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IMDbPro

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa(1950-2025)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0001910
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa at an event for The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2017)
Deep in the ice of the antarctic, a team of geologists uncover an old nazi laboratory still intact where dark experiments had occured. In order to conquer the world, the Nazis created modified sharks who were able to fly and whose riders are genetically mutated, undead super-humans. A miltary task force called "Dead Flesh Four" - reanimated US soldiers who fell in Vietnam - is put together to prevent world downfall.
Play trailer1:24
Sky Sharks (2020)
44 Videos
99+ Photos
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa got his first big break as an actor when he was cast in Bernardo Bertolucci's Le dernier empereur (1987). A US Army brat, he was born in Tokyo and lived in various cities while growing up. His father was in the army, stationed at Ft. Bragg (NC), Ft. Polk (LA) and Ft. Hood (TX). His mother was an actress from Tokyo. The family finally settled in Southern California, where Tagawa began acting in high school. He was an exchange student in Japan while studying at the University of Southern California. He has recently been involved off-screen in addressing student groups (at SFSU and Stanford). He has also been coaching the martial artist portraying Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat Live Tour, and in his free time developing his new form of martial arts, called "Chun Shin."
BornSeptember 27, 1950
DiedDecember 4, 2025(75)
BornSeptember 27, 1950
DiedDecember 4, 2025(75)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0001910
  • Awards
    • 1 win total

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.
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Production art
Photos

Photos126

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+ 120
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Known for

Grande Movie Poster, 47 x 63
Mortal Kombat
5.8
  • Shang Tsung
  • 1995
La planète des singes (2001)
La planète des singes
5.7
  • Krull
  • 2001
Gary Daniels, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Candice Hillebrand, Kelly Overton, Marian Zapico, Jon Foo, Lateef Crowder, Roger Huerta, and Anton Kasabov in Tekken (2010)
Tekken
4.8
  • Heihachi Mishima
  • 2010
Carey Lowell, Talisa Soto, Timothy Dalton, and Robert Davi in Permis de tuer (1989)
Permis de tuer
6.7
  • Kwang
  • 1989

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor



  • Blue Eye Samurai (2023)
    Blue Eye Samurai
    8.7
    TV Series
    • The Swordmaker (voice)
    • 2023
  • Junction (2023)
    Junction
    5.7
    • Author
    • 2023
  • NCIS : Los Angeles (2009)
    NCIS : Los Angeles
    6.8
    TV Series
    • Craig Tanaka
    • 2021
  • Star Wars: Visions (2021)
    Star Wars: Visions
    7.0
    TV Series
    • Valco (voice: English version)
    • 2021
  • Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate (2020)
    Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate
    8.3
    Video Game
    • Shang Tsung (voice)
    • 2020
  • Sky Sharks (2020)
    Sky Sharks
    3.6
    • Michael Morel
    • 2020
  • Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath (2020)
    Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath
    7.5
    Video Game
    • Shang Tsung (voice)
    • 2020
  • Tony Anselmo, David Tennant, Bobby Moynihan, Kate Micucci, Danny Pudi, and Ben Schwartz in La Bande à Picsou (2017)
    La Bande à Picsou
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Akita (voice)
    • 2020
  • My Love Is Aisulu (2020)
    My Love Is Aisulu
    6.4
    • 2020
  • Girl Games (2019)
    Girl Games
    8.0
    • Iwata
    • 2019
  • Scorned (2019)
    Scorned
    4.6
    TV Movie
    • Wong
    • 2019
  • Steve Blum, Ed Boon, Matthew Yang King, Sunil Malhotra, Ron Yuan, and Dimitri 'Vegas' Thivaios in Mortal Kombat 11 (2019)
    Mortal Kombat 11
    7.9
    Video Game
    • Shang Tsung (voice, as Cary Tagawa)
    • 2019
  • Dorien Wilson, Colby Christina, Tray Chaney, Albert Daniels, and Danielle-Shani in Looking in the Mirror (2019)
    Looking in the Mirror
    4.8
    • Henry
    • 2019
  • Le Maître du Haut Château (2015)
    Le Maître du Haut Château
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Nobusuke Tagomi
    • 2015–2018
  • Brian Steele and Maxwell Jenkins in Perdus dans l'espace (2018)
    Perdus dans l'espace
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Hiroki Watanabe
    • 2018

Producer



  • Duel of Legends (2013)
    Duel of Legends
    6.3
    • producer
    • 2013
  • The Legend of Chang Apana (2009)
    The Legend of Chang Apana
    8.5
    Short
    • producer
    • 2009

Additional Crew



  • Robin Hood of the Bayous (2010)
    Robin Hood of the Bayous
    9.0
    Short
    • acting coach: pre-production
    • 2010
  • Mortal Kombat: The Live Tour (1996)
    Mortal Kombat: The Live Tour
    6.6
    Video
    • coach: Shang Tsung
    • 1996

  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos44

Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Clip 0:33
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Clip 0:45
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Clip 0:45
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Clip 0:24
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Clip 1:07
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Clip 0:47
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board
Clip 0:56
Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Facebook
  • Alternative names
    • Cary-Hiroyuki
  • Height
    • 1.80 m
  • Born
    • September 27, 1950
    • Higashi-Azabu, Minato, Tokyo, Japan
  • Died
    • December 4, 2025
    • Santa Barbara, California, USA(complications from a stroke)
  • Spouse
    • Sally Phillips 1984 - December 4, 2025 (his death, 3 children)
  • Children
      Calen Tagawa
  • Other works
    Music video for "California" by Russian rapper Basta - Beach walker / Gangster
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Began his martial arts training with Kendo when he was in Junior High School. At the age of 21, Tagawa began training traditional Japanese Karate at the University of Southern California. A year later he moved to Japan and began studying with the J.K.A. under Master Nakayama. Despite being an outstanding fighter, he didn't agree with the violent and competitive nature, and continued developing his own style, focusing less on the physical part and more on breathing, energy, philosophy and science.
  • Quotes
    Hollywood is my day job.

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • How old is Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa?
    74 years old
  • When was Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa born?
    September 27, 1950
  • Where was Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa born?
    Tokyo, Japan
  • How tall is Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa?
    5 feet 11 inches, or 1.80 meters
  • What is Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa known for?
    Licence to Kill, Mortal Kombat, Planet of the Apes, and Tekken

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