Why These Are Considered Ray Liotta's Greatest Movies Of All Time
The untimely death of actor Ray Liotta sent shock waves across the film industry. Tributes have poured in from fans and professionals alike, after the 67-year-old passed away in his sleep while on a work trip to the Dominican Republic, where he was working on a movie called Dangerous Waters. Even legendary director Martin Scorsese - who strangely never worked with Liotta again after their very successful collaboration in Goodfellas (1990) - offered his own moving tribute to the actor.
"I'm absolutely shocked and devastated by the sudden, unexpected death of Ray Liotta," Scorsese said in a statement to People Magazine. "He absolutely amazed me, and I'll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture.
Being a part of the cast of Goodfellas is arguably the finest moment of Liotta's career. He, nonetheless, leaves behind a much longer list of incredibly successful films. Here are his ten absolute best, ranked by global box office sales.
10 'Heartbreakers' (2001) - $57.8 Million
The tenth film on Ray Liotta's all-time top box office earners is admittedly not quite as memorable as others on the list. Heartbreakers is a romantic crime comedy which received mixed reviews from critics, although it managed to rake in a profit of about $20 million at the box office.
Liotta played Dean Cumanno, the love interest of main character Max Conners (Sigourney Weaver).
9 'Cop Land' (1997) - $63.7 Million
Ray Liotta combined with Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro to make the acclaimed crime drama Cop Land of 1997.
The movie followed the sheriff of a fictional New Jersey town called Garrison, going up against corrupt NYPD officers who live there. Liotta played one of these dirty cops, called Detective Gary "Figgsy" Figgis.
8 'Field Of Dreams' (1989) - $64.4 Million
Ray Liotta burst into national recognition as an actor with his performance in Jonathan Demme's action-comedy romance film Something Wild in 1986. For his role as Ray Sinclair, he even earned himself a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Three years later, he portrayed MLB legend "Shoeless Joe" Jackson in the sports fantasy drama Field of Dreams, as he continued to establish himself as a proper star of the screen.
7 'Muppets Most Wanted' (2014) - $79.3 Million
Ray Liotta's involvement in Muppets Most Wanted was only limited to a cameo, voice role - as a character called Big Papa. The actor had also similarly featured in a limited part in the same franchise's comedy drama Muppets from Space in 1999.
The 2014 installment was produced on a budget of $50 million, but managed to bring nearly $30 million more at the box office.
6 'Identity' (2003) - $82.1 Million
In James Mangold's 2003 thriller Identity, Ray Liotta played Samuel Rhodes, "an escaped convict masquerading as the correctional officer who was transporting him and [fellow escapee, Robert] Maine."
While the film did not impress audiences immediately, it has slowly become a bona fide cult classic.
5 'Blow' (2001) - $83.2 Million
As in Field of Dreams, Ray Liotta played a real-life character in the 2001 biographical crime drama Blow, by director Ted Demme. This time, he stepped into the shoes of Fred Jung, father of famous cocaine smuggler George Jung.
Blow grossed $83.2 million at the box office, against a production budget of $53 million.
4 'John Q' (2002) - $102.2 Million
John Q is widely associated with lead actor Denzel Washington. Ray Liotta was, however, one of the main supporting stars in the family drama film, as Chief Gus Monroe.
The Nick Cassavetes picture received generally negative reviews at the time of its release, but still managed to breach the $100 million-mark in cinema earnings.
3 'Wild Hogs' (2007) - $253.6 Million
Once again, Ray Liotta was not front and center, but he still played an important role in the 2007 biker road comedy film, Wild Hogs. In an impressive cast line-up that also included Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy, Liotta played Jack Blade, leader of a biker gang known as Del Fuegos.
Wild Hogs was one of Liotta's most profitable films ever, bringing in more than $250 million from a budget of $60 million.
2 'Bee Movie' (2007) - $287.6 Million
2007 was undoubtedly Ray Liotta's most prolific year at the box office: As well as Wild Hogs, another of his films - titled Bee Movie - also managed to surpass earnings of $250 million.
In the computer-animated comedy film by Dreamworks, the star featured as himself, albeit in a voice role.
1 'Hannibal' (2001) - $351.6 Million
In a sequel to Jonathan Demme's cult classic The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Ray Liotta joined Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore and Gary Oldman in the Ridley Scott-directed Hannibal. He played a Justice Department official known as Paul Krendler, who becomes one of Hannibal Lecter's victims in the story.
Although he only played a supporting role once again, Hannibal is by far the most successful movie that Liotta was ever involved in, at least according to box office numbers.
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