Michelle Grace Remained on Good Terms with Ray Liotta after Becoming His Ex-Wife

Michelle Grace and Ray Liotta's divorce may have marked the end of their marriage, but it did not mean the end of their friendship. Despite the challenges of separating, they remained on good terms even after their marriage ended.

Michelle Grace's acting career began in the 1990s, and not long after, she married Ray Liotta, who was 40. The marriage did not last long into the new millennium, but they remained on good terms. She stayed at her ex-husband's place for a few years after their split to give their daughter a semblance of a family unit.

Their only child appeared alongside the couple in a movie when she was only a few months old. She portrayed her father's onscreen daughter in the third season of "Shades of Blue."

Michelle Grace Has Appeared in 3 Movies

Michelle Grace was born on December 4, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. In her twenties, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career and dabble in modeling.

She landed the role of Judy Campbell in her first project in 1998, "The Rat Pack." The HBO film starred her then-husband Ray, Joe Mantegna, and Don Cheadle.

Michelle's second feature was also helmed by Ray, "A Rumor of Angels," and marked the screen debut of their daughter. The mom of one made her final appearance as an actress in "Baseball Wives," a TV movie she co-produced in 2002.

Another film Michelle co-produced came out in 2002, "NARC," on which she worked with Ray. The "Goodfellas" star said in an interview before the release:

"It was great working with her. It's nice to see her get her start and have a passion for something. We both really believe in this movie."

The Chicago native produced the acclaimed TV movie "Knights of the South Bronx," starring Ted Danson and young talents like Keke Palmer and Malcolm David Kelley. Her final credit listed on IMDb is as a producer on "Take the Lead" in 2006.

Michelle Grace Married a Baseball Player

In 1988, she married Mark Eugene Grace, nicknamed Gracie, a month after his first season with the Chicago Cubs. Despite the batsman remaining with the Chicago-based MLB team, the couple relocated to Los Angeles in 1990.

She filed for divorce from Mark in August 1992 and sued him for $20 million in May of the following year. The suit was filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court, and her lawyer, Jay Coggan, said it would likely be rolled into the divorce settlement.

The Chicago Tribune reported that according to her filing, the couple had an oral agreement that "during the time the parties maintained their relationship, they would share equally all property acquired..." They were granted a divorce in 1993.

Michelle Grace Was Ray Liotta's Wife for Several Years

One source claims that Michelle and Ray met on the set of "The Rat Pack," but they actually met in the mid-90s at a baseball game of her ex-husband Gracie. She was his date at the "Corrina, Corrina" premiere in August 1994.

A profile on Heidi von Beltz, a former girlfriend from early 1996, stated that Michelle and the "Revolver" star lived together. The actor best known for playing tough guys cried when he proposed to the producer outside a jewelry store.

Before their February 1997 marriage, Ray mentioned in a Q&A that a vacation they took to Thailand was the best experience he'd had.

A few weeks after her thirtieth birthday, Michelle and Ray welcomed their first and only child, Karsen Liotta, on December 21, 1998.

The salesperson hugged both before they left the store.

The couple worked on three movies during their marriage, "The Rat Pack," and "A Rumor of Angels," as actors, and they co-produced "NARC." Michelle and Ray also worked on "Take the Lead," released a few years after their divorce in 2004.

Michelle Grace and Ray Liotta's Relationship after Their Divorce

"Sometimes one person [is] in control, sometimes the other. It has to be a combination," Ray contemplated in a 2007 Guardian profile three years after the breakdown of his marriage.

"Probably if I'd found that combination, I'd still be in a relationship..." he continued. Of his ex-wife of seven years, Michelle, he said:

"She's a great woman, and thank God we're still friends."

Fourteen years after their marriage ended, Karsen's parents were photographed at a Beverly Hills jeweler in April 2016. Michelle was pictured smiling.

The salesperson hugged both before they left the store, but the exes did not engage in any physical contact with each other. It is unclear who they were shopping for, if at all.

Ray found love again with Jacy Nittolo, a mother of four. He asked for her hand over the holidays in 2020. They had not tied the knot before when he died in his sleep in 2022.

Michelle Grace's Daughter Became a Model & Actress

Ray Liotta's daughter was his "whole life." Karsen was scouted to model for Brandy Melville when she was 14 but could only take up the opportunity legally at 15. The star posted about her first big gig in December 2016:

"I can't be more happy about her first modeling job for [Chanel] in Paris. It's hard as a single parent. My heart and hopes go out to those of us who do it on our own. I'm so proud of my girl. I love you, Karsen."

In an interview with Teen Vogue in July 2015, Karsen Liotta, who was 16 then, expressed her admiration for her father, Ray Liotta, and the valuable lessons he taught her. She said, "He taught me to do my homework, to always practice."

Having been in three school plays that year, the teen explained that though acting had been her "focus" since a young age, she was happy to pursue modeling for the time being.

She also walked in a Dolce & Gabbana show in Milan. The young star acted opposite her father in four episodes of "Shades of Blue" in 2018. As of the end of 2022, she has eleven credits on IMDb, including a small part in the limited series "Black Bird," and the Adam Sandler comedy "Hubie Halloween."