Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, star of 'The Last Emperor' and 'Mortal Kombat', passes away at 75

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the distinguished actor recognized for his roles in Mortal Kombat and The Last Emperor, as well as the television series The Man in the High Castle, has passed away at the age of 75. The Tokyo-born performer died from complications related to a stroke, confirmed by his manager Margie Weiner.

Cary was an extraordinary individual: generous, thoughtful, and deeply devoted to his art, Weiner said. His absence leaves a tremendous void. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone who admired him.

Raised predominantly in the southern United States, Tagawa grew up while his Hawaii-born father served at military bases on the mainland. He was named after the actor Cary Grant, while his brother was named after Gregory Peck.

Tagawas professional acting career gained momentum in 1987 when he appeared in Bernardo Bertoluccis Oscar-winning film The Last Emperor. He later featured in films such as Pearl Harbor, Planet of the Apes, and the James Bond movie License to Kill. Despite a varied career, he was most famous for portraying the villainous sorcerer Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat franchise. He first played the role in New Lines 1995 film adaptation and returned in the 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat Annihilation, later reprising the character in the 2013 series Mortal Kombat: Legacy and a 2015 episode of Mortal Kombat X: Generations.

In 2005, Tagawa portrayed the Baron in Memoirs of a Geisha, a film adaptation of the acclaimed novel about a young girls journey from a fishing village to high society in Japan.

His last significant role came in 2015 as Nobusuke Tagomi, the trade minister of the Pacific States of America, in Amazons The Man in the High Castle, set in an alternate post-World War II world where the United States is divided between Japanese and Nazi control.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is survived by his three children, Calen, Brynne, and Cana, along with two grandchildren, River and Thea Clayton.

Author: Grace Ellison