Ray Liotta has a huge body of work to his name, amassed over a period of 40 years in the entertainment industry. He was never out of the movies or off our TV screens, and I honestly feel like I grew up watching him, which I kind of did.
His net worth was the result of all this sustained hard work. However, before we take a closer look at the Ray Liotta Net Worth and find out exactly how much money he made, let’s first find out about his life and career.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Raymond Allen Liotta was born on December 18th, 1954, in Newark, New Jersey. Sadly, he had a very bad start to life as he was abandoned in an orphanage, where he remained until he was six months old. More happily, he was eventually adopted by Mary, and Alfred Liotta, who was an auto parts store owner.
He took on their surname and was brought up in New Jersey as a Roman Catholic. This was no surprise, given his adoptive parents Italian/Irish heritage. However, neither of his adoptive parents was especially religious.
Despite his parents not being regular churchgoers and not spending much time praying, Ray Liotta did pray from time to time in his daily life. This was more the case when things were going wrong when he would say a small prayer to get him through.
The family gets bigger…
Ray’s parents adopted another child, Linda, three years after Ray was taken into their home. Both children knew they were adopted as their parents made no secret of the fact and were very open about the circumstances leading to their adoptions.
When Ray got into his 40s, he finally decided to trace his real parents though likely in the knowledge that they would already be dead. He found that he was of mostly Scottish heritage. He also found that he had a sister, a half-brother, and five half-sisters.
Time for school…
Ray attended the Union High School in New York, where he excelled as an athlete and was apparently a very popular student. He graduated in 1973, and from there, he made his way to the University of Miami to study acting.
Once at Miami University, he became a regular performer, and interestingly many of his roles were in musicals which included “The Sound of Music,” “Cabaret,” and “Dames at Sea.” No doubt invaluable experience but far removed from the parts he would take on as a professional actor.
That neatly leads us to the early parts of his career.
Career
Ray Liotta’s career took off relatively quickly though he did have to move back to New York first. No doubt being penniless, he moved back in with his parents and took a job as a bartender though it was in the Shubert Organization Theatre Bar.
From there, within six months, he managed to get an agent, and then shortly after, he got his first professional acting role, playing Joey Perrini in the soap opera “Another World.” He played the part for three years between 1978 to 1981.
With a fatter wallet and greater ambitions…
He quit the show and moved to Los Angeles in an attempt to switch his career from TV to the movies. A bold move that thankfully netted him his movie debut in 1983 with an appearance in the American Drama, “The Lonely Lady.” It was only a small part but two years later; he got his big break playing a major role in the 1986 Action Comedy, “Something Wild”.
It was an outstanding performance that earned him a Golden Globe nomination. From this point, he appeared in a short film in 1987, plus two more movies, “Dominick and Eugene” in 1988 and “Field of Dreams” in 1989, before getting his second and most important career break.
In 1990, Ray Liotta played a Mafia mobster in the Academy-winning movie, “Goodfellas.” The movie was a huge commercial success and has been acclaimed as one of the greatest gangster movies of all time.
When the movie hit the screens, Ray Liotta’s life would change forever…
Following the release of “Goodfellas,” Ray was in high demand and subsequently was rarely out of the movies. Although he played a variety of diverse roles, he mostly carved out a reputation for himself, playing more dramatic roles.
Some of the more notable movies he appeared in during the 90s included, “Unlawful Entry” in 1992, “No Escape” in 1994, “Unforgettable” in 1996, and “Phoenix” in 1998, which was the first movie he co-produced. He also played the part of Frank Sinatra in “The Rat Pack” in 1998, which was a movie exclusively made for TV.
From 2000 there was little letup in the number of movies he appeared in. He was generally in at least one movie or more a year. He also began to get more involved in the production part of the process and was credited as the producer in “Narc,” “Slow Burn,” “Take the Lead,” “The Line,” “Snowmen,” and “The Identical.”
Awards…
Despite his frequent appearance on the big screen, it is surprising that he was never nominated for a major award for one of his movie performances. In fact, his only award success for a movie was in 1986 when he won a Boston Society Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor in “Something Wild.” He did, however, win an Emmy in 2005 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the hospital TV drama, “ER.”
Like many other Hollywood actors, in the 2000s, Ray turned to TV and made many more appearances than previously on the small screen. Most notable, other than for his “ER” appearance, were in “Shades of Blue” in 36 episodes between 2016 – 2018 as Lt. Matt Wozniak.
I also liked his acting in the 2015 TV series, “Texas Rising,” as Lorca. Additionally, his narration of “The Making of the Mob” in 2016 was excellent. Plus, he did some great voice acting work in TV series such as “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.”
Finally…
He also found time to do voice acting in video games. These included playing Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” in 2002 and playing Billy Handsome for, “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” in 2013. His work in “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” earned him two gaming awards in 2003. These were the G-Phoria Award for the Best Live Voice Male Performance and the Spike Video Game Award for Best Performance by a Human.
Currently, Ray Liotta has three movies still in post-production and awaiting release. These are “The Substance,” “Dangerous Waters,” and “Clash.” He has no other TV, narrating, voice-over, or gaming projects awaiting release.
Personal Life
Ray married Michelle Grace after meeting her at a baseball game. They married in 1997 and had a daughter together, Karsen. Sadly, the marriage did not last, and the two were divorced in 2004 in what has been described as an amicable divorce.
Following his split from his wife, very little is known of his personal life until 2020, when he went public with his relationship with former hairstylist Jacy Nittolo. They both appeared very happy with their relationship, and in November of 2021, Ray proposed, and the pair became engaged.
Sadly, the pair never got the opportunity to marry, as I will come on to shortly.
So, What is Ray Liotta’s Net Worth?
Ray Liotta was a busy working actor who appeared in 73 movies as well as many TV shows. He also worked as a producer, director, and narrator. His work ethic is beyond question, and it is, therefore, no surprise that his net worth upon his death was estimated to be around $15 million.
Ray often appeared in smaller roles and in low-budget movies, so it was not unusual for his salary to be at around the one or two-million-dollar mark. A huge payday for us normal folks but nothing overly extravagant for a Hollywood actor.
Since, for most of his life, Ray lived in Malibu or Pacific Palisades; he was taxed at a high rate due to California law. Additionally, alimony and child support are thought to have cost him somewhere in the region of $6 million.
This all affected his ultimate net worth though he is known to not have been an extravagant spender, which certainly helped him to retain a good portion of his wealth. Additionally, he was a shrewd player in the real estate market, another big help, which I will look at next.
Real Estate
Ray spent most of his time in Pacific Palisades, and frankly, if I had the money, I would be living there too. He sold his long-time home there to Britney Spears for a thumping $7 million. However, he still had a second property in the same area, a beautiful 6,000 square feet Mediterranean style villa, that he bought in 2003 for $2.7 million.
This was the house he still lived in at the time of his death. It was sold for $4.95 million in April of 2023 after having been placed on the market for $5.5 million. At the time of his death, it was reported that he also owned a property in Malibu.
Death and Illness
Ray died on the 26th of May 2022 in a Dominican Republic hotel room while on location filming “Dangerous Waters.” Following an autopsy, it was reported that his death was due to pulmonary edema and heart failure. It was further found that his arteries were in poor condition and lined with cholesterol.
The widespread atherosclerotic and cardiovascular disease was, therefore, ultimately what caused his death. What is not known is if Ray Liotta was aware of his condition and if he was receiving treatment and medication for it. Regardless, it is at least comforting for his friends and family that he passed peacefully in his sleep.
Legacy
There is no doubt that Ray Liotta will always be remembered for his legendary performance in the 1990 Martin Scorsese movie, “Goodfellas.” However, he will also be remembered for his many other dramatic roles, even though he was a versatile actor who played a wide variety of different characters.
Interested in the Net Worth of his Goodfellas Co-Stars?
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Ok, back to…
What is the Ray Liotta Net Worth?
At the time of his death, Ray Liotta’s Net Worth was estimated at 15 million dollars.
It is sad that Ray Liotta is no longer with us, but we can all at least be comforted by the fact that the performances he has left behind will live on for a long time to come. He was a fantastic actor, and I am sure he is missed by everyone who came into contact with him as well as by his many fans.
His net worth seems like a fair sum for the years of work in film and TV. I hope he enjoyed his wealth, and I hope he enjoyed all those years spent in Hollywood performing for our benefit.
As Ray Liotta said in Goodfellas… “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”
FAQs
1 How old is Ray Liotta?
Ray Liotta was born on December 18, 1954, which makes him 66 years old as of 2021.
2 What was Ray Liotta’s first film?
Ray Liotta’s first film was “The Lonely Lady” in 1983, where he played the role of Joe Heron.
3 Is Ray Liotta Italian?
No, Ray Liotta is not of Italian descent. He is of Scottish, English, and German ancestry.
4 What is Ray Liotta’s most famous film?
Ray Liotta’s most famous film is “Goodfellas,” where he played the role of Henry Hill.
5 Has Ray Liotta won any awards?
Yes, Ray Liotta has won several awards throughout his career, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
6 What other TV shows has Ray Liotta been in?
Apart from “Shades of Blue,” Ray Liotta has appeared in several other TV shows, including “ER,” “Smith,” and “Texas Rising.”
7 What is Ray Liotta’s production company called?
Ray Liotta’s production company is called “Tangible Entertainment.”
8 What is Ray Liotta’s upcoming movie?
Ray Liotta will be starring in the upcoming film “The Many Saints of Newark,” which is a prequel to “The Sopranos.”