By Saleah Blancaflor
Japanese actor and producer known for his roles in films like the Mortal Kombat franchise, The Last Emperor, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Man in the High Castle, died on Dec. 4 in Santa Barbara, Ca. He was 75.
Tagawa passed away from complications related to a stroke earlier that morning and was surrounded by his family who confirmed the news to Deadline.
Tagawa’s breakout role where he portrayed the character of Chang in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Academy Award-winning film The Last Emperor in 1987. Though Chang was a minor character, he was a pivotal one.
Most notably, Tagawa is known for his role as Shang Tsung, the evil sorcerer in the film, TV, and video game adaptations of Mortal Kombat. He starred in the role for New Line’s 1995 adaptation as well as the sequel in 1997. He later reprised the role with appearances in the Mortal Kombat: Legacy series as well as one episode of Mortal Kombat X: Generations in 2015. He also voiced the character in the Mortal Kombat 11 video game, while his likeness was used in 2023’s Mortal Kombat: Onslaught.
Tagawa has also had roles in movies like License to Kill, Rising Sun, Snow Falling on Cedars, Pearl Harbor, Planet of the Apes, Elektra, Memoirs of a Geisha and 47 Ronin. His last major role was in 2015 where he starred as one of the lead characters in Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle as Nobusuke Tagomi.
