Ray Liotta: Once starred as Seattle mayor in ‘Battle of Seattle’

Actor Ray Liotta, who died Thursday at the age of 67, once portrayed the mayor of Seattle in the political action-thriller “Battle in Seattle.”

Premiering in 2008 at the Seattle International Film Festival, the film was loosely based on the protest activity surrounding the events of the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999.

The World Trade Organization convened in Seattle in 1999 to launch a new round of multilateral trade negotiations, but was disrupted by large protests, called the Battle of Seattle.

Thousands of activists protested, believing the WTO contributed to a widening of the wealth gap between the rich and the poor.

The movie examined several fictional characters during the five days of protests, from peaceful protesters to people committing property destruction.

The situation escalated into a riot when the police used tear gas on the crowd and a state of emergency was declared.

Written and directed by Stuart Townsend, the film also starred Woody Harrelson, Connie Nielsen, Michelle Rodriguez, Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron.

Liotta played Mayor Jim Tobin, based on former Seattle mayor Paul Schell.

The film received positive reviews from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, but against a budget of $8 million, the film only made $886,461 at the box office.

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