Hollywood Never Fully Appreciated Ray Liotta’s Immense Talent
Ray Liotta has died suddenly at the age of 67. He should have been a major star — but after his greatest role in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, we never really got a chance to see everything he could do.
Ray Liotta at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation screening room on June 5, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Vincent Sandoval / Getty Images)
No need to get fancy or clever in paying tribute to Ray Liotta, who died suddenly in his sleep at age sixty-seven. This one really hurts.
And enrages. Because we saw what he could do when he played his greatest role, Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. And though of course he was an always-powerful presence in a range of films, including Something Wild, Field of Dreams, Cop Land, and Blow, we never really got to witness the big career that was his due, that would’ve fulfilled his early promise.
What the hell were you thinking, Scorsese, abandoning Liotta after Goodfellas? He was standing right there!
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.