Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
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| 田川 洋行 | |
Tagawa in 2011
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| Born | September 27, 1950 Higashi-Azabu, Tokyo, Japan
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| Died | December 4, 2025 (aged 75) |
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| Education | University of Southern California |
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| Years active | 1985–2023 |
| Spouse(s) |
Sally Phillips Petersen
(m. 1984; div. 2014) |
| Children | 3 |
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (born September 27, 1950 – died December 4, 2025) was a talented actor and producer from Japan. He was famous for playing the powerful sorcerer Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat movies and video games. He first played Shang Tsung in the 1995 film. Later, he returned to the role for the TV series Mortal Kombat: Legacy in 2013 and the video game Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa often played strong characters, sometimes villains, in many popular films. These included The Last Emperor (1987), the James Bond film Licence to Kill (1989), Mortal Kombat (1995), and Planet of the Apes (2001). He also voiced a character in the animated movie Kubo and the Two Strings (2016). On TV, he was known for his role as Nobusuke Tagomi in The Man in the High Castle (2015–2018) and Hiroki Watanabe in Lost in Space (2018–2021).
Contents
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's Early Life and Acting Journey
Growing Up and Learning
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was born in Tokyo, Japan, on September 27, 1950. His mother, Mariko Hata, was an actress. His father was a Japanese-American who served in the United States Army. Because of his father's work, Cary-Hiroyuki lived in many different cities while growing up. He spoke both English and Japanese from a young age. He also learned some Russian, Korean, and Spanish.
His family eventually settled in Southern California. There, he started acting when he was in Duarte High School. He later went to the University of Southern California. He also spent time as an exchange student in Japan. Cary-Hiroyuki was very active and studied kendo (a Japanese martial art with swords) and Shotokan karate. He learned karate from a famous teacher named Masatoshi Nakayama.
Becoming an Actor
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's big break in acting came in 1987. He played the character Chang in the movie The Last Emperor. In 1989, he appeared in a James Bond film called Licence to Kill. He played an undercover agent in that movie.
He often played strong and memorable characters. In 1991, he starred in Showdown in Little Tokyo with Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee. He played a character named Yoshida, who was a leader of a group. The same year, he played Kai in The Perfect Weapon.
In 1993, he was in Rising Sun. He played Eddie Sakamura, a character involved in a mystery. Later, in 1995, he took on his most famous role. He played the sorcerer Shang Tsung in the movie Mortal Kombat. He loved this role so much that he played Shang Tsung again. He was in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy in 2013. Then, he returned for the video game Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa also appeared as a pirate leader, Kabai Sengh, in The Phantom (1996). He voiced Brushogun in the animated movie Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2006). Kids might also remember him from Johnny Tsunami (1999) and its sequel Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007). He played Krull in the 2001 movie Planet of the Apes.
He also played Satoshi Takeda in the TV series Revenge. This character was a powerful business leader in Japan. In 2013, he played Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi in the film 47 Ronin.
From 2015 to 2018, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was a main character in the Amazon Prime series The Man in the High Castle. He played Nobusuke Tagomi, a Trade Minister. He also appeared as Hiroki Watanabe in the Netflix series Lost in Space from 2018 to 2021. He had a long and successful career, appearing in many other films and TV shows.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's Later Years and Legacy
Personal Life and Passing
In 2015, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa became a member of the Eastern Orthodoxy faith. In 2016, he also became a citizen of Russia.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa passed away peacefully at his home in Santa Barbara, California, on December 4, 2025. He was 75 years old. He died from health issues after a stroke. His children were with him during this time. He left behind a wonderful legacy of memorable performances in movies and television.
See also
In Spanish: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa para niños
