One of Liotta's earliest roles was as Joey Perrini on the daytime program Another World. He appeared on the show from 1978 to 1981. Infamously, he made his film debut sexually assaulting Pia Zadora with a garden hose in the cult classic The Lonely Lady. Come 1987, however, he earned his first Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of a volatile ex-con in Jonathan Demme's film Something Wild (1986) In 1990, Liotta portrayed real-life mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's film Goodfellas. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

In addition to his film roles, Liotta provided the voice of Tommy Vercetti for the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He also narrated Inside the Mafia for the National Geographic Channel. In 2005, Liotta had a memorable guest appearance on the television drama ER playing Charlie Metcalf in the episode "Time of Death". The role earned him an Emmy for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series". Liotta would la