Ray Liotta is dead: his voice shaped a generation of gamers

He was a mobster and one of the most iconic characters the GTA franchise has ever had: actor Ray Liotta has passed away at the age of 67.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Anyone who has ever read crime films from the 90s and 2000s must have seen Ray Liotta’s piercing eyes at least once. The US actor has an enormous portfolio and even leaves his mark in gaming. He lent his voice to one of the most famous GTA characters of all time. Ray Liotta passed away on May 26, 2022 at the age of 67.

Ray Liotta: With two roles to world fame in film and gaming

How did Ray Liotta become famous? Liotta has been an actor on television since the late 1970s, back then in the series Another World. A few smaller roles in film and television followed before he had his big breakthrough in 1990. Back then he played Henry Hill, the lead in Martin Scorcese’s mafia masterpiece Goodfellas. Starring alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta became a global star who, with his unmistakable face and piercing eyes, has since been a popular choice in many thrillers and crime films, but the gravitas of a Goodfellas-like role never materialized thereafter.

It was a similarly unique role as a seedy gangster that cemented Ray Liotta as an icon in gaming as well. In 2004, he lent his voice to an iconic character in the GTA franchise. As Tommy Vercetti, he became the voice of millions of gamers building their drug empires in GTA: Vice City. The main character of the game is now considered an absolute fan favorite and one of the best voiced and best written characters in the entire series. Another video game role Liotta only had as Billy Handsome in the Zombies mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, but these two characters alone make him immortal for many fans.

What is known about the circumstances of his death? Ray Liotta passed away on June 26, 2022 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was there filming Dangerous Waters, a thriller directed by John Barr. According to reports, the actor fell asleep and never woke up, further information on the circumstances is not known. Ray Liotta is survived by a fiancé and a daughter from a previous marriage.

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