Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, known for several film and TV roles, including Shang Tsung in the “Mortal Kombat” franchise, died on Dec. 4 in Santa Barbara from complications of a stroke. He was 75.
He was surrounded by family, including his three children, when he passed.
Born on Sept. 27, 1950 in Tokyo to a Japanese American father serving in the U.S. Army and Takarazuka actress Mariko Hata, Tagawa grew up on Army bases at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina, Ft. Polk in Louisiana, and Ft. Hood in Texas. The family settled in Southern California, where Tagawa began acting as a student at Duarte High School. He was an exchange student in Japan while attending USC and studied kendo and Shotokan karate under Masatoshi Nakayama at the Japan Karate Association. He married Sally Phillips in 1984. He later joined the Russian Orthodox Church and split his time between California and Russia.
His earliest acting roles included uncredited appearances in “Big Trouble in Little China” (1986) and “Bulletproof” (1987) as well as guest-starring roles in such TV series as “The Wizard,” “MacGyver,” “The Colbys” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” His big break was playing the eunich Chang in Bernardo Bertolucci’s historical epic “The Last Emperor” (1987).
Subsequent movies included a James Bond film, “Licence to Kill” (1989); “The Perfect Weapon” (1991), which also featured Mako and James Hong; “Showdown in Little Tokyo” (1991), in which he played yakuza boss Yoshida opposite Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundgren as LAPD cops; Edward James Olmos’ “American Me” (1992), the story of a Mexican American mafia kingpin; and “Rising Sun” (1993), in which he played Eddie Sakamura, a suspect in a murder case.
His first appearance as the evil sorceror Shang Tsung was in “Mortal Kombat” (1995), based on the video game of the same name. He reprised the role in “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” (2013), “Mortal Kombat X: Generations” (2015), and the video game “Mortal Kombat 11” (2019). He also coached the martial artist portraying Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat Live Tour.
Ed Boon, development chief at Mortal Kombat studio NetherRealm, posted on social media: “We lost a legend today. We had the privilege of his portrayal on the first MK film but also as an amazing voice actor in the ‘Mortal Kombat 11’ game. Cary was one of a kind. He combined danger, swagger and athleticism to his roles and will always be remembered as the man who first brought Shang Tsung to life on film. Rest in Peace. Your soul is eternal.”
Another milestone was being cast as Lt. A.J. Shimamura in 15 episodes of the San Francisco-based police drama “Nash Bridges,” opposite Don Johnson and Cheech Marin. During this time he also rode in the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival’s Grand Parade. He also played an alien named Zylyn in the 1993-94 TV series “Space Rangers,” which only ran for six episodes.
Tagawa played the title character in the 1999 TV movie “Johnny Tsunami,” which was about a Hawaiian teenage surfer who shows off his skills when he takes to the snow slopes in Vermont.
Many of his films had Japanese or Japanese American themes, including “Snow Falling on Cedars” (1999), “Pearl Harbor” (2001), “Memoirs of a Geisha” (2005), “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” (2009), “Tekken” (2010), “47 Ronin” (2013), “Little Boy” (2015), and “Kubo and the Two Strings” (2016), as well as the TV series “Heroes” (2007) and “Blue Eye Samurai” (2023).
Tamlyn Tomita, who played Tagawa’s wife in “Picture Bride,” posted on social media: “To my friend, colleague, and brother artist whom I have had the utmost pleasure, with all its joys and challenges, of working with on so many occasions. We will be ever bonded as teammates in stories we were compelled to tell …
“Thank you for your collaborative nature, your ‘matcho gusto’, and for your unwavering curiosity about what it means to be human, with all of our faults and gifts. Thank you for our times together … rest in peace while you journey onward …”
Tagawa played a gorilla, General Krull, in Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” (2001). In 2018, he played Hiroki Watanabe in the reboot of “Lost in Space.” He did voice work in the series “Star Wars: Rebels” (2017) and “Star Wars: Visions” (2021).
Another role that Tagawa is remembered for is that of Nobusuke Tagomi, the trade minister of the Pacific States of America, in “The Man in the High Castle” (2015-18), based on Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name. The story takes place in an alternate timeline where Japan and Germany won World War II.
He also produced and starred in the films “The Legend of Chang Apana” (2009) and “Duel of Legends” (2013).
In Jeff Adachi’s 2006 documentary “The Slanted Screen,” Tagawa and other actors discuss the representation of Asian men in Hollywood. He also worked with Los Angeles-based Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), which promotes positive portrayals of AAPIs and combats negative stereotypes.