The world lost one of the best actors of the 90s when Ray Liotta passed away on May 26 at the age of 67. Since then, actors and fans across the country have paid tributes to the original Goodfella. Liotta was an actor that helped to define an entire genre of films with his performance in the 1990 classic film by Martin Scorsese. He may be remembered most for this film, but his career has spanned over three decades and has seen him take part in many memorable roles.

Liotta was always a standout actor and knew how to deliver that tough-guy persona. He wasn’t exclusive to gangster roles either, as he’s played cops, killers, and even fathers. Let’s commemorate the actor’s legacy by looking back on some of his best work. Here are some of Ray Liotta’s best movies.

9 Kill the Messenger

ray-liotta kill-the-messenger
Photo Credit - Bluegrass Films, The Combine

Kill the Messenger is a criminally underrated film for all actors involved. Jeremy Renner may have been the star of this picture, and he and the other notable names in it may have taken the bulk of the screen time, but Liotta is in this film playing exactly the role he needs to for maximum impact. The film follows the true story of reporter Gary Webb, who uncovers a startling connection between the CIA and Nicaraguan Contras. Webb’s investigation would draw many eyes towards him, one of which was that of John Cullen, a CIA source played by Liotta critical to Webb’s unveiling of the truth. Liotta may not have been in the movie for long, but director Michael Cuesta wouldn’t have brought in such a heavy hitter if he didn’t need the character knocked out of the park.

Related: Kevin Costner Pays Tribute to Field of Dreams Co-Star Ray Liotta: 'Now God Has Ray'

8 Something Wild

Ray Liotta Something Wild
Photo Credit - Orion Pictures

Something Wild definitely earned its name even before Liotta entered the film. The star's second feature film started as a romance between Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith before quickly transitioning into an action-thriller the moment Liotta danced in front of the camera as Ray Sinclair, the ex-husband of Griffith’s Lulu — which Slashfilm deems as one of Liotta’s best roles. His part in this film showcased the possibilities as the film seems to touch on multiple genres at once, and it’s all ignited by the fireball that was the actors incredible talent. Something Wild is something to see.

7 Cop Land

Ray Liotta Cop Land

One of Liotta’s most memorable roles has got to be from the James Mangold neo-noir thriller, Cop Land. The film sees Sylvester Stallone’s Sheriff Freddy Heflin investigating police corruption in a New Jersey town alongside an officer on the take who is desperately looking for a way out of the web of immorality. The film bolsters some of the 90s' top actors, such as Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro, but Liotta’s layered performance as the paranoid corrupt cop Gary Figgis is fantastic. Figgis is a pivotal character, but he’s unhinged and unpredictable. There is a hope that he will do the right thing in the end. Unfortunately, he may be his own worst enemy. This film shows that between the worlds of crime and the law-abiding, the dividing line is police violence. This is one of Liotta’s best roles outside of Goodfellas, but there is something to be said about the differences and similarities between Figgis and Henry Hill when examining law and crime.

6 Narc

Ray Liotta Narc

In another foray as an unstable police officer, Liotta stars as Henry Oak, who teams with Jason Patric’s Nick Tellis to investigate the murder of a fellow officer. Together, the two dig deep into the darkest depths of Detroits criminal underbelly. Before they can find the officer's killer, other truths are exposed, such as the general mistrust for the city's poverty-stricken citizens and each other. Narc may not be as remembered today as Cop Land, but asks some important questions about law enforcement, like how one maintains the rule of law in a city flooded by chaos and what happens when the police can no longer differentiate crime from innocence.

5 Identity

Ray Liotta in Identity
Columbia Pictures

Ray Liotta teamed up with James Mangold once again for another neo-noir thriller. However, Identity danced a little closer to the edge of horror this time around. Liotta plays police officer Samuel Rhodes who finds himself stranded at a motel with several other strangers. The group discovers that there is a killer on the loose and must work together to find him while bodies start dropping. At the same time, a deranged killer stands trial for multiple murders. Identity is full of dark twists and red herrings, and an ending that no one saw coming. This may not be the best performance from Liotta, but he is on top of his game as always and works with an unmatchable caliber to carry this twisting thrill ride from beginning to end.

Related: Black Bird Series to Feature Ray Liotta in One of His Final Roles on Apple TV+

4 The Place Beyond the Pines

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Focus Features

Fans can argue whether The Place Beyond the Pines was everything it was hyped up to be, but it told a well-crafted story and did so with certainty. The film follows two generations, the first is that of Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper’s characters as a cop and robber respectively. When a robbery ends in death, the loss ripples through both men’s lineage two decades later. Liotta comes in as Peter Deluca, a cop on the take who ropes Cooper’s character into some less than noble deeds. One scene, in particular, sees Liotta’s commanding presence on full display as he forces the film to toe the line between thriller and horror through a simple dinner scene. It could be that he took pointers from Joe Pesci on filling a scene to the brim with tension, but he did so well and with ease.

3 Field of Dreams

Ray Liotta Field of Dreams
Golden Company

The pivotal role of Shoeless Joe Jackson in the classic film Field of Dreams helps to make the film what it is today, and no actor could have pulled it off as Ray Liotta did. When Kevin Costner’s Ray Kinsella builds a baseball field in his cornfield, players from decades past begin emerging from the stalks to play, one of which was Shoeless Joe, who acts as a foil of sorts for Kinsella. Ray is a man in his mid-30s who fears growing old without having achieved anything while Joe was a famous player who had everything but wanted more. Variety lists the baseball player as one of Liotta’s best performances, exhibiting layers of sportsman-like drive, rage, and desperation, successfully capturing the essence of a man from one of America’s most defining eras. His tough exterior shines here in a heartfelt film that at one point may have been unfamiliar, but he knocked it out of the park.

2 Marriage Story

Ray Liotta Marriage Story
Photo Credit - Heyday Films

Noah Baumbach’s heartbreaking yet funny portrait of divorce, Marriage Story, sees Liotta play one of two lawyers hired by Charlie (Adam Driver) as he and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) face off in court when their marriage comes to an end. The 2019 movie received rave reviews from fans and critics alike as well as nabbing multiple awards and nominations. Liotta was clearly robbed of a Best Supporting Actor nomination as he owns every minute of screen time as Jay Marotta. His courtroom sparring match with Laura Dern's Nora was incredible and entertaining. His character is aggressive in the courtroom, going so far as to threaten legal action against Johansson’s character for e-mail hacking. The viewer can see exactly what kind of lawyer he is with one look, and he does not disappoint, lending further proof that the actor owned every ounce of screen time he had.

1 Goodfellas

12-best-movies-of-the-90s-ranked
Warner Bros. 

Of course, the best and most memorable role of Liotta was going to be as Henry Hill in Goodfellas. Everyone knows this film. Ray Liotta stars as a man who grew up infatuated with the criminal lifestyle of a Mafioso. Hill becomes a respected gangster in the Lucchese crime family in New York. Through Hills own narration, the character recounts his rise and eventual fall, going from a man of respect to average joe in the witness protection program. The film made Liotta’s career as a narcissistic gangster. The image of Liotta laughing surrounded by other mobsters lives on eternally as a meme, with the sound of his boisterous cackles echoing through film history. Fans can debate on whether the actor would have become as known without this film, but his contribution is a gift that fans have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy for many generations to come.