Ray Liotta Receives Posthumous 2023 Emmy Nomination Over a Year After His Death
This goodfella was just honored in the best way.
More than one year after his death, Ray Liotta picked up a posthumous 2023 Emmy Nomination for his work as Big Jim Keene in Black Bird.
The actor, who died in May 2022 just months before the Apple TV+ series debuted, was one of the seven actors named in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie category during the July 12 nomination ceremony. Also up for the honor are Ray's Black Bird co-star Paul Walter Hauser, Jesse Plemons (Love & Death), Joseph Lee (Beef), Murray Bartlett (Welcome to Chippendales), Richard Jenkins (Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story) and Young Mazino (Beef).
The 2023 achievement marks Ray's second Emmy nomination with him previously picking up the statuette for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series for his role in ER.
In Black Bird—which was one of Ray's final projects—he played the father of Taron Egerton's James Keene Jr, who after facing legal troubles is tasked with befriending serial killer Larry Hall (Hauser) in prison.
Overall, the series saw Emmys love in the acting department during the July 12 nomination ceremony, as in addition to Ray and Paul, Taron also picked up a nod for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. (See the full list of 2023 Emmy nominees here.)
After the Goodfellas star's nomination was announced, his daughter Karsen Liotta expressed her gratitude for her dad's recognition.
"I am so grateful to the members of the Television Academy for honoring my Dad with this nomination," she told E! News. "He was so incredibly proud of his performance in Black Bird, and it would mean the world to him to be nominated alongside Taron and Paul."
Ray's fiancé Jacy Nittolo also reacted to the news with a sweet tribute to her late love on her Instagram Stories. Underneath a picture of Ray's nomination on the official Television Academy website, the 48-year-old wrote alongside a red heart emoji, "Well Deserved."
Two months prior, Jacy paid tribute to the Shades of Blue actor on the one year anniversary of his death.
"A year ago today I was on a flight home from the Dominican Republic by myself in shock," Jacy—who got engaged to Ray in 2020—wrote in part alongside a slew of throwback photos of the couple May 26. "My entire world unexpectedly turned upside down."
Reflecting on the past 12 months, she added, "It's been a heavy year of pain, heartache, healing, growing and accepting what is. Learning to smile at what was. It supposedly gets easier with time."
The 2023 Emmy Awards air on Fox Monday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
