Key Takeaways
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- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was a versatile actor with a 40-year career in film, TV, and gaming, best known for his role as Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat but significant in shaping Hollywoods Asian character depictions.
- He had an extensive filmography, appearing in movies such as The Last Emperor, Planet of the Apes, Memoirs of a Geisha, and TV shows like Nash Bridges, Hawaii Five-0, and The Man in the High Castle.
- Tagawa was also a martial artist and developed Ninjah Sportz, a training and healing method. He reprised his role as Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat: Legacy and voiced the character in Mortal Kombat 11.
- Tagawa is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren. He was remembered for his generosity and dedication to his craft, leaving behind a lasting cinematic legacy that will be fondly remembered with the line: Your soul is mine.
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Legendary Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Shaping Hollywood’s Asian Characters, Passes Away at 75
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, known for his roles in Mortal Kombat and The Man in the High Castle, passed away on Thursday at the age of 75 due to complications from a stroke. His family was with him in Santa Barbara. For many in their thirties and forties who grew up in the 90s, Tagawa will be best remembered as Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat (1995), the sorcerer who uttered the iconic line “Your soul is mine.” However, to remember him only for this role would be to overlook the vast scope of his 40-year career, during which he significantly shaped Hollywood’s depictions of Asian characters and stories. Born in Tokyo, Tagawa moved to Los Angeles and began his acting career, initially working with director Bernardo Bertolucci on The Last Emperor, which won nine Oscars. Before focusing on acting, he held various jobs, including celery farming, limo driving, and photojournalism. A martial artist, Tagawa also developed Ninjah Sportz, a training and healing method.
Versatile Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa’s Impressive Filmography and Notable Roles Span Across TV and Gaming
Tagawa’s extensive filmography includes License to Kill, Planet of the Apes, Memoirs of a Geisha (in which he played the Baron), Nash Bridges, Hawaii Five-0, Revenge, Teen Wolf, Star Wars: Rebels, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Blue Eye Samurai, as well as multiple Mortal Kombat projects. He reprised his role as Shang Tsung in the 2013 TV series Mortal Kombat: Legacy and voiced the character in the Mortal Kombat 11 video game. He also played trade minister Nobusuke Tagomi on Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle. In 2008, Tagawa pleaded guilty to a petty misdemeanor charge for harassing his girlfriend.
Kendo Master and Versatile Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa’s Legacy in Film, TV, and Gaming Spans Decades
A kendo graduate and practitioner of traditional karate, Tagawa brought a unique martial arts background to cinema. His roles in The Last Emperor, Rising Sun, Pearl Harbor, and Memoirs of a Geisha reflect Hollywood’s evolving portrayals of Asian characters, and he adeptly navigated the complexities of representing figures straddling different cultures. With over 150 projects to his name, Tagawa’s career demonstrates both his talent and the transformations within the entertainment industry. As Clara Harter noted, Tagawa established himself as a recognizable figure, shaping the visual and auditory representation of antagonists, and his presence has been consistently recalled across films, series, and video games like Mortal Kombat 11 and Onslaught, even decades later. Tagawa is survived by his wife, Sally, his children Calen, Byrnne, and Cana, and his grandchildren River and Thea Clayton. His manager described him as generous and dedicated to his craft. He leaves behind a cinematic legacy that will be remembered fondly with the line: “Your soul is mine.”
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