Popular “Goodfellas”, “Field Of Dreams” Actor Dies At 67

More sad news to pass along to you, Berkshire County. We've just lost another one. A popular actor, famous for roles in movies ranging from "Goodfellas", "Something Wild", and "Field of Dreams", has passed away at 67-years-old.

The Hollywood Reporter tells us that actor Ray Liotta passed away in his sleep yesterday. Liotta was in the Dominican Republic where he was filming a movie called "Dangerous Waters" when he left us.

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Again, Liotta passed away in his sleep, but no word yet on the cause of death. Speaking personally, I was always a fan of his acting. Liotta was a soap opera actor when he first started out, on the daytime drama "Another World".

I never caught Ray on the soaps, so I think my first time seeing him was in the 1986 movie "Something Wild". Liotta doesn't even appear in the movie until almost the halfway point, but he made the most of his role and, in my opinion, totally stole the movie from co-stars Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels.

Other notable film roles include 1990's "Goodfellas", where he played Henry Hill. Sure, Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro's performances were more "showy", but Liotta's intensity(especially in the film's second half) grounded the movie.

Another classic performance was Liotta's turn as Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1989's "Field of Dreams", which many cite as their favorite baseball movie. It's certainly in my top three, I can tell you that.

Those roles already mentioned may be the ones he's most famous for, but Liotta has turned in a solid body of acting work. Some other notable films include "Unlawful Entry", where he plays the psycho cop in love with Kurt Russell's wife, Madeleine Stowe.

2001's "Silence of the Lambs" sequel, "Hannibal"(where Hannibal the Cannibal fries up and eats a piece of Liotta's brain while he's still alive--yuck!), 2001's Johnny Depp-starring "Blow", 2007's "Wild Hogs", 1998's "The Rat Pack"(where Liotta played Frank Sinatra!), 2002's "Narc", 1997's "Cop Land"(one of my favorite Liotta performances alongside one of my favorite Sylvester Stallone performances), and the list goes on.

You'll always be remembered, Ray, and you'll always be missed. Liotta received a nice tribute from his "Field of Dreams" co-star Kevin Costner. Costner had this to say on Twitter:

Devastated to hear the news of Ray Liotta’s passing. While he leaves an incredible legacy, he’ll always be “Shoeless Joe Jackson” in my heart. What happened that moment in the film was real. God gave us that stunt. Now God has Ray.

Nice way to end it. Thanks, Mr. Costner. For more on Ray Liotta's passing, visit the Hollywood Reporter's website here.