RIP Ray Liotta, 1954-2022
May 26, 2022 9:35 AM   Subscribe

 
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posted by Silvery Fish at 9:43 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:43 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by stevil at 9:43 AM on May 26, 2022


Terrible news. He was a really remarkable actor. Too young.
posted by Dr. Wu at 9:45 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


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posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 9:45 AM on May 26, 2022


We ran everything. We paid off cops. We paid off lawyers. We paid off judges. Everybody had their hands out. Everything was for the taking. And now it’s all over. And that’s the hardest part. Today, everything is different. There’s no action. I have to wait around like everyone else. Can’t even get decent food. Right after I got here I ordered some spaghetti with marinara sauce and I got egg noodles and ketchup. I’m an average nobody. I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.
posted by stevil at 9:46 AM on May 26, 2022 [10 favorites]


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posted by dogstoevski at 9:47 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by Samuel Farrow at 9:49 AM on May 26, 2022


"Sometimes you're flush and sometimes you're bust, and when you're up, it's never as good as it seems, and when you're down, you never think you'll be up again, but life goes on.”

Ray Liotta, Blow.
posted by clavdivs at 9:51 AM on May 26, 2022 [8 favorites]



posted by bz at 9:52 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by lipsum at 9:52 AM on May 26, 2022


While the insensitive curious side of me always wants to know Dead, how? From what??!? the better side for me is reassured by the recent trend in celebrity obits toward "They passed, for reasons, their family is sad. That is all you need to know."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:53 AM on May 26, 2022 [26 favorites]


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posted by riruro at 9:58 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 9:59 AM on May 26, 2022


I worked on a “ Crimes of the Century” doc about the Lufthansa heist, and we interviewed the real Henry Hill, and we all then went out to dinner with Ray Liotta who graciously picked up the tab.
posted by Ideefixe at 10:03 AM on May 26, 2022 [42 favorites]


I first saw Liotta in his slow-burn performance as Ray, the estranged husband in Something Wild, and he was electrifying. He exuded danger even when being friendly and affable. He was a fine actor.

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posted by Gelatin at 10:08 AM on May 26, 2022 [27 favorites]


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posted by Gray Duck at 10:08 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by cazoo at 10:19 AM on May 26, 2022


Everyone always talks about the big obvious hits, but I'm over here trying to find a way to stream "No Escape". I think it might only be available on DVD, though. RIP, Ray, my favorite 90s "action hero".
posted by Godspeed.You!Black.Emperor.Penguin at 10:21 AM on May 26, 2022 [5 favorites]


I worked on a “ Crimes of the Century” doc about the Lufthansa heist, and we interviewed the real Henry Hill, and we all then went out to dinner with Ray Liotta who graciously picked up the tab.

That IS gracious of Ray Liotta. Seems to me that Henry Hill with all the stolen money should have picked up that tab. With small unmarked bills.

Loved this interview with Dan Patrick recorded last year.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:23 AM on May 26, 2022 [3 favorites]


He had a baby face. Made him look much younger than he was. So it is a shock that he got old, much less died.

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posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:26 AM on May 26, 2022 [4 favorites]


Oh no. I was a definite fan. From some small parts and then Something Wild on, he was just always a favorite, even when he was in things I hated (looking at you, Goodfellas). I especially loved how game he was to play "Ray Liotta," like on the Modern Family episode where he gets pestered by Mitchell because they think his house is where Barbra Streisand still lives, and he has to chase them away but still ends up helping them talk to Barbra. He was so charmingly exasperated and putting on the edginess because it's what people expected. Just delightful.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:27 AM on May 26, 2022 [3 favorites]


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posted by May Kasahara at 10:32 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by Melismata at 10:32 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by biffa at 10:35 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by JoeXIII007 at 10:39 AM on May 26, 2022


He had a baby face. Made him look much younger than he was.

He had a pockmarked baby face, which was such an arresting dichotomy that, combined with his talent as an actor, he had a truly unique screen presence. Wizened but young, worn but hopeful.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:42 AM on May 26, 2022 [15 favorites]


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posted by caution live frogs at 10:43 AM on May 26, 2022




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posted by DowBits at 10:46 AM on May 26, 2022


Damn. I loved him.
posted by carmicha at 10:51 AM on May 26, 2022


Oh man. Totally forgot about Dominick & Eugene. And every frame of that movie has been instantly recalled.

Thank you, Ray.
posted by Capt. Renault at 10:52 AM on May 26, 2022 [2 favorites]


From the Guardian Obit

Liotta was born in New Jersey and abandoned at an orphanage before being adopted at six months. “At first, I didn’t understand how a parent could give up a child,” he said to People magazine. “So I had that kind of energy of just being like, that’s fucked up. And then when I finally met my birth mom in my forties, by then, I wasn’t as angry about it. It’s just another journey.”



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posted by lalochezia at 10:54 AM on May 26, 2022 [10 favorites]


I enjoyed the terrible movie “Turbulence” that he starred in, because of him. He made a terrible movie not less terrible, but terrible with a little something extra.
posted by kerf at 10:56 AM on May 26, 2022 [4 favorites]


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posted by gauche at 10:56 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by Navelgazer at 10:59 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by jquinby at 11:05 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by SonInLawOfSam at 11:08 AM on May 26, 2022


He made me want to be a gangster (and then not!).

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posted by mazola at 11:09 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]




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posted by interogative mood at 11:14 AM on May 26, 2022


Those eyes



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posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:17 AM on May 26, 2022 [8 favorites]


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I loved when he played a Christmas-obsessed version of himself on that sitcom Just Shoot Me.
posted by extramundane at 11:24 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


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posted by glaucon at 11:30 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by Halloween Jack at 11:41 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by Cookiebastard at 11:41 AM on May 26, 2022


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posted by Jarcat at 11:46 AM on May 26, 2022


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Goodnight Eugene.
posted by fairmettle at 11:47 AM on May 26, 2022


He would always bring it, even in light roles like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

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posted by Hardcore Poser at 11:53 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


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posted by Splunge at 11:55 AM on May 26, 2022


Muppets From Space AND Muppets Most Wanted.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:59 AM on May 26, 2022 [2 favorites]


I loved Something Wild, it was formative for me. And Liotta was a big reason for that, even if I identified more with the Jeff Daniels character, Charlie.
posted by chavenet at 12:14 PM on May 26, 2022 [2 favorites]


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posted by schyler523 at 12:16 PM on May 26, 2022


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posted by mfoight at 12:28 PM on May 26, 2022


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posted by condour75 at 12:36 PM on May 26, 2022


I celebrate his life and the joy he's given me through his performances. I haven't seen a lot of his work, but I've loved him in pretty much everything I've seen him in.

I really liked his 2006 TV show, Smith, which was cancelled after only airing three of the total seven episodes. It's about "a group of professional thieves who struggle to keep their work separate from the rest of their lives" (so basically Heat: The TV Show), and has a great cast: Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Jonny Lee Miller, Simon Baker, Franky G, Amy Smart, Chris Bauer, Lisa Vidal, and Shohreh Aghdashloo. I think the episodes are available on YouTube.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:14 PM on May 26, 2022 [5 favorites]




His performance in Killing Them Softly is what I first remembered, even though I've seen Goodfellas so many more times. If you're into longform interviews, his WTF with Marc Maron episode is worth a listen.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 1:21 PM on May 26, 2022


You always knew Ray Liotta was going to bring something to the table. Maybe an unexpected veer into villainy in the third act, maybe a long shot of him sweating through his shirt as he realizes that someone else is veering into villainy, maybe a big scene where he chews all the scenery, maybe a hilarious glance and single perfect comment when someone else chews all the scenery, but he never, ever was just there.

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posted by Etrigan at 1:33 PM on May 26, 2022 [5 favorites]


I admired his acting skills, and I've crushed on him for years. He will really be missed.

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posted by annieb at 1:41 PM on May 26, 2022


I did a search on YouTube for "Ray Liotta Goodfellas" and just scrolling through the list of thumbnails shows an amazing range of looks and emotions he portrayed in the movie.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:42 PM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


Rewatching some '80s-'90s movies I hadn't seen in years last winter and said multiple times "Ray Liotta is in this?". Outstanding actor, incredible range. RIP to a real one.

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posted by Sphinx at 1:51 PM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


Oh man, kirkaracha, Smith was so good. I was so psyched to see where it was going (I thought it might be like the short-lived Andre Braugher show Thief), but then they yanked the plug.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:05 PM on May 26, 2022


I always wanted to be a gangster.

Goodfellas blew my mind when I was 16, and is still in my top three films, hovering around number one. Liotta carried that movie flawlessly.

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posted by zardoz at 2:09 PM on May 26, 2022 [2 favorites]


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posted by Faintdreams at 2:09 PM on May 26, 2022


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posted by Ickster at 2:39 PM on May 26, 2022


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posted by djseafood at 2:42 PM on May 26, 2022


Also, the main character in GTA: Vice City.
posted by lkc at 2:45 PM on May 26, 2022 [8 favorites]


I always loved his eyes.

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posted by suelac at 2:54 PM on May 26, 2022 [3 favorites]


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posted by jzb at 2:56 PM on May 26, 2022


There is a puffiness that I have been seeing in older male actors/comedians that now worries me because some part of me has correlated seeing publicity pictures of them happy and puffy means that they are going to die soon.

I don't bring it up to disrespect Mr. Liotta. So it goes.

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posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 3:17 PM on May 26, 2022 [2 favorites]


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posted by detachd at 3:47 PM on May 26, 2022


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posted by dannyboybell at 4:31 PM on May 26, 2022


His Ray Sinclair character in "Something Wild" was so grandly psychopathic I actually had that "You ever get the feeling that if he wasn't in show biz he'd be doing this in real life?" vibe.

Meant as praise.
posted by Chitownfats at 5:14 PM on May 26, 2022 [4 favorites]


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posted by pt68 at 5:30 PM on May 26, 2022


Sadly, my encounter with him was when he was slumming in Uwe Boll's fantasy...epic In the Name of the King. It was nobody's finest hour.

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posted by Naberius at 5:30 PM on May 26, 2022




I live in Vancouver, where a lot of film gets shot, and years ago, sometime in the mid 90s, on a hot summer day, this large fellow in a low slung hat and heavy coat walked past me and it was Ray Liotta. I didn't say anything, I never do to the famous type people I have seen here, but I still remember his bulky presence.
He was great; Something Wild was the first time I saw him in onscreen, and he was absolutely mesmerizing. Because of that performance there was some talk of him being considered for the role of The Joker in Burton's Batman, my gosh he would have been amazing in it.
RIP, Ray, and thank you for what you consistently brought to the table.

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posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 5:40 PM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


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posted by adekllny at 6:52 PM on May 26, 2022


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posted by Joey Michaels at 9:46 PM on May 26, 2022


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posted by KillaSeal at 10:06 PM on May 26, 2022


I met him briefly outside his house almost 30 years ago. I was on a bike ride, and we watched a fire truck attend to a non-emergency just down the street. He seemed nice.

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posted by Lyme Drop at 10:28 PM on May 26, 2022 [2 favorites]


Dominick & Eugene was one of those movies that I caught on tv back in the before-internet times, and I spent years trying to find it again. It was like, "Y'know the guy that plays the psycho? In everything? Well, he's this real sensitive dude in this one".

I saw Unlawful Entry back in like 2005 on cable when I was recovering from some of the worst physical pain I've ever been in, and it was only like halfway through the movie that I realized I hadn't thought about the pain in a while because Liotta was so scary.

And, yeah, Tommy Vercetti. Man.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:47 PM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


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posted by Pouteria at 10:56 PM on May 26, 2022


The Defector piece chimpsonfilm links, there's not a single sentence wrong there. Field of Dreams is a goofy, cornball movie, full of Americana speechifying, that, even when it's good, could easily overwhelm the film and make it unbearable. Liotta's Shoeless Joe is, amidst all of that, quiet, calm, unknowable, and in some moments, downright frightening. He's a presence in the film that makes it work, adding that slight terror that's necessary for a roller coaster to work. That shaking that seems a bit off, that vague sense that, no, the cars could come off the track, hold on tight.

He's dropped into a quaint Iowa family drama, but he's been elsewhere, and it affected him, and it seems, from time to time, he's remembering what it was to have been human. Fantastic performance, there, and pretty much every where else he was.
posted by Ghidorah at 1:05 AM on May 27, 2022 [4 favorites]


I saw Liotta’s only Broadway performance, a short loved play called Match where he played opposite Frank Langella. I was in the front row and Liotta was quite a presence physically. The play wasn’t a hit but it was a trip to see the actors; Liotta acquitted himself well.

Also one of the more surreal guest stars on Phineas and Ferb (which my daughter has watched many times now).

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posted by graymouser at 2:19 AM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]


Aside from everything else, his depiction of someone eating their own brain is by far the best I’ve ever seen.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 3:23 AM on May 27, 2022 [3 favorites]


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posted by cupcakeninja at 3:33 AM on May 27, 2022


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This news has made me a little sad.

I recently saw The Many Saints of Newark and No Sudden Moves and with both I recall thinking to myself afterward, “Damn - Ray Liotta is performing really, really well right now.” I’m sorry we’ll be denied seeing him in a few more roles, but also glad I got to catch this late resurgence.
posted by Probabilitics at 4:02 AM on May 27, 2022


My first celebrity crush. One of the first things I remember doing when our local library announced access to the WWW on one of its public computers was look up the address of his fan club--which I assumed, I dunno, he operated out of his garage--and sent him a love letter.

I got to see him onstage in something forgettable a dozen or so years back--25 years later, give or take--and got to tell him that. It was a strange situation. I was living in LA and had met and worked with some LA media types, one of whom was a friend of Liotta's. We were invited to a rehearsal performance that I almost didn't attend--I'm not a theater aficionado. I went, though, and had a good time. I was stunned when afterward the actors came out to mingle with us and the 50 or so other people who were there, and Liotta made a beeline for the friend I was standing with. That friend made my EYES BUG OUT OF MY HEAD by immediately bringing up my fan letter story. Liotta laughed and then did that sort of smiling head tilt that people do when they wordlessly say, ah, wow, I can't believe I was that for you. He saw my wedding band, said looks like you've moved on, and gave me a little shoulder squeeze that felt like an apology for this involuntarily awkward moment courtesy of our mutual acquaintance. A cool, weird, funny moment.

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posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 5:13 AM on May 27, 2022 [21 favorites]


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posted by droplet at 8:05 AM on May 27, 2022


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posted by dbiedny at 8:11 AM on May 27, 2022


...his WTF with Marc Maron episode is worth a listen

Is there a way to listen to old WTFs without a Stitcher subscription? (Let's not start a big derail, please.)

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P.S. In our family, we talk about his Field of Dreams performance as Billy "White Shoes" Johnson.
posted by neuron at 9:01 AM on May 27, 2022


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posted by filtergik at 9:42 AM on May 27, 2022


Is there a way to listen to old WTFs without a Stitcher subscription?

WTF usually reposts old interviews with the recently-deceased on the free side within a few days of the person’s passing.
posted by cardboard at 9:47 AM on May 27, 2022


There is a puffiness that I have been seeing in older male actors/comedians that now worries me...

On a sidenote, while talking with a friend on the phone yesterday, my eyes drifted to my silenced.TV and saw first, in a first news flash on Mr. Liotta's death, that recent picture and thought 'Oh, jeez, he looks as puffy as Putin! Then I realized he had just died.

That shared same puffiness so markedly visible in recent pictures and videos of Vladimir Putin has long filled me with a host of frightened worries for a host of frightening reasons. For which I do not think I need to draw anyone a picture.

On point: My condolences to all concerned.
posted by y2karl at 10:07 AM on May 27, 2022


For me, it was Dominick and Eugene, and an episode of ER (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0568140/) that showed me what a fine actor he way. Rest in peace.
posted by crepeMyrtle at 12:07 PM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]




. He was fabulous in everything he did.
posted by but no cigar at 5:43 PM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]


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