Ray Liotta
As far back as I can remember, Ray Liotta could always portray a gangster. The actor is best known for playing seedy, unhinged tough guys – the anti-heroes that cable series specialize in – and for filling up his resume with a bunch of small supporting performances in both terrific and terrible films. It would be a commendable trade for the actor to ditch the various TV movie and direct-to-DVD prospects he touches every year and completely commit himself to a complex, crafty character not too far from Henry Hill, the real-life mobster he played to perfection in Goodfellas.
Nearly every role he’s remembered for is a corrupt cop or shady criminal. Despite a gripping performance as detective Henry Oak in Narc, and some memorable supporting turns in ensemble thrillers like Killing Them Softly and The Place Beyond the Pines, seeing his face on film is not an automatic signal of high quality. But the dark, conflicted characters that are his bread and butter translate well to small-screen crime shows. Although returning to the spotlight as a gangster or cop would be typecasting, it could also allow Liotta to show the impenetrable darkness and bruised humanity that lie underneath his most memorable work.
