JamesG
12-05-2025, 04:47 AM
Mortal Kombat's Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Dies at 75
by Ryan Coleman and Oliver Gettell
December 4, 2025
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the Japanese-American actor known for his work in such films and TV series as "Mortal Kombat", "The Last Emperor", and The Man in the High Castle, died Thursday in Santa Barbara, Calif., from complications of a stroke. He was 75.
Tagawa's publicist, Penny Vizcarra, confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly.
His is perhaps mostly known as the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung in the 1995 movie "Mortal Kombat" (based on the popular video game series) and Trade Minister Nobusuke Tagomi in the Prime Video TV series "The Man in the High Castle" (based on the Philip K. Dick novel).
Sally Phillips, his former wife of 30 years and mother to their two children, shared in a statement that Tagawa "came to L.A. and began teaching his own style of martial arts called Chu Shin. He was discovered by [Bernardo] Bertolucci and cast him in his first film, The Last Emperor. From there, he became a high-profile Asian actor in more than 30 films and in the series The Man in the High Castle."
His numerous television credits include "Revenge", "Heroes", and "Nash Bridges".
https://ew.com/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa-dead-mortal-kombat-star-75-11862663
by Ryan Coleman and Oliver Gettell
December 4, 2025
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the Japanese-American actor known for his work in such films and TV series as "Mortal Kombat", "The Last Emperor", and The Man in the High Castle, died Thursday in Santa Barbara, Calif., from complications of a stroke. He was 75.
Tagawa's publicist, Penny Vizcarra, confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly.
His is perhaps mostly known as the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung in the 1995 movie "Mortal Kombat" (based on the popular video game series) and Trade Minister Nobusuke Tagomi in the Prime Video TV series "The Man in the High Castle" (based on the Philip K. Dick novel).
Sally Phillips, his former wife of 30 years and mother to their two children, shared in a statement that Tagawa "came to L.A. and began teaching his own style of martial arts called Chu Shin. He was discovered by [Bernardo] Bertolucci and cast him in his first film, The Last Emperor. From there, he became a high-profile Asian actor in more than 30 films and in the series The Man in the High Castle."
His numerous television credits include "Revenge", "Heroes", and "Nash Bridges".
https://ew.com/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa-dead-mortal-kombat-star-75-11862663