Ray Liotta was honored Wednesday morning with a posthumous Emmy nomination for his work on Apple TV+’s “Black Bird,” an occasion that “would mean the world to him,” his daughter said.
Addressing the recognition, which marks Liotta’s first nomination since winning a Primetime Emmy for his guest work on “ER” in 2005, the late actor’s daughter Karsen Liotta said in a statement to press, “I am so grateful to the members of the Television Academy for honoring my Dad with this nomination. 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.”
Liotta, whose performance as Big Jim Keene also earned him a posthumous Critics Choice Award nomination earlier this year, died May 26, 2022 — just two months before the true crime limited series premiered on Apple TV+.
Based on the autobiographical novel “In With the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene with Hillel Levin, “Black Bird” centers on the life of crime of Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), whose arrest within Operation Snowplow eventually led to a fully commuted sentence.
Egerton was nominated for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie and Paul Walter Hauser was nominated alongside Liotta for outstanding supporting actor for his performance as Larry Hall in the series.
Following Wednesday’s nominations announcement, Hauser also honored his costar posthumously, saying, “Long live Ray Liotta.”
“I’m super honored to be nominated for an Emmy Award,” Hauser said in a statement. “‘Black Bird’ is the result of an indefatigable crew, three visionary directors, the support of the storytelling giant that is Apple TV+ and Dennis Lehane’s mastery in capturing life in all its forms. Taron, you’re a brilliant actor, a kind generous spirit, and I sincerely treasure our time on and offscreen. Thank you to the Television Academy, my teams at CAA, Artists First, The Lede Company, Dunham, Engelman, Petix, DDP, Sean M and most of all — my beautiful, patient, forgiving wife Amy. No more serial killer roles, babe. ‘Jury Duty’ Season 2? ‘The Bear’ Season 3? Fingers crossed. Long live Ray Liotta.”
