‘Mortal Kombat’ Star Dies Following Stroke Complications

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the actor best known for his roles in The Last Emperor and the Mortal Kombat films, has passed away at the age of 75.

He died on Thursday in Santa Barbara, California, from complications related to a stroke, according to his publicist Penny Vizcarra and manager Margie Weiner. Tagawa was surrounded by his family at the time of his death.

Born in Japan, Tagawa enjoyed a career that spanned over 30 years, with numerous roles in both film and television. His big break came in 1987 when he appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Oscar-winning The Last Emperor.

In a 2015 interview with the A.V. Club, he recalled the experience, saying, “It was mind boggling. You know, to suddenly be working with one of the top-10 directors in the world.”

After that, he appeared in high-profile projects including the James Bond movie Licence to Kill in 1989 and Rising Sun in 1993, where he played Eddie Sakamura alongside Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.

Tagawa’s role as the villainous sorcerer Shang Tsung in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film became one of his most famous. He returned to the character in later movies and TV shows and also provided his voice for the video games in the franchise.

He also had roles in films like Pearl Harbor (2001) and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). Later in his career, he joined the cast of Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle, which premiered in 2015.

Tagawa played Nobusuke Tagomi, a Japanese trade minister trying to prevent another war in an alternate history where the Axis powers won World War II. Reflecting on the character, he said, “The character had parallels to my own experience as an Asian American growing up in the United States after the war.”

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa’s work left a lasting mark on both film and television. He was known for his ability to play both intense villains and complex, thoughtful characters.

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