Raymond Allen Liotta (18 December 1954-26 May 2022) was an American actor and film producer. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, and he was adopted by parents of Italian and Scottish ancestry, giving him the Italian surname "Liotta". He grew up in Union, New Jersey, and he was raised Catholic. While working as a bartender in New York City, he met an acting agent, and he became a successful actor during the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, often appearing in crime movies. He died in his sleep in May 2022 while filming a movie in the Dominican Republic.
Liotta's adoptive family were Democratic Party members, with his father serving as the president of a local Democratic club. During his father's run for the Union Township Committee, Liotta handed out flyers at parades.