Mortal Kombat and James Bond star Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa dies aged 75

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who appeared in the Mortal Kombat film franchise, as well as Pearl Harbour and James Bond movie Licence to Kill, has passed away aged 75.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has died aged 75.

The Mortal Kombat actor, who portrayed evil sorcerer Shang Tsung in the film franchise, passed away in Santa Barbara, California, on Thursday (04.12.25).

Tagawa’s publicist Penny Vizcarra confirmed to PEOPLE that he died due to complications from a stroke.

His family said in a statement: “Cary 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.”

Tagawa also featured in James Bond movie Licence to Kill and 2001’s Pearl Harbour.

But the actor was best known for his portrayal of Shang Tsung, who he first played in 1995 film Mortal Kombat.

He reprised the role in 1997 movie Mortal Kombat Annihilation and even took on the part in the 2013 TV series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, as well as one episode of 2015’s Mortal Kombat X: Generations.

The 1995 Mortal Kombat movie earned more than $120 million at box office, from a $20 million budget, and Tagawa believes the film dropped at the “perfect” time when the video game was at peak popularity.

He previously said: “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 late star also praised the film’s director Paul W.S. Anderson for matching “really upbeat, driving metal music” with the motion picture.

Tagawa added: “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.”

The actor was born in Tokyo, but his father, who worked for the US Army, moved their family to Fort Bragg, North Carolina when the star was just five years old, and he later lived in Louisiana and Texas.

Tagawa started acting at California’s Duarte High School after his family had relocated to the Golden State.

But he found it “pretty tough” being Japanese and living in the US in the 1950s.

In 2010, he told Deadline: “Being Japanese and living in the south during the ’50s was pretty tough.”