Ray Liotta's 11 most memorable performances

From "Shoeless" Joe Jackson to Henry Hill, Liotta maintained a singular, unpredictable—and irreplaceable—presence on screen

Ian Spelling

Ray Liotta as “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in Field Of Dreams (Universal Pictures); Henry Hill in Goodfellas (Warner Bros.); and Gary Figgis in Cop Land (Miramax) — Ray Liotta as “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in *Field Of Dreams* (Universal Pictures); Henry Hill in *Goodfellas* (Warner Bros.); and Gary Figgis in *Cop Land* (Miramax)

Ray Liotta, who died unexpectedly on May 26 at the age of 67, leaves behind one hell of a cinematic legacy. With his squinty eyes, rough skin, sly smile, insane laugh, and gravelly voice, Liotta oozed ferocity. And it worked for him across dramas, thrillers, and comedies for decades. Conversely, he could, on the rare occasions when he was asked to do so, rein that intensity in and play something resembling a regular Joe—even a Shoeless Joe. As a tribute to Liotta, The A.V. Club looks back at 11 of Liotta’s most-memorable performances...

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Something Wild (1986)

Liotta was in his early 30s when he exploded onto the movie scene as Ray Sinclair in Jonathan Demme’s funny, disturbing, and nasty little thriller. Borderline sociopathic Sinclair torments his ex, the eccentric and charismatic Lulu (Melanie Griffith), and Charlie (Jeff Daniels), the nebbishy businessman she’s latched onto. It’s all on display here: the menace, the stare, that laugh, and Liotta’s fearless exploration of masculinity’s darkest side.

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Dominick & Eugene (1987)

While it’s true that Liotta appeared in far more successful films, few were actually better than this small drama that paired him with Tom Hulce. Liotta plays Gino, who has long protected his intellectually challenged twin brother, Nicky (Hulce), but frets about what will happen if he leaves Pittsburgh in order to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. Here, Liotta delivers as a working-class guy with love to give, guilt to drive him, and a temper to keep in check. It’s a beautiful little movie that also features fine performances by Jamie Lee Curtis and David Strathairn.

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Field of Dreams (1989)

Field of Dreams remains every inch a low-key classic and it represented the biggest hit of Liotta’s fledgling career when it opened in 1989. This is Kevin Costner’s show, and he’s supported by Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, and Burt Lancaster, as well as a scene-stealing Liotta. One might expect that Liotta, co-starring as baseball’s bad guy, Shoeless Joe Jackson, would be called upon to display menace, but that’s not the case. Instead, he gets to deliver three of the best lines in a movie full of great lines: “If you build it, he will come;” “Hey, Rookie...You were good;” and “No, Ray. It was you.” Gorgeous dialogue, spoken with equal measures of heart and wonder.

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Goodfellas (1990)

Goodfellas is widely considered one of the best films ever made and arguably director Martin Scorsese’s greatest work. What’s interesting is that while Robert De Niro got top billing and Joe Pesci won an Oscar, the film works as well as it does thanks to Liotta. His character, Henry Hill, lives a full life on screen, with Liotta capturing the FBI informant’s early love of his life in the mafia—the thrill, the money, the women, the power—followed by his doubts, fears, and paranoia as circumstances close in on him. Liotta is compelling and scary in front the camera, but he’s equally masterful is his other key role in the film: narrator. “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster,” Hill says right after the first scene. And, at the end, Hill laments about living the rest of his life as a “schnook.” This film guaranteed that Liotta never would.

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Cop Land (1997)

Sylvester Stallone, by the mid-1990s, starred in would-be action blockbuster after would-be action blockbuster. It reached a point that audiences—and maybe even Stallone himself—seemed to forget that he could actually act when given good material. Cop Land gave him exactly that. Stallone stars as a sheriff—and decent, hardworking man—surrounded by a group of dirty New York City cops making the most of a safe haven in New Jersey. Liotta plays Figgsy, one of the cops, and the high point of his performance is a searing bar scene in which he drops F-bombs, punches Robert Patrick in the face, shoves the tip of a dart up Patrick’s nose, conveying more than enough intensity to cower an ensemble of actors each known as guys at least as tough as him.

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The Rat Pack (1998)

A not-great made-for-cable movie, The Rat Pack is still a worthwhile watch because of Ray Liotta as Frank Sinatra, Joe Mantegna as Dean Martin, Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis, Jr., Angus Macfadyen as Peter Lawford, and William Petersen as Sinatra’s pal, President John F. Kennedy. This is a near-miss performance by Liotta, as he captures the legendary singer’s larger-than-life presence, but comes across as too angry, thuggish, and charm-free, while Sinatra could turn on the charm at will. Still, give Liotta credit for swinging for the fences.

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Hannibal (2001)

Talk about chewing the scenery. Liotta co-stars in this Silence of the Lambs sequel as Krendler, a corrupt Justice Department official who crosses paths with Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). In a wild, demented scene out of your worst, most squeamish nightmare, Lecter—with Agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) looking on helplessly—slices open Krendler’s skull, skillfully picks out pieces of his brain, and sautés them, prompting Krendler to comment, “That smells good.” Lecter then feeds Krendler pieces of his own brain.

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Heartbreakers (2001)

Heartbreakers is one of those movies that many people haven’t seen—neither a box office flop, nor a major hit, it just kind of fell under the radar, which is a shame. It’s a bright, sexy, funny comedy with Sigourney Weaver (great as always) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (who is terrific here) as mother-daughter con artists. Dean (Liotta) is their latest con, who keeps coming back for more after the Conners (yes, Weaver and Hewitt play Max and Page Conners) move on to their next mark (Gene Hackman). One of the funniest scenes in a very funny film involves Page seducing a reluctant Dean just as Max walks into his office. Liotta’s exasperated delivery of the lines “I’ll meet you outside in a sex, uh, sec” and “This isn’t what it looks like. I swear, her hair got stuck in my zipper!” is hysterical.

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Narc (2002)

Many moviegoers missed great performances by Liotta because some of the films he was in simply didn’t catch on in theatrical release. Narc fits that bill. It’s an edgy cop-and-drug thriller written and directed by Joe Carnahan. Jason Patric and Liotta play Detective Tellis and Lt. Oak, cops partnered at Tellis’ request. Turns out Oak bends the law far more than he should, but he’s got his reasons. Liotta is riveting, particularly in his final scene, where—spoiler ahead—Oak confesses a powerful secret to Tellis in a life-or-death moment.

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Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Who knew Liotta liked the Muppets? He clearly did as he not only made a cameo as a security guard in Muppets From Space, but he also turned up in Muppets Most Wanted. If you’ve ever wanted to see Liotta sing and dance, and share a musical number with Kermit the Frog, Tina Fey, and Danny Trejo, then Muppets Most Wanted is right up your alley. Watch closely and you can almost catch Liotta smiling.

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The Many Saints of Newark (2021)

Liotta had several films in the can before his death, including Broken Soldier, El Tonto, and Cocaine Bear, as well as the upcoming television show Black Bird. But his final big-screen project, for the moment, is The Many Saints of Newark, which was released late last year in theaters and on HBO Max. In the Sopranos prequel, Liotta co-stars as “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti, the grandfather of Michael Imperioli’s Christopher Moltisanti character from the David Chase series. The character is a mobster’s mobster, powerful, demanding, and with a hair-trigger temper, all still in Liotta’s wheelhouse. And, in a cool twist—spoiler ahead—Liotta also turns up as Sal “Sally” Moltisanti, Hollywood Dick’s brother, whom he visits in prison. Sally is a very different character, with a different look, attitude, and voice—and Liotta nails both roles with equal assurance and believability.

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