Biography
Actor Ray Liotta's intense demeanor and fondness for edgy roles quickly established him as one of the most interesting and respected supporting players of his generation. Born Raymond Julian Vicimarli in Newark, NJ, on December 18, 1955, to an Italian dad and a Scottish-Irish mom (further details about his biological parents are unclear), he was adopted at the age of six months, by Alfred and Mary Liotta, and raised in Union Township, New Jersey. (His parents adopted another child, Linda, three years later.)
As a gifted high school athlete, Liotta played varsity basketball and soccer, while working a side job in his father's auto supply shop. After graduation, he left home to attend the University of Miami, where he cultivated an interest in acting and majored in Drama. Liotta appeared in a number of collegiate productions, including a surprising number of musicals (Cabaret, The Sound of Music). Within a year of graduation, Liotta scored a one-shot commercial and a recurring three-year role as Joey Perrini on the daytime soap opera
Another World; he also joined the cast of several short-lived prime-time network TV series, including
Crazy Times (1981) - with
David Caruso and
Amy Madigan - and
Casablanca (1983) - featuring
David Soul in the role
Humphrey Bogart made famous, and Liotta as Sacha.
Liotta signed for his first film role in the 1983
Pia Zadora vehicle
The Lonely Lady, but didn't break into the big time until 1986, when
Jonathan Demme cast him as the psychotic Ray Sinclair in the comedy-drama
Something Wild. Liotta's well-received performance won him a number of Hollywood offers playing over-the-top villains, but, determined to avoid typecasting - , Liotta rejected the solicitations and traveled the opposite route, with gentle, sensitive roles in
Dominick and Eugene and
Field of Dreams (as the legendary "Shoeless" Joe Jackson). His determination to wait for the right role paid off in 1990, when he was cast as mobster Henry Hill in
Martin Scorsese's masterful crime drama
GoodFellas. However, while the success of
GoodFellas raised Liotta's profile considerably, he clung to his high standards, waiting for the right part (and wary of compromise).
While he still found himself playing tough and/or scary guys in the likes of
Unlawful Entry and
No Escape, in Corrina, Corrina showcased Liotta's talent as a a romantic lead, and he catered to "family friendly" audiences with Disney's
Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) and Tim Hill's
Muppets From Space (1999). After a productive 2001, with key roles in the blockbuster hits
Blow,
Hannibal, and
Heartbreakers, the actor formed his own production company to ensure a greater diversity of roles and more interesting material. For his debut as a producer, Liotta developed and released the critically acclaimed
Narc; he also appears in the film, as a hot-headed ex-cop.
Liotta hosted an episode of
Saturday Night Live in 2003, the same year he cameo'd in director Peter Segal's
Anger Management, starring
Adam Sandler and
Jack Nicholson. But that year also marked the beginning of a downswing for the gifted thesp. His activity ostensibly crescendoed through the end of 2004 - but, despite scattered encouraging reviews - his trio of major films from that year (a sociopath in
Tim Hunter's
Control, a corrupt cop in Matthew Chapman's
Slow Burn, a bit part in Jeff Nathanson's Tinseltown satire
The Last Shot) saw extremely limited release and fell just ahead of going straight to video. As 2005 dawned, he restrategized by sticking with higher-profile directors - specifically,
Guy Ritchie for
Revolver (second billing, as a casino owner targeted by a vengeful ex-con) and
Mark Rydell for the sports gambling drama
Even Money. This plan proved uneven: the Ritchie film tanked amid widespread accusations of directorial pretentiousness, while the Rydell film seemed destined to score given the talent in the cast (Danny de Vito,
Kim Basinger,
Tim Roth,
Forest Whitaker).
As 2006 rolled around, Liotta returned to the glitter box - for the first time in twenty-five years - with the action-laced ensemble crime drama
Smith. Slated with a September '06 premiere, this CBS series follows the adventures of a collective of high-rolling thieves who execute dazzling crimes with cunning and adroitness; Liotta plays one of the criminals. That same year, Liotta continued his big screen forays with appearances in the gentle coming-of-age drama
Local Color, as a dad who passionately objects to his son's desire to apprentice a master painter, and
Bruce McCulloch's buddy comedy
Comeback Season, as a down-and-outer, rejected by his wife, who makes a close friend in prison. These projects suggested a turn away from tough guy roles and Liotta's harkening back to the gently understated work that he perfected in
Dominick and
Field of Dreams.
Liotta married actress Michelle Grace (
Narc, Baseball Wives) in 1997, who co-produced his dance drama
Take the Lead (2006) with him. The couple divorced in 2004. ~ All Movie Guide