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SANTA BARBARA, California \u2014 Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, an actor who starred in the \u201cMortal Kombat\u201d films and video games as well as several hit TV shows, died Thursday at age 75 from complications from a stroke.<\/p>\n
Deadline reports<\/a> that Tagawa\u2019s death was confirmed by family members.<\/p>\n \u201cI had the privilege of representing Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa for many years as his long time manager, but our relationship grew into something far deeper \u2014 he became like family,\u201d Tagawa\u2019s manager, Margie Weiner, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter<\/a>. \u201cCary was a rare soul: generous, thoughtful, and endlessly committed to his craft. His loss is immeasurable. My heart is with his family, friends, and all who loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n He appeared in multiple major films, including \u201cPearl Harbor,\u201d \u201cPlanet of the Apes,\u201d \u201cLicense to Kill,\u201d \u201c47 Ronin,\u201d \u201cElektra\u201d and \u201cMemoirs of a Geisha.\u201d He also starred in TV hits such as \u201cNash Bridges\u201d and \u201cThe Man in the High Castle.\u201d<\/p>\n According to his biography on IMDb.com<\/a>, Tagawa was born in Tokyo on Sept. 27, 1950. His father was a member of the U.S. Army and Tagawa lived in several locations, mainly in the U.S., while growing up.<\/p>\n celebrity.land reports Tagawa became an actor at age 36 after working several jobs, including celery farmer, limo driver, pizza supply truck driver and photojournalist.<\/p>\n His first major role was in the film \u201cThe Last Emperor\u201d in 1987. He likely was best-known for portraying Shang Tsung, the villain in the \u201cMortal Kombat\u201d video games and movies.<\/p>\n \u201cThe good news for Asian actors and Hollywood is that it\u2019s better than it\u2019s ever been, but the bad news is that it hasn\u2019t changed that much,\u201d he told Midweek in 2005, according to celebrity.land. \u201cThe opportunities haven\u2019t increased that much, but commercially there\u2019s more exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n