Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa: everything we know about the ‘Mortal Kombat’ star’s death

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the Tokyo-born actor best known for his role in Mortal Kombat and the series The Man in the High Castle, has died at 75.

His manager, Margie Weiner, confirmed he died in Santa Barbara surrounded by family. She said he passed away due to complications from a stroke and described him as generous, thoughtful and deeply committed to his craft.

Tagawa’s career gained momentum in 1987 with his appearance in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Oscar-winning film The Last Emperor. He went on to feature in major productions including Pearl Harbor, Planet of the Apes and Licence to Kill.

Raised mainly in the American South while his Hawaii-born father served on mainland Army bases, Tagawa also lived in Honolulu and on Kauai. He once told Honolulu Magazine that his parents named him after Cary Grant and his brother after Gregory Peck. His mother, Ayako, had been a stage actor in Japan and initially discouraged him from acting because opportunities for Asian performers were limited.

Tagawa began his acting career at 36 after working as a celery farmer, limo driver, pizza supply truck driver and photojournalist. He later spoke openly about representation in Hollywood, noting that visibility for Asian actors had grown, although the number of substantial roles had not increased as much.

In 2005, he appeared as the Baron in Memoirs of a Geisha. Responding to criticism about authenticity, he told the Associated Press that an American-led fictional production would inevitably be an interpretation rather than a documentary-style portrayal.

Outside acting, Tagawa studied martial arts before developing his own training and healing method called Ninjah Sportz. He worked with professional athletes, including World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Brian Viloria, and advised players on the University of Hawaii football team.

In 2008, he pleaded guilty in a Honolulu court to a petty misdemeanour charge of harassing a girlfriend. His lawyer said he had accepted full responsibility from the start.