L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 4 SILVIA GIUDICI NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS T h e I t a l i a n - American com- m u n i t y h a s b e e n p a y i n g t r i b u t e t o actor Ray Liotta after his s u d d e n d e a t h a t a g e 6 7 . Liotta, who died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic on May 26, has been fondly remembered, among many o t h e r s , b y f e l l o w a c t o r s such as Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Martin Scorsese and L o r r a i n e B r a c c o w h o c o - starred with him in Good- f e l l a s , t h e A c a d e m y A w a r d - w i n n i n g M a r t i n S c o r s e s e f i l m , i n w h i c h Liotta impressed audiences with his portrayal of gang- ster Henry Hill. Then came h i s t o u g h - g u y r o l e s i n 1 9 8 6 ' s S o m e t h i n g W i l d , which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best- s u p p o r t i n g a c t o r , a n d Goodfellas (1990). He also played "Shoeless" Joe Jack- s o n i n 1 9 8 9 ' s F i e l d o f D r e a m s , o p p o s i t e K e v i n Costner. His rise to fame c o n t i n u e d w i t h n o t a b l e movies such as Cop Land ( 1 9 9 7 ) , H a n n i b a l ( 2 0 0 1 ) , J o h n Q ( 2 0 0 2 ) , I d e n t i t y ( 2 0 0 3 ) , O b s e r v e a n d R e p o r t ( 2 0 0 9 ) , a n d T h e P l a c e B e y o n d t h e P i n e s (2012). He also starred in NBC's Shades of Blue from 2016 to 2018. In many ways, the Good- fellas role – which he had interpreted magisterially – defined his career, because it demonstrated his artistic talent, but also somehow l i m i t e d i t s o p t i o n s f o r a while: he had become the e p i t o m e o f t h e h a r s h b u t charming gangster. A diffi- cult role, which he had in part embraced with other interpretations throughout his career, but that didn't really fit his own personali- ty. "Bad guys just seem to s t a n d o u t , " h e o n c e declared, stressing that he didn't have anything of "a criminal or a tough guy or a gang member. My life does not revolve around intensi- ty… I like playing the nicer guy in movies. I can relate to them better." Liotta was known for his perseverance and his com- mitment to the art of acting and while, to say it with The Guardian, "he never quite b e c a m e a s u p e r s t a r , " h i s t a l e n t w a s w i d e l y r e c o g - nized, and his performances sought after. Legends say h e r e g r e t t e d t o h a v e declined, in the late 1980s, a meeting with director Tim Burton, who wanted him to p l a y B a t m a n i n h i s 1 9 8 9 movie. After his sudden death, a l o t o f c e l e b r i t i e s s h a r e d their grief on the internet. T h e s t a r w a s e n g a g e d to Jacy Nittolo and was a l s o d a d t o d a u g h t e r K a r s e n , 2 3 , w i t h e x - w i f e M i c h e l l e G r a c e . N i t t o l o r e l e a s e d a s t a t e m e n t o n Instagram Saturday, paying tribute to her late fiancé. "My life these past couple of years has been nothing but truly magical. Ray and I share a deep love that I w i l l c h e r i s h i n m y h e a r t forever. We laughed daily and we were inseparable. The chemistry was wild in the best way. He was every- thing in the world to me and we couldn't get enough of each other. The kind of real love that one dreams of. He was the most beauti- ful person inside and out that I've ever known and even that is an understate- ment." It was a happy time in Liotta's life: he wasn't only about to marry Nittolo, but h e h a d b e e n e n j o y i n g a n i n c r e d i b l y f a v o r a b l e moment in his career, too. In recent years, he starred in successful movies such a s T h e M a n y S a i n t s o f Newark – a prequel to The Sopranos series – Netflix's Marriage Story, along with S c a r l e t t J o h a n s s o n a n d Adam Driver, for which he won, along with the rest of t h e c a s t , a I n d i e S p i r i t A w a r d i n 2 0 2 0 . H e w a s a l s o i n N o S u d d e n M o v e a n d , m o r e r e c e n t l y , Cocaine Bear. G o o d f e l l a s d i r e c t o r Martin Scorsese wrote: " I ' m a b s o l u t e l y s h o c k e d and devastated by the sud- den, unexpected death of R a y L i o t t a . H e w a s s o uniquely gifted, so adven- turous, so courageous as an actor. Playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, a n d R a y w a s i n a l m o s t every scene of a long, tough s h o o t . H e a b s o l u t e l y amazed me, and I'll always b e p r o u d o f t h e w o r k w e d i d t o g e t h e r o n t h a t p i c - ture. My heart goes out to his loved ones, and it aches for his loss, way too early." Lorraine Bracco, who p l a y e d L i o t t a ' s w i f e i n G o o d f e l l a s , w r o t e : " I a m u t t e r l y s h a t t e r e d t o h e a r this terrible news about my Ray, I can be anywhere in t h e w o r l d & p e o p l e w i l l c o m e u p & t e l l m e t h e i r favorite movie is Goodfel- las. Then they always ask what was the best part of m a k i n g t h a t m o v i e . M y response has always been the same…Ray Liotta." Goodfellas star Robert D e N i r o said in a state - ment: "I was very saddened to learn of Ray's passing. Continued to page 6 Ray Liotta at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012 (Photo: Denis Makarenko/Dreamstime) Ray Liotta is remembered by the whole world and the Italian-American community

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