LOS ANGELES, May 26 (UPI) -- Ray Liotta appeared in over 100 movies and television shows before he died on Thursday. He has two more movies wrapped for release and was in production on Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic.
Best known for his intense, volatile, dramatic characters, Liotta's body of work is more diverse than that persona. Here are 7 Ray Liotta roles to celebrate his career.
'Goodfellas' -- HBO Max
This is the movie that always goes in parenthesis after Liotta's name and for good reason. Martin Scorsese's mob drama is one of the definitive entries in the genre. Liotta plays Henry Hill, on whose book Wiseguy the movie is based. Hill rose to power in the mob before getting addicted to his own cocaine supply and turning state's evidence. Liotta ages from 21 to middle age in the biographical epic. Streaming on HBO Max.
'Something Wild' -- Criteron Channel, Tubi
This was the bad guy role that established Liotta's intensity on screen, though he would avoid tapping back into that until 1992's Unlawful Entry. Liotta plays Ray Sinclair, the ex-husband of Audrey Hankel (Melanie Griffith) coming after her and Charles Driggs (Jeff Daniels) on their wild road trip. Streaming on Criterion Channel and Tubi.
'Field of Dreams' -- Prime Video
If all you know of Liotta is his dark roles, don't forget he played Shoeless Joe Jackson in the baseball classic. Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) builds a magical baseball diamond in his cornfield, and Jackson is one of the old time ball players who come to play in the field of dreams. Streaming on Prime Video.
'Unforgettable' -- Tubi
One of Liotta's lesser known films, this 1996 mystery has a compelling hook and executes it to the inevitable end. Liotta plays a medical examiner looking for his wife's killer. A cutting edge procedure allows him to inject suspects' memories into his own brain to find the killer, but each injection compromises his well-being further. Streaming on Tubi.
'No Escape'
Liotta made a convincing action hero in this underrated 1994 sci-fi epic. In the future, a convict (Liotta) is transferred to a primitive penal colony where he finds himself in the middle of a peaceful society and a clan of warmongers. This isn't streaming anywhere, but it's worth finding an old DVD.
'Narc' - - Showtime, Paramount+
One of Liotta's most intense roles didn't get as much attention as Goodfellas. Liotta played a dirty cop in Joe Carnahan's hard hitting drama. Liotta put on weight to transform himself physically as well as going beyond his previous dramatic work, which was already considerable, to portray the veteran cop under investigation by a narc (Jason Patric). Streaming on Showtime and Paramount+.
'Just Shoot Me' -- Hulu, Crackle, Roku Channel
Liotta guest starred on two episodes of the sitcom. He played himself, sending up his intense persona to comic extremes, and name dropping roles from Hannibal to Operation Dumbo Drop. Maya (Laura San Giacomo) dates movie star Liotta, but finds him too intense for her. Streaming on Hulu, Crackle and Roku Channel.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001 and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012. Read more of his work in Entertainment.