MOVIE NEWS – Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the Tokyo-born actor known for memorable roles in films and series such as Mortal Kombat, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Man in the High Castle, has died at the age of 75. His longtime manager, Margie Weiner, confirmed in an email shared with multiple outlets on Thursday that Tagawa passed away due to complications from a recent stroke.
In a statement sent to the press, Weiner wrote that she had represented Tagawa for many years, but that their relationship evolved into something much more personal over time. He became, in her words, like a member of her own family, and she is now mourning him in the same way. She described him as a rare spirit – generous, thoughtful, and deeply devoted to his craft – whose absence leaves a void that cannot easily be filled, not for his family, nor for his friends, and the many fans who admired him.
According to his manager, Tagawa died in Santa Barbara, California, with his loved ones at his side. His death was attributed to complications arising from the stroke he had recently suffered.
Stroke remains a common and deadly condition in the United States
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that more than 795,000 people suffer a stroke each year in the United States. A stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or significantly reduced, preventing brain tissue from receiving the oxygen and nutrients it needs to function.
For 2022, the most recent year for which full data is available, the CDC reports that one in six deaths in the U.S. was linked to cardiovascular disease caused by stroke. Although Weiner did not specify which particular complications Tagawa experienced, doctors note that common consequences of stroke include brain swelling, seizures, infections, and various cardiac problems.
A late-blooming career and an unforgettable screen villain
Tagawa was born in Tokyo to a Hawaii-born father and a Japanese mother, who worked as a stage actress. His parents’ love of classic Hollywood cinema could be seen even in their children’s names: Cary-Hiroyuki was named after Cary Grant, while his brother was named in honor of Gregory Peck. On paper, he may have seemed destined for a life on screen, yet he only began acting at the age of 36 after holding a long list of other jobs – from working as a celery farmer to driving limousines and working as a photojournalist, as reported by CNN.
His first official screen credit came in John Carpenter’s 1986 cult favorite Big Trouble in Little China, where he appeared in a relatively small role. His true breakthrough followed a year later, when Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci cast him in the Oscar-winning 1987 film The Last Emperor, a sweeping dramatization of the life of China’s last monarch of the Qing dynasty, Emperor Puyi.
From there, Tagawa went on to build a decades-long career in Hollywood, accumulating dozens of credits, but perhaps his most iconic turn was as the soul-stealing sorcerer Shang Tsung in the 1995 film adaptation of Mortal Kombat, which has since achieved cult status among fans. He later reprised the role in several projects, including the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy and the production Mortal Kombat X: Generations.
Over the course of his career, Tagawa saw firsthand how the range of roles available to Asian men in Hollywood slowly began to expand. Where they had long been confined to stereotypes and side characters, the industry has, in recent years, become more open to casting Asian actors in leading romantic roles and complex, fully realized protagonists.
The film world has been mourning many of its most distinctive voices in recent times, and Tagawa’s passing is another heavy blow in a year already marked by loss. Earlier this year, the industry said goodbye to visionary director David Lynch (January 16) and beloved actors Gene Hackman (February 26), Val Kilmer (April 1), Robert Redford (September 16), and Diane Keaton (October 11), among others.
Tagawa’s personal life was not without controversy. In 2008, he pleaded guilty in a Honolulu court to a petty misdemeanor charge of harassing a girlfriend, after police reported finding bruises on her legs. He was fined $1,000 and placed on one year of probation following five missed court appearances.
His later years were also shaped by profound spiritual and personal choices. In 2015, Tagawa converted to Eastern Orthodoxy, and the following year, he obtained Russian citizenship, opening a new chapter in his life that many observers saw as a deeply symbolic step in his search for identity and belonging.
Source: Newsweek
