Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the Tokyo-born actor celebrated for his memorable roles in Mortal Kombat and the television series The Man in the High Castle, has passed away at the age of 75. Tagawa died from complications related to a stroke, surrounded by family, his manager, Margie Weiner, confirmed on Thursday.
“Cary was a rare soul: generous, thoughtful, and endlessly committed to his craft,” Weiner expressed in an email. “His loss is immeasurable. My heart is with his family, friends, and all who loved him.”
Tagawa’s acting career gained momentum in 1987 when he featured in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Oscar-winning film The Last Emperor. Over the decades, he went on to appear in a variety of notable films, including Pearl Harbor, Planet of the Apes, and License to Kill.
Raised primarily in the southern United States, Tagawa spent time in Honolulu and Kauai while his father, a Hawaii-born Army man, was assigned to various bases on the mainland. His father met his mother while stationed in Japan, and the couple named Cary after the iconic actor Cary Grant, while his brother received the name of Gregory Peck.
His mother, Ayako, was a stage actor in Japan, and although she encouraged his artistic pursuits, she also advised him against pursuing acting due to the limited opportunities available for Asian actors at the time, a sentiment Tagawa later reflected upon in a 2004 interview with Honolulu Magazine.
Tagawa’s legacy will live on through his extensive body of work and the impact he made in the entertainment industry, particularly in advocating for representation of Asian actors in Hollywood.
