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Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the Japanese American actor whose highly effective glare and sleek menace made him a fixture of motion movies for greater than 4 a long time, has died at 75.
Tagawa, identified for his roles within the “Mortal Kombat” movies, “License to Kill” and “The Man within the Excessive Citadel,” died Thursday of issues from a stroke, a consultant confirmed to The Occasions. He died in Santa Barbara whereas surrounded by relations.
Tagawa was born in Japan and raised partly on U.S. army bases earlier than coming to Los Angeles, the place he taught his personal type of martial arts known as Chu Shin. He was found by Bernardo Bertolucci and solid in “The Final Emperor,” which was launched in 1987.
His function within the Oscar-winning epic rapidly propelled him to fame, and he went on to star in additional than 30 movies, lots of which showcased his fight abilities.
Tagawa turned one in all Hollywood’s most dependable character actors, sometimes solid because the elegant and crafty villain.
“I had the privilege of representing Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa for a few years as his very long time supervisor, however our relationship grew into one thing far deeper — he turned like household,” mentioned supervisor Margie Weiner in an announcement. “Cary was a uncommon soul: beneficiant, considerate, and endlessly dedicated to his craft. His loss is immeasurable. My coronary heart is together with his household, associates, and all who cherished him.”
His most defining function got here within the 1995 movie “Mortal Kombat,” wherein he performed the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung — a efficiency that turned a cult traditional made particularly memorable by his enduring line, “Your soul is mine.” He reprised the character within the 2013 tv collection “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” and voiced Tsung within the online game Mortal Kombat 11, introducing his work to a brand new technology of followers.
He later stared as commerce minister Nobusuke Tagomi in Amazon’s “The Man within the Excessive Citadel,” a efficiency that earned him a few of the strongest important discover of his profession. He was a lead character for 3 seasons of the present, which got here out in 2015.
Away from the display screen, Tagawa was generally known as a heat, charismatic mentor who inspired youthful actors and martial artists.
“Cary was an important expertise and a beautiful man,” mentioned his publicist, Penny Vizcarra, chief govt of PV Public Relations. “Our total group cherished working with him and appreciated how he handled everybody with love and respect.”
Tagawa is survived by his youngsters, Calen, Byrnne and Cana, and his grandchildren, River and Thea Clayton.
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