Mortal Kombat Star Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Dies at 75

Mortal Kombat Star Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Dies at 75 shang-tsung-mortal-kombat-1995-closeup

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Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who is known for his roles in Mortal Kombat and Memoirs of a Geisha, has passed away at 75.

Deadline confirmed that the actor died from complications following a stroke on Thursday (December 4, 2025). He was surrounded by his family when he passed.

To general audiences, Tagawa was most widely recognized as Shang Tsung, the dark sorcerer he portrayed across numerous Mortal Kombat projects in film, television, and video games. He first took on the role in New Line’s 1995 movie and returned two years later for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

The actor later revisited the character with appearances in the 2013 series Mortal Kombat: Legacy and a 2015 episode of Mortal Kombat X: Generations. He went on to voice Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 11 (2019) and contributed his likeness to the role-playing game Mortal Kombat: Onslaught in 2023.

The first Mortal Kombat movie became a major hit, earning over $100 million on a $20 million budget. Following the film's success, Tagawa explained how timing worked in the project's favor. He noted that, at the time, the video games were already well-established and gaining more traction, which likely helped the film thrive.

It was the perfect timing in that Mortal Kombat as a video game, at the time we did the film, was on number four or five and that the impact of the film certainly had to do with the build of the video games.

The actor also praised the director, Paul W.S. Anderson, for his influence on the film's visual style and music. According to Tagawa, the soundtrack perfectly matched the action on screen.

He was the first one in martial arts history to apply such music — really upbeat, driving metal music. You couldn’t sit still when you heard the music. And it matched the action so well.

Tagawa also appeared in another video game adaptation, taking on the villainous role of Heihachi Mishima in Tekken. Unfortunately, unlike Mortal Kombat, that 1991 release failed to achieve strong box office results, especially in comparison to the iconic gaming franchise.

Tagawa’s breakthrough role was in Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 Academy Award-winning epic The Last Emperor. He portrayed Chang, the emperor’s chauffeur. While his character was relatively minor, he still played an important role in the film.

Headshot Of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Birthdate September 27, 1950 Birthplace Tokyo, Japan Notable Projects Hachi: A Dog's Tale, Kubo and the Two Strings Height 5 feet 11 inches Professions Actor, Voice Actor, Producer, Martial Artist

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