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b'Today on The Neil Haley Show, Neil Haley interviews Ray Liotta\\xa0Intense was the word for Ray Liotta. He specialized in psychopathic characters who hide behind a cultivated charm. Even in his nice-guy roles in\\xa0Field of Dreams (1989)\\xa0and\\xa0Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), you get the impression that something is smoldering inside of him. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was adopted by Mary (Edgar), a township clerk, and Alfred Liotta, an auto parts store owner. He studied acting at the University of Miami, where he became friends with\\xa0Steven Bauer\\xa0(Scarface (1983),\\xa0Thief of Hearts (1984)). He spent his first years acting in TV:\\xa0Another World (1964), a TV movie and several short-lived series. He broke into movies with the black comedy\\xa0Something Wild (1986), which garnered him rave reviews. Originally unable to get a reading, he was recommended for the part by\\xa0Melanie Griffith\\xa0(then married to Bauer).\\nFollowing the success\\xa0Something Wild (1986), he received more offers in the "psycho" vein, but refused them to avoid being typecast. Instead, he made "little movies" like\\xa0Dominick and Eugene (1988), which earned him standing as an actor\'s actor, and\\xa0Field of Dreams (1989), whose success always surprised him. When he heard\\xa0Martin Scorsese\\xa0was casting\\xa0Goodfellas (1990), he lobbied hard for the part of Henry Hill. The film\'s huge success brought him wide popularity and garnered him star billing in future films such as\\xa0Article 99 (1992),\\xa0Unlawful Entry (1992), and\\xa0Unforgettable (1996).'