Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, actor who performed in 'Mortal Kombat,' has died at 75

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Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, actor who performed in 'Mortal Kombat,' has died at 75

2025-12-05 13:00 Last Updated At：13:10

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, a Tokyo-born actor known for his roles in the film “Mortal Kombat” and TV series "The Man in the High Castle" has died. He was 75.

Tagawa died surrounded by his family in Santa Barbara from complications due to a stroke, his manager, Margie Weiner, confirmed on Thursday.

“Cary was a rare soul: generous, thoughtful, and endlessly committed to his craft,” she said in an email. “His loss is immeasurable. My heart is with his family, friends, and all who loved him.”

Tagawa's decades of film and TV roles truly got off the ground in 1987 when he appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Oscar-winning film “The Last Emperor." Since then, he appeared in such films as “Pearl Harbor,” “Planet of the Apes” and “License to Kill."

Tagawa was raised mostly in the U.S. South while his Hawaii-born father was assigned to U.S. mainland Army bases. He lived in Honolulu and on the Hawaiian island of Kauai for a while.

Tagawa’s father met his mother while stationed in Japan, Tagawa told Honolulu Magazine in 2004. His parents named him after Cary Grant and his brother after Gregory Peck, he said.

His mother, Ayako, had been a stage actor in Japan, according to the Honolulu weekly newspaper Midweek. Tagawa said she asked him not to pursue acting because there weren’t many good roles for Asians.

He eventually began an acting career at age 36 after being a celery farmer, limo driver, pizza supply truck driver and photojournalist, he said.

“The good news for Asian actors and Hollywood is that it’s better than it’s ever been, but the bad news is that it hasn’t changed that much,” he told Midweek in 2005. “The opportunities haven’t increased that much, but commercially there’s more exposure.”

Tagawa played the Baron in “Memoirs of a Geisha,” a 2005 movie based on the bestselling novel chronicling a young girl’s rise from poverty in a Japanese fishing village to life in high society.

Some critics said the movie lacked authenticity, but Tagawa said it was unrealistic to expect a fictional work written and directed by Americans to fully reflect Japanese style and sensitivities.

“What did they expect? It wasn’t a documentary,″ Tagawa told The Associated Press in 2006. “Unless the Japanese did the movie, it’s all interpretation.″

Tagawa told the AP that he studied various martial acts but left because he wasn’t into fighting or competition.

Instead, he developed a system he called Ninjah Sportz, which incorporated martial arts as a training and healing tool. He worked with professional athletes like World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Brian Viloria and advised members of the University of Hawaii football team.

In 2008, Tagawa pleaded guilty in a Honolulu court to a petty misdemeanor charge of harassing a girlfriend. She had bruises to her legs, police said at the time.

His attorney said he took full responsibility for the case from the beginning and made no excuses.

Jahmyr Gibbs rushes for 3 TDs and Lions get much-needed 44-30 win over Cowboys

DETROIT (AP) — Jahmyr Gibbs ran three touchdowns, the last a 13-yarder with 2:19 left that sealed the Detroit Lions' much-needed 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.

The Lions (8-5) avoided losing consecutive games for the first time in more than three years and maintained their position as the NFC’s top wild-card playoff team a month remaining in the regular season.

The Cowboys (6-6-1) had surged into postseason contention with a three-game winning streak. But against the Lions, the NFL’s top-ranked offense had to lean on powerful kicker Brandon Aubrey too much and Dallas' revitalized defense was humbled.

Jared Goff went 25 of 34 for 309 yards with a 12-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa that put Detroit ahead 27-9.

Dallas pulled within three points twice in the fourth quarter, including with 3:42 left when Aubrey matched a career high with his fifth field goal.

Tom Kennedy returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield and Goff threw a 37-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown to set up Gibbs' third score.

Gibbs had seven catches for 77 yards and 43 yards rushing on 12 carries. Williams had seven catches for the second straight game and finished with 96 yards. St. Brown, who had been listed as questionable with an ankle injury, left no doubt of his value with six catches for 92 yards and a lot of key blocks for teammates.

Detroit's Al-Quadin Muhammad had a career-high three sacks and Jack Campbell had a sack and forced a fumble for a team that hadn't been generating much pressure on quarterbacks.

Dak Prescott wished that trend continued.

Prescott was sacked five times and pressured many more times as he was 31 of 47 for 376 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He lost his top target in the third quarter when CeeDee Lamb suffered a concussion after he had six catches for 121 yards.

The 30-year-old Aubrey converted from 63, 57 and 55 yards to become the first NFL kicker to make three field goals from 55-plus yards in a game, according to Sportradar.

Cowboys: Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, CB Trevon Diggs and LT Tyler Guyton were inactive.

Lions: S Brian Branch suffered an ankle injury late in the game. S Thomas Harper, filling in for injured All-Pro Kerby, left the game in the first quarter with a concussion. TE Brock Wright was put on injured reserve earlier in the day and WR/PR Kalif Raymond and S Kerby Joseph were inactive.

Cowboys: Host Minnesota in prime time on Dec. 14.

Lions: Visit Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 14.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl