The orphan who became a Goodfella! Inside the remarkable life of late star Ray Liotta
In his early days, Ray Liotta was not interested in acting at all, which his fans would find hard to believe considering his stellar performances and successful career. He was more into sports and would perhaps never have made to our screens, had it not been for this "cute girl".
"I never wanted to be an actor. Basically I just played sports all the time. Basketball, baseball, football, you know, whatever the season was," Liotta had reportedly said. "But I remember senior year, basketball had stopped and the drama teacher asked me if I wanted to be in the play. So, alright, I'm not doing anything, I'm used to hanging around anyway, sure, I'll be in the play."
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The play did not change much, because it did not really draw him into the profession. But then he met a "cute girl" during his college, who was in line to register for the drama department. This crush inspired him to switch majors. "I didn't like [acting] at all. I didn't like anything about it,' he continued. 'What happened afterward was, I went off to the University of Miami... I thought I'd stay a year, do liberal arts," the actor had said. "But I looked at the requirements, and it sounded really hard. And then I looked over and right next to the liberal-arts department was the drama department. And there was this really cute girl in line to register..." Liotta once said that he would have been a construction worker had he not been an actor.
'He is way too young to have left us'
Tragedy struck on May 26 when Liotta, known for his performance in the crime classic 'Goodfellas', died in his sleep. He was 67 and was filming a movie in the Dominican Republic at the time of his death. The cause of his death has not been revealed.
“I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing,” his “Goodfellas” co-star Robert De Niro told New York Post. “He is way too young to have left us. May he Rest in Peace.” Martin Scorsese, the film's director, was “absolutely shocked and devastated” by Liotta’s death. “He was so uniquely gifted, so adventurous, so courageous as an actor,” Scorsese said in a statement.
Besides 'Goodfellas', Liotta appeared in 'Something Wild', for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He also starred in 'Unlawful Entry' (1992), 'Cop Land' (1997), 'Hannibal' (2001), 'Blow' (2001), 'John Q' (2002), 'Identity' (2003), 'Observe and Report' (2009), and 'Killing Them Softly' (2012), among others.
Despite the glamor in the actor's life that fans have witnessed over the years, Liotta had been through various tragedies and struggles. Born on December 18, 1954, in Newark, New Jersey, Liotta was adopted from an orphanage by a township clerk and an auto parts owner when he was six months old. He was adopted by an Italian-American couple named Mary and Alfred Liotta. His sister, Linda, was also an adopted child. As an adult, Liotta tracked down his biological mother, who had left him at the orphanage, with the help of his ex-wife Michelle Grace. "The biggest thing that I got out of [our reunion] was, "Thank God I was adopted"," he had said back then.
How Liotta's adoptive mother died in his arms
The biggest tragedy in Liotta's life, perhaps, was when his adoptive mother died of cancer in 1991. "My mom was sick with cancer during the filming of 'Goodfellas,' and she passed away in the middle of it. ... It put things in perspective in a really deep way," he had later reportedly said in an interview. "I was doing a scene Friday. They told me. My knees buckled, but you realize you've got to go back and finish the scene. And I did."
Recalling his mother's final moments, he had said, "I went back that night, and luckily I was there when she passed, literally in my arms. I've never really talked about that." "My mom lived in New Jersey. So every weekend I would go home. She passed away in the middle of filming. Doing that movie and that character was a dream come true. But I do have mixed feelings about it," he had said.
Marriage, divorce and love
Liotta married his ex-wife, actress, and producer Michelle Grace, in February 1997. The two had met at a baseball game, where Grace's former husband Mark Grace was playing for the Chicago Cubs. Liotta and Grace later had a daughter, Karsen, now 23, before they divorced in 2004. However, the two remained friends even after their marriage and even collaborated on projects. Grace was born on December 4, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is a producer and actress who has worked for films like 'Narc', 'Take the Lead' and 'The Rat Pack'.
Years later, Liotta found love again in Jacy Nittolo, who was in her 40s and he in his 60s. The pair was seen walking down the street in Pacific Palisades, where he lived. Liotta and Nittolo had been engaged since Christmas Day 2020. On social media, the actor wrote, "Christmas wishes do come true. I asked the love of my life to marry me, and thank God she said yes!!!"
Liotta and Nittolo were introduced to each other by Liotta's daughter, Karsen, at a party. In an interview on 'Live with Kelly and Ryan' in September 2021, Liotta said that when Nittolo found out who the actor was, she said, "Wait a second though, isn't he, like, in his 60s? I'm in my 40s." He added, "But the buzz-kill for me was she also had a 10-year-old. When you're in your 60s, the last thing that you want is a 10-year-old. Luckily this kid is very cool!" The couple began dating in 2020 and were set to marry.
Liotta's legal trouble
In 2007, Liotta was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after he crashed his car into two parked vehicles in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. At the time of the incident, he was reportedly the only person in the vehicle. He was booked on a misdemeanor DUI charge, but soon released from custody after paying the $15,000 bail. In another controversy in the actor's life, Liotta appeared on UK talk show 'Good Morning Britain' back in 2016, where he looked disoriented and confused. This led to speculation that he was drunk when he appeared on the show.
Liotta is now being mourned by fans, co-stars and friends. Known for his icy blue eyes and charming disposition, the star's legacy is sure to live on.
