Ray Liotta in the fantasy/drama film "Field of Dreams"—Liotta portrayed Shoeless Joe Jackson, the ghost of the famed baseball player. In 1990, Liotta portrayed real-life mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's film "Goodfellas". In 1992, he costarred as a psychopathic cop alongside Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe in the thriller "Unlawful Entry". He appeared in a leading role in the science-fiction/action film "No Escape". In 1996, he starred with Linda Fiorentino and Peter Coyote in the sci-fi/thriller "Unforgettable". Liotta earned critical praise for his turn in James Mangold's 1997 film "Cop Land", starring alongside Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, and Harvey Keitel.
Robert De Niro Bickle earned him his first Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor. His portrayal of Jake LaMotta in "Raging Bull" was lauded, as well as his interpretation of Max Cady in "Cape Fear". In 1976, De Niro appeared in "1900", Bernardo Bertolucci's biographical exploration of life in Italy before World War II, seen through the eyes of two Italian childhood friends at the opposite sides of society's hierarchy. He also starred in "The Last Tycoon" (1976), directed by Elia Kazan. Kazan recalls that De Niro "would do almost anything to succeed" and noted that he cut his weight down from 170