Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the actor best known for playing the iconic character Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat films, died this morning at the age of 75. According to his family, the deceased died due to complications from a stroke.
Born in Tokyo and raised in the United States, Tagawa first became known to many after appearing in the films The Last Emperor and Showdown in Little Tokyo. But his face became more recognizable after starring in the live-action film Mortal Kombat in 1995.
Because his performance as Shang Tsung was so effective, he returned to play the same character in the TV series Mortal Kombat: Legacy and Mortal Kombat X: Generations as well as the same character in the video games Mortal Kombat 11, Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath, and Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate.
In addition to Shang Tsung, the deceased also played the role of Heihachi Mishima in two live-action Tekken films, the video games World of Warcraft: Legion, Soldier Boyz and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu. In a career that began in 1986, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has been involved in 144 projects.
For those who are not so interested in video games, his fierce face when playing antagonist characters can also be seen in the films Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Emperor, Planet of the Apes, Memoirs of a Geisha, Pearl Harbor and 47 Ronin.
