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Liotta in 2011, s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Date of Birth: December 18, 1954
Place of Birth: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Date of Death: May 26, 2022
Place of Death: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Ethnicity: Scottish, other
Ray Liotta was an American actor and film producer. He starred in the films Something Wild , Dominick and Eugene , Field of Dreams , Goodfellas , Unlawful Entry , Corrina, Corrina ; Cop Land , as Frank Sinatra in The Rat Pack , Heartbreakers , Blow (2001), Narc , Identity (2003), Smokin’ Aces , Observe and Report , Youth in Revolt , Date Night , The Place Beyond the Pines , Sin City: A Dame to Kill For , Marriage Story , Hubie Halloween , and Cocaine Bear . He played many Italian-American characters.
At the age of six months, Ray was adopted by Mary Theresa (Edgar), a township clerk, and Alfred Raymond “Al” Liotta, an auto parts storeowner and president of a local Democratic Party club. Alfred was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, the son of Italian emigrants, Frank/Francesco Liotta, from Santa Margherita di Belice, Agrigento, Sicily, and Maryanne/Marianna Crescimanno. Ray’s adoptive mother Mary was born in The Bronx, New York City, the daughter of Scottish-born parents, David Edgar and Mary Miller, who were from Glasgow. Ray was raised in Union, New Jersey.
Ray had stated that he was not of Italian ancestry by birth, though he did have (biological) Scottish roots. He had also specified , “[my birth mother] said she was a mix of something, and when I asked about what my Dad was she wouldn’t even talk about it. It was like it never even happened.” Ray’s given name is sometimes listed as Raymond Julian Vicimarli, although this is not accurate.
In 2014, Ray was also asked about his ancestry on Reddit:
Redditor : I read that you don\t have any Italian in you, but regardless I consider you more Italian than many of my friends who are 100% Italian. How does it feel to be the most Italian non-Italian on the planet? Ray : It feels great, thanks for noticing.
Redditor : I read that you don\t have any Italian in you, but regardless I consider you more Italian than many of my friends who are 100% Italian. How does it feel to be the most Italian non-Italian on the planet?
Ray : It feels great, thanks for noticing.
Ray had a daughter with his former wife, actress Michelle Grace. Michelle was the former wife of professional baseball player Mark Grace.
Sources: http://www.smokemag.com
Genealogies of Ray Liotta – https://www.geni.com https://www.findagrave.com
Alfred Raymond Liotta on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Mary Theresa Edgar on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org