'Goodfellas' star Ray Liotta dead at 67

• Liotta was known best for playing Henry Hill in the classic mob movie "Goodfellas."
• Liotta won an Emmy in 2005 for his guest role on "ER."

Legendary actor and "Goodfellas" star Ray Liotta has died at the age of 67, Deadline reported on Thursday.

Liotta died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic where he was shooting the upcoming thriller "Dangerous Waters," sources told Deadline.

His cause of death was not immediately known.

Liotta's acting career spanned more than four decades, and most recently he appeared in the "Sopranos" prequel film, "The Many Saints of Newark."

Liotta also won an Emmy in 2005 for his guest role on "ER."

The actor's breakout role was playing psycho Ray Sinclair opposite Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels in the 1986 cult classic "Something Wild," which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. But the actor would find stardom four years later when he played Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's 1990 classic "Goodfellas."

As Hill, based on the real-life mobster who became an FBI informant in 1980, Liotta was a powerhouse on-screen with his unmistakable New Jersey accent, infectious laugh, and piercing eyes. What was even more impressive was he gave the towering breakout performance opposite two seasoned Hollywood actors, and Scorsese regulars, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

In an interview with Insider back in 2018, Liotta admitted the stardom of "Goodfellas" was so sudden and shocking he didn't know how to use it to elevate his career.

"I didn't have a publicist up until 'Goodfellas,'" he said. "I didn't know that was what you're supposed to do. Nobody was helping me. I had the agents, but back then I think I was with the wrong people at that time to get me to the next thing."

While navigating Hollywood Liotta continued to find work, often in tough-guy roles. He put his mark on titles like 1997's "Cop Land" and 2002's "Narc."

Most recently, Liotta had memorable roles in Noah Baumbach's 2019 drama "Marriage Story" and "The Many Saints of Newark" in 2021.

"Younger people, like 14-, 15-year-old kids, come up to me, and they'll say that they saw a movie of mine," Liotta told Insider back in 2018, adding that he's "very, very lucky" he did movies that "will live for a long time."

The movies Liotta recently completed are "El Tonto" by "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star Charlie Day and actress Elizabeth Banks' "Cocaine Bear."