Hiroyuki Tagawa, the legendary Shang Tsung of Mortal Kombat, passed away.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, a familiar face to global audiences through the Mortal Kombat series as well as the film about the loyal dog Hachiko, has passed away due to complications following a stroke.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is a rather special actor in Hollywood, always being called upon whenever studios need an Asian villain - Photo: RollingStone

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, best known for his role as Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat series, was born in Tokyo to an actress mother and a Japanese-American father who served in the military.

He moved to the United States as a child, attended high school near Los Angeles, and then attended USC, where he fell in love with acting.

Along with his film career, he also created and taught his own martial art style called Chu Shin.

From Mortal Kombat to Tekken, the journey of Hollywood's most unique villain

Tagawa's career spanned decades, beginning with his debut role in director Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor .

His breakthrough came when he played the villain Kwang in James Bond: Licence to Kill . Since then, Tagawa has become one of the prominent Asian faces in Hollywood playing cold, deep villain roles.

Although he often plays villains, one of the most memorable roles in his career is the kind professor Ken Fujiyoshi in the American version of Hachi, about the loyal dog Hachiko - Photo: MUBI

On television, he has appeared in many famous series such as Miami Vice, Knots Landing, Moonlighting, Baywatch and had a recurring role in Nash Bridges .

He is best known to mainstream audiences for his work on the Mortal Kombat series. Tagawa appeared in the 1995 film, reprised his role in the 2013 Mortal Kombat: Legacy series, and later voiced the title character in Mortal Kombat 11 .

The image of Shang Tsung and the line "Your soul is mine!" became an unforgettable mark in popular culture.

In addition to Mortal Kombat , Tagawa has also starred in many major films such as Rising Sun, Snow Falling on Cedars, Pearl Harbor, Planet of the Apes , and Memoirs of a Geisha .

The role that the general public remembers the longest is still the evil wizard Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat series.

On the small screen, he played Commerce Minister Nobusuke Tagomi in Amazon's The Man in the High Castle , as well as Hiroki Watanabe in Netflix's Lost in Space .

Despite often playing villainous roles, Tagawa told the Honolulu Advertiser in 2007 that he had no regrets.

"I would never have played a good guy if I hadn't played a bad guy," he said. "I'm proud that I'm not just limited to the Hollywood 'Asian villain' stereotype."

Margie Weiner, Tagawa's longtime manager, expressed her great loss: "Cary was a rare soul - generous, thoughtful and dedicated to his profession. Our relationship went beyond work, he was like family. His loss is immeasurable."

To Cuong

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hiroyuki-tagawa-shang-tsung-huyen-thoai-cua-mortal-kombat-qua-doi-20251205190831194.htm