Despite his 40-year career and 126 movie credits, Ray Liotta had a surprisingly low net worth

The actor brought charming crooks to life on-screen in a career spanning 40 years, but his off-screen bank balance might shock you.

As tributes pour in for Ray Liotta following his sudden death, it is becoming increasingly apparent just how vast and impressive, inspirational his acting career was.

According to reports, the 67-year-old died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic where he was filming an upcoming movie, Dangerous Waters.

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No foul play is suspected after Liotta was found dead in the Dominican Republic, where he is filming a new movie. Picture: Angela Weiss / AFP)

The news shocked Hollywood and Liotta’s fans, alike, with former co-stars Robert De Niro, Lorraine Branco, Seth Rogen, Jamie Lee Curtis and David Chase leading tributes to the “legend of immense skill and grace”.

Liotta was renowned for bringing charming villains to life – most notably, starring as mob informant Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster classic Goodfellas.

Liotta’s was an instant hit as Henry Hill in The Goodfellas with Robert De Niro (left), widely considered one of the best films of all time. Picture: AP Photo/Warner Bros.

His intense demeanour, piercing blue eyes and gravelly voice made him one of the most captivating supporting actors of his generation.

Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Liotta accumulated some 126 acting credits across film and television – even lending his voice to video games – amassing a humble US$14 million (almost A$20 million) fortune.

How did Ray Liotta build his net worth?

Liotta’s net worth is perhaps surprisingly modest compared to many of his former co-stars’ (De Niro is worth a mind blowing $500 million, and Rogen a staggering $80 million, comparatively).

Since his first film appearance in the 1983 drama The Lonely Lady, Liotta never received a blockbuster payday but has been in steady demand.

His first big break came in 1986, when Jonathan Demme cast him as Ray Sinclair in Something Wild – a role which unveiled his talent for portraying villains, earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and reportedly unleashed a tsunami of over-the-top villain offers.

Liotta brought the psychopathic Ray Sinclair to life in Something Wild (1986) Picture: Supplied.

Liotta followed it with gentler roles – in Dominick and Eugene (1988), and as ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams (1989).

Ray Liotta (left) starred alongside Kevin Costner (right) as ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams. Picture: Supplied.

As well as films, Liotta had numerous guest and cameo spots on television, including an Emmy-award winning performance as Charlie Metcalf on ER and taking on the role of Frank Sinatra in The Rat Pack (1998), which earned him a Screen Guild nomination.

In 2002 he lent his iconic voice to video game character Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, earning him a Spike Video Game Award for Best Performance.

Liotta earned a SAG nomination for portraying Frank Sinatra in The Rat Pack. Picture: Supplied

In recent years, Liotta has had somewhat of a career resurgence taking on a mixture of high-profile roles – The Sopranos prequel, Marriage Story, and No Sudden Move – as well as making a number of cameos as himself – Modern Family, The Bee Movie, even in Ed Sheeran’s 2016 music video short movie for Bloodstream.

Beyond acting, Liotta also owned properties and signed a number of brand deals throughout his career – including KFC, Apple, Tequila Silver.

Liotta also starred alongside Jennifer Lopez in short-lived TV series Shades of Blue. Picture: Jeff Riedel/NBC.

Most recently, he was reportedly paid $50,000 to be the face of Chantix, a medication to help smokers quit.

Liotta owned a home in Malibu and multiple properties in the Pacific Palisades, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He sold one Palisades property to Britney Spears for $7 million (a little over A$9.86 million) in 2007, the LA Times reports, after his 2004 divorce from Michelle Grace. In 2019 he put another Palisades home on the market for $5.595 million (more than A$7.885 million).

The instantly-recognisable actor leaves behind a 23 year old daughter, Karsen – who he shares with his ex-wife – and fiancee Jacy Nittolo who he proposed to in 2020 and is a mother of her own four children.