Ray Liotta was in the Dominican Republic filming his final movie, Dangerous Waters when he passed away suddenly in his hotel room. The John Barr, which co-stars Odeya Rush, Eric Dane, and Saffron Burrows, won't be the only one of Liotta's films to be released posthumously. The actor also has Fool's Paradise, The Substance, and Clash coming down the pike. Elizabeth Bank's Cocaine Bear and Apple TV+'s acclaimed miniseries Black Bird were also released following Liotta's tragic death. The latter actually featured his only daughter, Karsen Liotta.
On top of his fiancée Jacy Nittolo, Liotta left behind his Karsen to carry on his incredible legacy. And, yes, this includes her burgeoning acting career. While some may see Karsen Liotta as the next Hollywood nepo baby like Will Smith's wacky kids, it doesn't seem like she's capitalized on her father's fame to the extent she could. Here's what we know about who Karsen Liotta is and what she does for a living.
Updated May 8th, 2023: On May 8th, 2023, after almost a year of speculation, Ray Liotta's cause of death was revealed. According to a report from TMZ, the acclaimed Goodfellas star passed away due to heart and respiratory issues while asleep in his hotel room in the Dominican Republic. His passing has been reported as nonviolent and "natural", which was likely welcome news for his surviving family members. Among them is his only child, Karsen Liotta, whose life and career have become even more mysterious following his May 2022 passing. Amendments have been made to the introduction of this article, as well as to each entry to reflect new information regarding Liotta's daughter.
Who Is Karsen Liotta?
Despite having a fiancée at the time of his death, Ray Liotta was only married one time. This was to fellow actress and producer Michelle Grace. The pair met for the first time at a Chicago Cubs game in the mid-’90s. Grace’s husband at the time - Mark Grace, was playing for the baseball club at the time.
Soon after Michelle and Mark Grace ended their marriage, she decided to tie the knot with the acclaimed Goodfellas actor in February 1997. In December of the following year, they welcomed their first – and only child – daughter, Karsen.
In the same year that Karsen was born, her two parents featured together in the movie The Rat Pack, which was produced for HBO. Liotta played legendary pop and jazz music star, Frank Sinatra. Grace featured as Judy Campbell, a woman who once claimed to be the mistress of former President John F. Kennedy.
However, according to The Sun, when Karsen was five, her parent’s marriage had run its course. They got divorced midway through 2004. Neither of them went on to remarry, although Liotta was heading in that direction with Jacy Nittolo before his untimely death in the Dominican Republic.
While little is known about Karsen Liotta's early life, we do know that she shared her parent's love for the film and television industry. Specifically, Karsen decided to pursue acting, just like her dad.
What Does Karsen Liotta Do For A Living?
In a way, it wasn’t purely Karsen Liotta’s decision to officially become an actor. In 2000, before her second birthday, she featured in her very first-ever screen role.
In her father’s biographical war film A Rumor of Angels, she appeared as the infant version of a character called James Neubauer. The grown-up James Neubauer was played by Trevor Morgan (The Sixth Sense, Jurassic Park III).
Karsen Liotta would, however, not return to the screen again until she was ready to make that choice fully on her own accord, according to The Sun US.
In 2016 and 2017, she featured in two short films, titled Prettyface and Trump’s America respectively. In the first, she played the lead role of Jenna in a period piece revolving around the murderous Manson family in the ‘60s.
2018 was arguably the biggest year of her acting career. Karsen Liotta was featured in four episodes of Shades of Blue. This was alongside her father who portrayed one of his famous anti-heroes with his friend Jennifer Lopez. Not so coincidentally, Karsen played Ray's on-screen daughter. Their similar appearance only added to the realism of their dynamic.
On top of Shades of Blue, Karsen Liotta appeared in James Franco's 2018 film Mississippi Requiem, and the comedy series Nobodies on Paramount Network.
In the years since, Karsen Liotta has been cast in a few other projects, such as Hubie Halloween with Adam Sandler, and the acclaimed Apple TV+ mini-series, Black Bird, which once again co-starred her famous father.
On top of acting, the beauty has also pursued a little bit of a modeling career. This includes a 2018 photoshoot for Flaunt Magazine.
According to her Instagram, she also walked for Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld in 2016.
According to an interview in Teen Vogue, Karsen really started to pursue her modeling career while she attended high school. Most weekends were spent doing various photoshoots as well as building her acting portfolio.
The Truth About Ray Liotta's Relationship With His Daughter, Karsen Liotta?
One look at Karsen Liotta's Instagram reveals just how close she and her famous father truly were. Every so often, she would post a photo of them together, or one of Ray Liotta on his own – mostly with special Father’s Day messages.
In one such post on Instagram in 2016, she referred to him as the ‘coolest, funniest and most talented person I know.’
It was also on Instagram that Karsen eventually paid tribute to her father, about two weeks after he passed away. Alongside a photo of Ray holding her as a young girl, she wrote:
“Those who knew him, loved him. You are the best Dad anyone could ask for. I love you. Thank you for everything.”
In February 2023, Karsen Liotta and her father's fiancée Jacy Nittolo attended the premiere of his movie, Cocaine Bear, in his sted. Not long after, they both showed up again to honor Liotta's addition to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Karsen was one of those asked to speak about the Goodfellas star.
During Karsen's emotional speech, she said that she couldn't be happier to be excepting the honor on her dad's behalf.
"I couldn't be more proud of him."
She then started to tear up saying, "He was a one-of-a-kind actor and the best friend, brother, and father that anyone could ask for."
Karsen Liotta then turned to the sky and passionately stated, "I lucked out with you."