Ray Liotta Discussed The Threatening Gift He Received From A Hollywood Icon’s Close Relatives

Ray Liotta was working on a new movie when he received an unusual gift. Well, “gift” probably isn’t the right word. It was more of a threat — a callback to a famous gangster movie, in fact, and a clear sign that someone was not pleased with him. But why? The whole grisly business was to do with a Hollywood icon and his family. Unfortunately for Liotta, they believed he'd been acting disrespectfully. And in some circles, disrespect is harshly punished…

The gift

Liotta was shooting a movie when the “present” came, with a little note attached reading, “Oh yeah?” He was on set with his wife, Michelle Grace, when it turned up. The director was horrified, and she approached Liotta to tell him what had happened. But it didn’t take long to work out what it meant and why the actor had been sent it.

The Sinatras

The “present” was from one of Frank Sinatra’s children. This was in 1998 and the famed entertainer himself was dying at this point, but his daughters were very much active. They weren’t about to take a perceived insult to the family lying down — and, famously, Frank had some ties to the Mafia.

Goodfellas

Liotta knew exactly what kind of threat the Mafia posed. He had played a member of the organization in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 movie GoodFellas, and for the rest of his career he was typecast in roles playing intimidating gangsters and the like. If you got a message from a member of the Mafia, you had to pay attention or risk your very life.

The Mafia

Frank Sinatra always denied he was ever involved with the Mafia, but his links to Mob figures are well documented. He was most definitely friends with the Chicago boss Sam Giancana, and performed at his club at least once. Reportedly, he also introduced Giancana to none other than future President John F. Kennedy.