Famous American film director, producer, and screenwriter Martin Scorsese wrote in The Guardian to give his respects to Ray Liotta, his old friend. The latter co-starred in Goodfellas and played the role of Henry Hill. In May, Ray Liotta died at the age of 67 in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic.
In the tribute, he expressed his regrets about not being able to work with the late actor before he died. He wrote, “We had many plans to work together again but the timing was always off, or the project wasn’t quite right. I regret that now. When I watched Ray as the divorce lawyer in ‘Marriage Story’– he’s genuinely scary in the role, which is precisely why he’s so funny. I remembered feeling that I wanted to work with him again at this point in his life, to explore the gravity in his presence, so different from the young, sprightly actor he was when I met him.”
Martins’s description of Liotta
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Martin Scorsese at the premiere of “Vinyl”.
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During the op-ed, the multiple award winner, including three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, referred to Liotta as a very fearless person while they were on the set of the movie Goodfellas. He showed his fearless attitude on the occasion when he got news of his mother dying just before shooting a scene in the movie. Liotta rejected Martin’s pleas to leave the movie set immediately. “The word ‘fearless’ is used quite often to describe actors, and with good reason: Actors need to be fearless. They have to jump in and just go, and they have to stumble and fail and risk appearing ridiculous as they’re finding their way into a role. That’s just part of the work,” he said.
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The life of Ray Liotta
Born Raymond Allen Liotta on December 18, 1954, in Newark, New Jersey. At the age of six months, he was adopted by Mar, a township clerk, and Alfred Liotta, an auto-parts store owner.
However, the Primetime Emmy Award winner for outstanding guest actor in a drama series attended the University of Miami, where he studied acting and graduated in 1978. He landed his first major acting role with Something Wild, produced in 1968. Surprisingly, this movie got him his first Golden Globe nomination for best-supporting actor. He also played the character of Frank Sinatra in the 1998 television film The Rat Pack.
Liotta got married to actress and producer Michelle Grace in February 1997 after meeting at a baseball game. The marriage produced a daughter, Karsen, before separating in 2004.
Tributes By Other Actors
A lot of Ray Liotta’s colleagues have paid their respects to him since his death. Actor and producer Robert De Niro speaking with Fox News Digital, said, “I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. He is way too way young to have left us. May he Rest in Peace.”
Also, in a digital statement to Fox News Digital, fellow Goodfellas co-star Joe Pesci said, “God is a Goodfella, and so is Ray.”
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