Ray Liotta recalls his mom dying 'in my arms' while filming 'Goodfellas'

Ray Liotta has had storied acting career since getting his start on a soap opera and starring in the classics "Something Wild," "Field of Dreams" and "Goodfellas."

The last of the three is the movie the made him famous, but filming it wasn't the easiest experience, the 66-year-old revealed in a recent interview with Sunday TODAY's Willie Geist.

Asked if he knew he was on to something special while making the iconic mob flick, Liotta, who was adopted as an infant and raised in Union, New Jersey, said no.

"My mom was sick with cancer during the filming of 'Goodfellas,' and she passed away in the middle of it. ... It put things in perspective in a really deep way," he told Willie, adding that he still had to carry on with his role.

Related: Ray Liotta is taking on his most iconic role yet.

"I was doing a scene Friday. They told me," he said. "My knees buckled, but you realize you've got to go back and finish the scene. And I did."

The actor managed to make it back to his mother in time to say goodbye.

"I went back that night, and luckily I was there when she passed, literally in my arms. I've never really talked about that," he added.

In the film, where he played real-life gangster Henry Hill, Liotta became known for his tough-guy persona. But in reality, he's never even been in a fight.

"Except in seventh grade," Liotta laughed to Willie. "It was me and this kid, and for some reason he wanted to challenge me that the food in his grammar school was better than the food in my grammar school."

"We sort of just beat each other, like a couple girls," he quipped.

In his newest movie, "The Many Saints of Newark," a prequel to the beloved series "The Sopranos," about a mob family in New Jersey, Liotta plays Hollywood Dick, a new character.

Related: Kathie Lee and Hoda are excited because Ray Liotta is on TODAY to talk about the season finale of "Shades of Blue," and he's wearing a new fragrance! He shares the spotlight with his teen-age daughter Karsen, a budding actress who's worked with her dad on the show.

"He's just a loudmouth that you want to punch," Liotta said.

Despite the excitement building around the film, Liotta is more focused on his home life.

"I don't feed into it," he said. "I don't talk about it. I just like staying home with my fiancée, watching TV and chilling. I don't look at reviews."

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