Japanese American actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, celebrated worldwide for his chilling portrayal of Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat, has died at the age of 75. According to the Los Angeles Times, Tagawa passed away on Thursday in Santa Barbara due to complications from a stroke, surrounded by family.Tagawa’s film and television career spanned more than four decades, cementing him as one of Hollywood’s most recognisable on-screen villains. His breakthrough came when acclaimed Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci cast him in the Oscar-winning epic The Last Emperor (1987), a role the L.A. Times describes as the launchpad for a career that would see him appear in more than 30 films.South African fans will remember Tagawa not only for Mortal Kombat—a franchise with a massive following locally—but also for his role as Nobusuke Tagomi in Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle, a series that gained strong viewership in South Africa during the rise of streaming platforms in the mid-2010s. Locally, Tagawa built a loyal fan base through action film festivals, Comic Con events, and his continued involvement in martial arts culture, which has deep roots in communities across Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town.The L.A. Times reports that his long-time manager, Margie Weiner, remembered him as “a rare soul” who treated colleagues with generosity and respect. His publicist, Penny Vizcarra, added that Tagawa was admired not just for his performances but also for his mentorship of young actors and martial artists.Tagawa is survived by his children — Calen, Byrnne and Cana — and his grandchildren. His legacy continues through the generations of action fans he inspired globally, including in South Africa, where his iconic line “Your soul is mine” remains a pop-culture staple.
