Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, famous for playing an evil sorcerer in ‘Mortal Kombat’ movies, and for his roles in "The Last Emperor", "Memoirs of a Geisha," and "The Man in the High Castle," has died.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, an actor famous for his work in the ‘Mortal Kombat’ franchise, has tragically died, his family has confirmed.
Tagawa died in Santa Barbara, California, the result of complications from a stroke, his family told Deadline. He was reportedly surrounded by family, including his children, when he died on Thursday, December 4.
In addition to his work in ‘Mortal Kombat,’ Tagawa is also known for his roles in "The Last Emperor", "Memoirs of a Geisha," and "The Man in the High Castle."
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He was born in Japan but moved to North Carolina when he was five years old. Among his nearly 150 acting credits are "Big Trouble in Little China," "Tekken," "Pearl Harbor," "Planet of the Apes," "Elektra," "Snow Falling on Cedars," "47 Ronin," and "License to Kill."
One fan took to X to say: "GUTTED to hear of the passing of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. Shang Tsung is THE most iconic video game villain, and Tagawa brought him to life with such perfection. His voice will live on forever in my heart. Rest easy, and thank you Mr. Tagawa."
Another wrote: "Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa had been in a lot of shows and movies, but no one could ever match the energy he brought as Shang Tsung in the first-ever #MortalKombatMovie in ‘95. May he now rest in peace. May your legacy shall live on for eternity, Mr. Tagawa."
A third wrote: "RIP Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. I will never forget your iconic role as Shang Tsung. Mortal Kombat was a big part of many children’s lives when I was growing up, and your performance was a gift to all of us."
Tagawa’s breakout film was Bernardo Bertolucci’s Oscar Best Picture-winning The Last Emperor in 1987. He was cast as Chang, the emperor’s driver, who plays a small but pivotal part in the story.
Among the big-name directors he worked with were Philip Kaufman, Tim Burton, Michael Bay, Rob Marshall, Ivan Reitman, and John Carpenter.
Other notable TV appearances over his four-decade career include playing Lt. A.J. Shimamura on Nash Bridges; a major role as Captain Terry Harada on NBC’s Hawaii; six episodes as Satoshi Takeda on ABC’s Revenge; a six-episode arc on Netflix’s Lost in Space; and, most recently, voicing The Swordmaker in Season 1 of Netflix’s animated Blue Eye Samurai.
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