Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Dies at 75

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the actor known for portraying the villainous sorcerer Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat franchise and for his role in the Oscar-winning film The Last Emperor, died on Thursday in Santa Barbara, California. He was 75 and passed away from complications of a stroke, according to his family.

Tagawa was surrounded by loved ones, including his three children, at the time of his death. He is survived by his children, Calen, Brynne and Cana, as well as two grandchildren, River and Thea Clayton.

Born in Tokyo to a Japanese American father who served in the military and an actress mother, Tagawa moved to the United States as a child, eventually settling in the Los Angeles area. He attended the University of Southern California and developed his own martial arts style, called Chu Shin, which he taught for years. His acting career began in the mid-1980s, with an uncredited appearance as a swordsman in John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China.

Tagawa's breakthrough came in 1987 with Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, where he played Chang, the emperor's driver. The historical drama won nine Academy Awards, including best picture. Reflecting on the experience in...