Biography:
Source: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800087314/bio
Charismatic, muscular, handsome, and often exuding a dangerous sexuality, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa specializes in playing the evilest of vile villains, most of whom despite their exceptional martial arts skills, are skilled in spectacular manners. Tagawa's willingness to accept villainous roles such as that of the wicked sorcerer Shang Tsung in Mortal Combat (1995) has drawn criticism from certain Asian American groups, who fear that he is perpetuating negative stereotypes, but Tagawa offers an interesting perspective, citing the fact that the #92;action film is the most popular genre worldwide. When Tagawa plays a bad guy, he plays it to the hilt, trying to imbue his villains with depth to demonstrate that in order to be so successful at being bad, they must possess a certain amount of positive qualities, including discipline, intelligence, and commitment. In his personal life, Tagawa is the antithesis of the characters he plays. He is known for his unusual courtesy, non-violent demeanor, his wisdom, and for his unflagging devotion to helping young people. A deeply spiritual man, Tagawa has developed a unique philosophical approach to martial arts, Chun Shin, which primarily centers on developing the inner state and spirituality of the practitioner rather than on the physical movements of fighting. The purpose of the exercises of Chun Shin is to release the energy centers within, creating a harmony between mind and body. Tagawa was born in Tokyo, Japan, the son of a Japanese American father and a Tokyo actress. His father, a native of Hawaii, worked for the U.S. military and when Tagawa was five, his family moved to Texas. This was during the 1950s, when racism was rampant throughout the South. For Tagawa, the change from a supportive environment to a hostile one was a great shock. As a young adult, Tagawa briefly attended the University of Southern California where he studied martial arts. The following year, he returned to Japan to further his studies at a prestigious school under the tutelage of master Nakayama, one of the most highly regarded fighters in Japan. But for Tagawa, there was a spiritual component missing from training -- that, and perhaps the feeling that he was not accepted into Japanese society, led him to return to the U.S. Although he had been interested in acting for many years, Tagawa did not become an actor until he was 36 years old. He made his feature film debut in The Last Emperor (1984) and went on to work steadily in feature films and on television. Many of his film appearances have been in the direct-to-video category. Still, Tagawa has managed to develop a devoted following and has at least one web site devoted to him on the Internet. As mentioned, Tagawa specializes in villains, but occasionally he plays different roles as he did in the much-honored independent #92;drama Picture Bride (1994) in which he plays a sugar cane farmer who orders a Japanese mail-order bride 25 years younger than himself. The latter 1990s also found Tagawa's Hollywood work coming more frequently and in larger profile releases. After small roles in such films as Vampires (1998) and Snow Falling on Cedars (1999), Tagawa could be seen in such eagerly anticipated large-scale productions as Pearl Harbor and Planet of the Apes (both 2001). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Also Credited As: Ben Smith, Cari Hiroyuki Tagawa, Cary H. Tagawa, Cary Tagawa
Born: September 27, 1950 in Tokyo, Japan
Job Titles: Actor, Martial artist
Family
Brother: Greg Tagawa.
Child: Calen Tagawa.
Daughter: Brynne Tagawa.
Significant Others
Wife: Sally Tagawa.
Education
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Milestones
1955 Moved with family from Japan to Fort Bragg, North Carolina
1986 Began acting career with role in Armed Response
1987 Breakthrough screen part as Chang in the Oscar-winning The Last Emperor
1989 Had featured role in the James Bond film Licence to Kill
1991 Appeared in Showdown in Little Tokyo
1992 Had supporting role in Rising Sun
1995 Made cameo appearance in Mortal Kombat
1995 Portrayed a farmer who orders a mail-order spouse in Picture Bride
1996 Acted in The Phantom
1998 Was one of the undead slayers in John Carpenter s Vampires
1999 Co-starred in Snow Falling on Cedars
2000 Supported Wesley Snipes in The Art of War
2001 Potrayed Japanese commander Minoru Genda in Pearl Harbor
2001 Was featured as one of the simians in Planet of the Apes , helmed by Tim Burton
After college, moved to Japan to live, but eventually returned to the USA
With family, moved frequently, living in Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Hood, Texas, and eventually in Southern California
Filmography:
Actor Credits
Tekken - Heihachi Mishima
Balls of Fury (2007) Mysterious Asian Man
Elektra (2005) Roshi
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) The Baron
Pearl Harbor (2001) Genda
Planet of the Apes (2001) Krull
The Art of War (2000) David Chan
The Ghost (2000)
Bridge of Dragons (1999)
Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) Zenhichi Miyamoto
American Dragons (1998) Mitsuyama
John Carpenter s Vampires (1998) David Deyo
Vampires (1998)
Double Edge (1997)
Provocateur (1997)
Danger Zone (1996)
White Tiger (1996)
The Phantom (1996) Kabai Sengh
Mortal Kombat (1995) Shang Tsung
Picture Bride (1995) Kanzaki
Soldier Boyz (1995)
The Dangerous (1995)
Natural Causes (1994) Somchai
Nemesis (1993) Angie Liv
Rising Sun (1993) Eddie Sakamura
American Me (1992) El Japo
Kickboxer 2 (1991) Mr Sangha
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) Yoshida
Licence to Kill (1989) Kwang
The Last Warrior (1989) Lieutenant Homma
Spellbinder (1988) Lieutenant Lee
Twins (1988) Oriental Man
The Last Emperor (1987) Chang
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Fixations Alex
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