsuccessful during his first Tinseltown stay. He was about to pack it in and find some other line of work when he was cast as Melanie Griffith's smarmy ex-con husband in Something Wild (1986); after this, the offers started pouring in. Though best known for his on-the-edge tough-guy characterizations in films like Goodfellas (1992) and No Escape (1994), Ray Liotta received some of his most positive audience feedback for his likeable portrayal of luckless ballplayer Shoeless Joe Jackson in the 1989 megahit Field of Dreams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Identity (2003) .... Det. Rhodes
Behind the Scenes of 'John Q' (2002) (V) .... Himself
Hire: Ticker, The (2002) (uncredited) .... FBI Agent
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) (VG) (voice) .... Tommy Vercetti
... aka GTA4 (2002) (VG) (USA: abbreviated title)
Point of Origin (2002) (TV) .... John Orr
John Q (2002) .... Chief Monroe
... aka John Q. (2002) (USA: poster title)
Narc (2002) .... Henry Oak
Blow (2001) .... Fred Jung
Heartbreakers (2001) .... Dean Cumanno/Vinny Staggliano
Hannibal (2001) .... Paul Krendler
Directors: Martin Scorsese, The (2000) (V) .... Himself
... aka AFI's the Directors: Martin Scorsese (2000) (V) (USA: complete title)
Rumor of Angels, A (2000) .... Nathan Neubauer
Pilgrim (1999) .... Jack
... aka Inferno (1999/III) (USA: cable TV title)
... aka Pilgrim (1999) (USA: cable TV title)
Forever Mine (1999) .... Mark Brice
Muppets From Space (1999) .... Guardian of the Gate #1
Rat Pack, The (1998) (TV) .... Frank Sinatra
Phoenix (1998) .... Harry Collins
Cop Land (1997) .... Gary 'Figgsy' Figgis
Turbulence (1997/I) .... Ryan Weaver
Unforgettable (1996) .... Dr. David Krane
Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) .... Captain T.C. Doyle
... aka Dumbo Drop (1995)
Corrina, Corrina (1994) .... Manny Singer
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects (1994) (TV) .... Himself
No Escape (1994) .... Robbins
... aka Escape from Absolom (1994)
Unlawful Entry (1992) .... Officer Pete Davis
Article 99 (1992) .... Dr. Richard Sturgess
Women & Men 2: In Love There Are No Rules (1991) (TV) .... Martin Meadows
... aka Women & Men 2 (1991) (TV)
Goodfellas (1990) .... Henry Hill
... aka GoodFellas (1990) (USA: poster title)
Field of Dreams (1989) .... Shoeless Joe Jackson
Arena Brains (1988) .... The Artist
Dominick and Eugene (1988) .... Eugene Luciano
... aka Nicky and Gino (1988)
Something Wild (1986) .... Ray Sinclair
"Our Family Honor" (1985) TV Series .... Officer Ed Santini
Our Family Honor (1985) (TV) .... Officer Ed Santini
Lonely Lady, The (1983) .... Joe Heron
"Casablanca" (1983) TV Series .... Sacha
Crazy Times (1981) (TV) .... Johnny 'Wizard' Lazarra
Hardhat and Legs (1980) (TV) .... Family
"Another World" (1964) TV Series .... Joey Perrini (#2) (1978-1981)
... aka "Another World: Bay City" (1964)