Ray Liotta’s daughter Karsen and his fiancee Jacy Nittolo paid tribute to the late actor at the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, nine months after his tragic death at age 67.
The Goodfella actor he died in his sleep in a hotel in the Dominican Republic in May 2022 where he had been filming a new movie, leaving behind Karsen, 24, and Jacy, 48.
Karsen and Jacy looked visibly emotional as they held up a portrait of the star at the unveiling as they listened to tributes from their former co-stars Taron Egerton and Elizabeth Banks.
Jacy was seen wiping her eyes during the emotional ceremony as she and Karsen reflected on happy memories of the star.
Accepting the honor in his memory, Karsen said: ‘I am so touched to accept this honor on behalf of my father. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He was a one of a kind actor and the best friend, brother and father anyone could have asked for. I was lucky with you.”
Forever loved: Ray Liotta’s daughter Karsen and his fiancée Jacy Nittolo paid tribute to the late actor at the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, nine months after his tragic death at 67 years.
Posthumously honored: The Goodfellas actor died in his sleep at a hotel in the Dominican Republic in May 2022 where he had been filming a new movie
‘If you have a Ray in your life, you’re in luck. I love you a lot. Thank you for your work and the mark you left on me and on all of us who love you. Everyone deserves lightning in their life.
Banks, 49, who directed Liotta in one of his final film projects, Cocaine Bear, said: “I’ve always admired his performance, but I really enjoyed him as a human being.”
“Although he’s known for playing tough guys, I found him charming and a bit mischievous, which made him charming as an actor and a man, and really perfect for Cocaine Bear.”
“When any actor of Ray’s caliber trusts you as a director, it’s a gift. But Ray gave me so much more. Ray’s respect for me as a director, as his boss on set, meant the world to me because if you can direct Henry Hill, you can do anything in this town.
Egerton, 33, who worked with Liotta on the Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird (2022), said: “He was one of those rare artists who brought all of himself to his work, all of his intensity, all of his vulnerability and, in the case of our show, all your love.
“I was deeply inspired by Ray, he was the epitome of an actor’s actor.”
First meeting on the set of the comedy film The Details (2011), Banks took to Instagram after Liotta’s passing to talk about her respect as the director of Cocaine Bear and what it meant to her.
“When any actor of Ray’s caliber trusts you as a director, it’s a gift. But Ray gave me so much more,” Banks began.
Tears: Karsen and Jacy looked visibly emotional as they held a portrait of the star during the unveiling, as they listened to tributes from former co-stars Taron Egerton and Elizabeth Banks.
There for him: Elizabeth and Taron posed with Karsen on the special day
Accepting the honor in his memory, Karsen said, “I am very moved to accept this honor on behalf of my father.” She couldn’t be more proud of him.
Stars: Banks and Egerton reflected on working with the actor on Cocaine Bear and Black Bird
Memories: Jacy wiped away tears as she reflected on her partner’s accomplishments
Ceremony: The group was accompanied by Lupita Sánchez Cornejo, President of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
Much Missed: Liotta Posthumously Honored on Walk of Fame
Liotta’s daughter, actress Karsen, is pictured with her father in 2019
Classic: After gaining acclaim for his role in Something Wild (1986), Liotta starred in Field Of Dramas (1989) and Goodfellas (1990), the two films for which he is best known during his famed Hollywood career; he is seen playing Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field Of Dreams
Iconic: The success of Goodfellas, playing Henry Hill, would spark a long string of leading roles and character actors during his nearly 40-year career.
“Hollywood producers had told me in the past that the men wouldn’t follow me, that I couldn’t direct the action because of that.
“Ray’s respect for me as a director, an actress and an artist, as his boss on set, meant the world to me because if you can direct Henry Hill, you can do anything in this city,” she concluded.
Liotta had several other films that were in post-production at the time of his death to be released. posthumously, which includes the satirical comedy Fool’s Paradise, the horror film The Substance, and the Clash, among others.
Liotta was 24 years old when he made his professional acting debut in 1978 with a role on the daytime soap opera Otro mundo, which would run until 1981.
He would make his film debut in the dramatic film The Lonely Lady (1983), but it would be his next film, Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild (1986), starring Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels, that would gain wide recognition for his performance. worth.
The other two films for which he was best known came only a few years later: the sports fantasy classic Field Of Dreams (1989), in which he played legendary baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson alongside Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan and Burt Lancaster. . , and Martin Scorsese’s classic mob tale Goodfellas, with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Lorraine Bracco.
His love: The Newark, New Jersey native had been engaged to Jacy since December 2020 at the time of her death on May 26, 2022.
“Ray Liotta’s all-round career made him a triple threat, and sadly, his death was devastating to the world of entertainment,” said Ana Martinez, producer of Hollywood Of Fame. People after confirming the news of his posthumous star. “The characters she portrayed will forever be etched in Hollywood movie history.”
Liotta, who was abandoned in an orphanage and then adopted at the age of six months, married Michelle Grace, an actress and producer, in February 1997 after meeting at a baseball game where her ex-husband, Mark Grace, was playing for the Chicago Cubs.
They would welcome their daughter, Karsen, into the world several years before divorcing amicably in 2004.
Liotta and Jacy Nittolo announced that they were engaged to be married on December 28, 2020, but sadly had not been married at the time of her death.