Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
| Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa | |
|---|---|
 Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa |
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| Born | September 27, 1950 Tokyo, Japan |
| Other names | Cary Tagawa |
| Occupation | actor, producer, martial artist |
| Years active | 1986 - present |
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (田川 洋行 Tagawa Hiroyuki, born September 27, 1950) is a Japanese-American[1][2] actor and martial artist.
In addition to his extensive film work, he has appeared on television in Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Encounter at Farpoint" (1987), Thunder in Paradise (1995), Nash Bridges (1996), Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003), and Heroes (2007). He also provided the voice of Sin Tzu for the video game Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu. He played the part of Earth Alliance security officer Morishi in Babylon 5 - "Convictions". He played a soul-stealing sorcerer Shang Tsung in a film adaptation of the video game Mortal Kombat, and more recently the evil mastermind Heihachi Mishima in the Tekken movie.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
He was born in Tokyo, Japan, the son of a Japanese actress and a Japanese-American father who served in the United States Army who was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Polk, Louisiana and Fort Hood, Texas. He is able to speak both English and Japanese.[3][4][5] He was raised in various cities. He and his family finally settled in Southern California where he began acting in high school while attending Duarte High School in Southern California. He attended the University of Southern California, and was an exchange student in Japan.
[edit] Career
His breakthrough as an actor came when he was cast as the Eunuch Chang in The Last Emperor (1987). In 1989 he posed as an undercover agent of the Hong Kong Narcotics Board in the James Bond film Licence to Kill. In 1991 he starred alongside Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee in the action film Showdown in Little Tokyo, where he played the role of Yakuza boss Yoshida. He also starred alongside James Hong and Jeff Speakman in the same year in the film The Perfect Weapon, where he played Kai, an assistant to the Korean mafia families.
He is mostly remembered from the movie Mortal Kombat (1995) as the shapeshifting sorcerer Shang Tsung, and as the deadly pirate leader Kabai Singh in The Phantom (1996). Tagawa is among the actors, producers and directors interviewed in the documentary The Slanted Screen (2006), directed by Jeff Adachi, about the representation of Asian and Asian-American men in Hollywood.
Most recently, Tagawa was selected for the role of Heihachi Mishima in Tekken, the film adaptation of the popular video game franchise. He was also featured as the voice of Brushogun in Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo and he was in Johnny Tsunami (1999) and the sequel Johnny Kapahala back on board (2007) where he played a fun and loving grandfather.
[edit] Filmography
- The Last Emperor (1987)
- Spellbinder (1988 film), as Lieutenant Lee
- Twins (1988)
- Bulletproof (1988)
- Licence to Kill (1989)
- The Last Warrior (1989)[6]
- Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
- Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991)
- The Perfect Weapon (1991)
- American Me (1992)
- Nemesis (1993)
- Renegade (1993)
- Rising Sun (1993)
- Space Rangers (1993)
- Picture Bride (1994)
- Mortal Kombat (1995)
- Soldier Boyz (1995)
- The Phantom (1996)
- Sabrina The Teenage Witch (television series, 1996)
- Top of the World (1997)
- Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997, uncredited flashback cameo)
- Stargate SG1: Episode Emancipation (1997)
- Danger Zone (1997)
- Vampires (1998)
- Bridge of Dragons (1999)
- Johnny Tsunami (1999)
- Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)
- The Art of War (2000)
- Pearl Harbor (2001)
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
- Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
- Hawaii (television series, 2004)
- The Sand Island Drive Inn Anthem (2005)
- Faith of My Fathers (2005)
- Elektra (2005)
- Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
- The Slanted Screen (documentary, 2006)
- Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2006)
- Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007)
- Balls of Fury (2007)
- Ghost Voyage (2008)
- Slaughter (2009)
- Tekken (2009)
- Hachiko: A Dog's Story (2010)
- Hype Nation (2010/2011)
- Hawaii Five-0 (2010, one episode)
- Miami Vice: (television series 1987/1989)
- Nash Bridges: (television series 1995 - 1997)
- Natural Causes: (film 1993)
[edit] Bibliography
- Paul, Louis (2008). "Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa". Tales From the Cult Film Trenches; Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror, Science Fiction and Exploitation Cinema. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. pp. 254–261. ISBN 978-0-7864-2994-3.
[edit] References
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (20 November 2005). "Memoirs of a Geisha". Variety. http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_review/VE1117928913.html?nav=reviews&categoryid=1986&cs=1. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
- ^ "'Slanted Screen' Rues The Absence Of Asians". The Washington Times. 25 May 2007. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/24/AR2007052402573.html. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
- ^ Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Biography (1950-)
- ^ Honolulu Star-Bulletin Features
- ^ Honolulu Star-Bulletin Sports
- ^ http://www.carytagawaonline.com/films/details.php?id=39
