Ray Liotta, whodied suddenly at 67in May 2022, was honored with a posthumous star on theHollywood Walk of FameFriday, nearly nine months after his death. Liotta’s daughter,Karsen Liotta, accepted the star on his behalf.
“I’m so touched to be accepting this honor on behalf of my dad. I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Karsen, 24, said during the ceremony in Los Angeles. “He was a one of a kind actor and the best friend, brother and father anyone could have asked for. I lucked out with you.”
She continued, “If you have a Ray in your life, you’re lucky. I love you so much. Thank you for your work and the imprint you left on me and all of those who love you. Everyone deserves a Ray in their life.”
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Karsen previously posted a tribute to her late father a little over a week after he died, thanking him for “everything.”
“Those who knew him, loved him. You are the best Dad anyone could ask for. I love you. Thank you for everything ❤️,” Karsen captioned an old photo of the pairon Instagram, in which a young Karsen can be seen smiling as her dad holds her and looks into the camera.
Elizabeth Banks, who directed one of his final projectsCocaine Bear, andTaron Egerton, who played his character’s son on the limited seriesBlack Bird, spoke at the event in honor of their late colleague and friend.
Banks, 49, followed Egerton’s speech, elaborating on the honor of working with the late actor and adding that he inspired confidence in her as a director.
“I always admired his acting, but I genuinely enjoyed him as a human,” Banks said. “Although he’s known for playing tough guys, I found him to be charming and a little mischievous which made him charming as an actor and as a man, and truly perfect forCocaine Bear.”
She continued, “When any actor of Ray’s caliber puts trust in you as a director, it’s a gift. But Ray gave me so much more. Ray’s respect for me as a director, as his boss on set, meant everything to me because if you can direct Henry Hill, you can do f––– anything in this town.”
TheGoodfellasactor died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, PEOPLE confirmed at the time. He was engaged to fiancéeJacy Nittolo, who was with him when he passed.
His career spanned decades from his iconic role as Henry Hill in 1990’sGoodfellasto 1997’sCop Land, in which he starred oppositeRobert De NiroandSylvester Stallone. His latest role inCocaine Bear,which released Friday, was a fun one for the actor, who had a “great time” filming it, according to Banks.
“He came to Ireland with the best attitude. He had a great time. He came for ADR and saw the film, and was like, ‘Oh, my God, the bear looks so good!’ " she said in aninterview withVariety.
Liotta’s costarAlden Ehrenreichechoed Banks' sentimentsin an interview withUPROXX, where he shared that the actor had a “ball” working on the film.
“Helovedit. I’m very grateful for the opportunity that I got to work with him, and especially now,” the 33-year-old actor toldUPROXX. “Liz had such a great set and he came and he really seemed to be having a ball being a part of this.”
He added, “I mean, he really was having, I think, areallygood time. And so it was really nice to be able to work with him and see him have so much fun with it.”
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Cocaine Bearis in theaters nationwide now.
source: people.com
