EDITED BY alexis wilson
By Leah Greenblatt and Joshua Rothkopf
More than just a Goodfella, Liotta smuggled hidden depths of talent into winning performances and found a sweet release in comedy.
Liotta strikes a balance between menace and sensitivity in his breakout role as a lovesick ex-con. Check out the diner conversation to see the magic that came from Liotta working with Melanie Griffith, Jeff Daniels, and director Jonathan Demme.
It’s easy to forget Liotta’s early, clean-cut handsomeness considering how associated he became with crime movies and TV, and nowhere is it better used than the Kevin Costner baseball fantasy, Field of Dreams.
Goodfellas is the film that defined Liotta’s career began, or at least our idea of him. In the lead role of Henry Hill, Liotta plays the neighborhood kid who becomes a power player in the Mafia world before tumbling down again.
Liotta tweaked that bad boy persona in every role from Just Shoot Me to The Simpsons, but it’s hard to beat the tender role that was Paulie Fucillo, the gas station owner in season three of the Netflix comedy.
Marriage Story gave us Liotta as a notorious attack dog lawyer that spars with Laura Dern’s equally vicious divorce lawyer. The courtroom scenes take the movie to a riveting sharpness, then mercenary humor as Liotta and Dern hug it out in the lobby.
One of his final films, the Sopranos prequel turned out to be a fitting elegy for his career: playing double roles as the brothers "Hollywood Dick" and "Sally" Moltisanti, Liotta is a ruthless mob soldier more than willing to kick his young bride down the stairs.