Tagawa, Cary-Hiroyuki 1950-

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TAGAWA, Cary-Hiroyuki 1950-

PERSONAL: Born September 27, 1950, in Tokyo, Japan; son of a member of the U.S. Army and a Japanese actress; married Sally Phillips; children: Calen, Brynne. Education: Attended the University of Southern California; exchange student in Japan.

ADDRESSES: Home—Kauai, HI. Agent—International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1934.

CAREER: Actor in films, including Big Trouble in Little China, 1986; (as Toshi) Armed Response (also known as Jade Jungle), CineTel, 1986; (as Chang) The Last Emperor, Columbia, 1987; (as Lieutenant Lee) Spellbinder, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists (MGM/UA), 1988; (as Oriental man) Twins, Universal, 1988; (as Imperial Marine) The Last Warrior (also known as Coastwatcher), ITC Films, 1989; (as Kwang) License to Kill (also known as License Revoked, MGM/UA, 1989; (as Yoshida) Showdown in Little Tokyo, Warner Bros., 1991; (as Kai) The Perfect Weapon, Paramount, 1991; (as Mr. Sangha) Kickboxer 2: The Road Back, Trimark Pictures, 1991; (as El Japo) American Me, Universal, 1991; (as Angie-Liv) Nemesis, Imperial Entertainment, 1993; (as Eddie Sakamura) Rising Sun, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1993; (as Major Somchai) Natural Causes, Columbia TriStar Home Video, 1994; (as Kon Seki) The Dangerous, Orion Home Video, 1994; (as Kanzaki) Picture Bride, Miramax, 1995; (as Shang Tsung) Mortal Kombat, New Line Cinema, 1995; (as Victor Chow) White Tiger, Keystone Pictures, 1995; (as Kabai Sengh) The Phantom, Paramount, 1996; (as Captain Jong) Provocateur (also known as Agent Provocateur), Via Appia Communications, 1996; (as Chang) Danger Zone, NuImage, 1996; (as Matsuyama) American Dragons (also known as Double Edge), Orion Home Video, 1997; (as Captain Hefter) Top of the World (also known as Cold Cash and Showdown), Warner Bros., 1997; (as David Deyo) Vampires (also known as John Carpenter's Vampires), Sony Pictures Entertainment, 1998; Double Edge, Orion, 1999; (as Zenhichi Miyamoto) Snow Falling on Cedars, Universal, 1999; (as Ruechang) Bridge of Dragons, 1999; (as Alex) Fixations, 1999; (as David Chan) The Art of War, Warner Bros., 2000; (as Chang) The Ghost (also known as Code of the Dragon), Regent Entertainment, 2000; (as Ross Kawaii) Camp Ninja, Brimstone Entertainment, 2000; (as Genda) Pearl Harbor, 2001; (as Krull) Planet of the Apes, 2001; and Speedball: The Movie, 2002.

Actor in made-for-television movies, including (as Mandarin Bailiff) Star Trek: The Next Generation: Encounter at Farpoint, 1987; (as Hugh Denny) L.A. Takedown (also known as L.A. Crimewave and Made in L.A.), National Broadcasting Company (NBC), 1989; Murder in Paradise, NBC, 1990; (as Thai Major) Vestige of Honor, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), 1990; Not of This World, CBS, 1991; (as Hashimoto) Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, CBS, 1991; (as Heroshi Osato) Raven: Return of the Black Dragons, 1992; (as Prakit) Day of Reckoning, NBC, 1994; (as Vinh Moc) Soldier Boyz, Home Box Office (HBO), 1996; (as Johnny Tsunami) Johnny Tsunami, Disney Channel, 1999; (as Leong Cheng) NetForce (miniseries; also known as Tom Clancy's Netforce), American Broadcasting Companies (ABC), 1999; (as Yang Roechang) Bride of Dragons, HBO, 1999; and (as Mason Sato) Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding, 2003. Actor in television series, including (as Osato) Raven, 1992; (as Zylyn) Space Rangers, 1993; and (as Lt. A. J. Shimamura) Nash Bridges, 1996. Frequent guest star on Space Rangers. Before becoming an actor, worked as a limo driver, farmer, photojournalist, and in food service. Mu Hawaii Conservatory, president.

WRITINGS:

(With Derek Kim and Tony T. L. Young) Camp Ninja (screenplay), Brimstone Entertainment, 2000.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A comic book.

SIDELIGHTS: Japanese-American actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa grew up on army bases in North Carolina, Louisiana, and Texas, and has appeared in numerous films since his 1986 screen debut. His first big break was playing a eunuch in the blockbuster epic history of China, The Last Emperor. Because of his ethnicity Tagawa is often type-cast as villains in martial arts-related films, but he also received a great deal of attention for his role as a Japanese businessman in Rising Sun, based on the novel by Michael Crichton. His other notable roles have included the warrior ape Krull in the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, Commander Minoru Genda in Pearl Harbor, and the villainous Shang Tsung in the film Mortal Kombat. Tagawa is also the author of one screenplay, Camp Ninja. He currently resides in Kauai, Hawaii with his wife and their two children. In addition to his theatrical works, Tagawa teaches acting classes and is developing his own style of martial arts, which involves focus, concentration, and balance rather than fighting. He has also designed his own clothing line, Mu, and is writing a futuristic comic book that examines the distinction between warriors and soldiers.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

International Motion Picture Almanac, 1996 edition, Quigley Publishing (New York, NY), 1996.

PERIODICALS

Entertainment Weekly, January 8, 1993, Ken Tucker, review of Space Rangers, p. 46; September 10, 1993, James Earl Hardy, review of Rising Sun, p. 51; September 8, 1995, Lisa Schwarzbaum, review of Mortal Kombat, p. 54; December 11, 1998, review of Double Edge, p. 88.

Honolulu Advertiser, November 7, 2002, Wayne Harada, "Media Watch," p. E5.

Jet, September 11, 2000, review of The Art of War, p. 14.

Newsweek, August 2, 1993, David Ansen, review of Rising Sun, p. 55.

Pacific Business News, September 7, 2001, Debbie Sokei, "Actor Redirects Energy to Balance Business," p. 22.

People, August 2, 1993, Ralph Novak, review of Rising Sun, p. 17; September 4, 1995, Ralph Novak, review of Mortal Kombat, p. 20.

Record (Bergen County, NJ), August 25, 2000, Kirk Honeycutt, review of The Art of War, p. 4.

Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO), June 7, 1996, Robert Denerstein, review of The Phantom, p. 6D.

Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland), December 7, 2000, review of The Art of War, p. 13.

Times Literary Supplement, August 24, 2001, Christopher Tayler, review of Planet of the Apes, p. 19.

Variety, January 4, 1993, Tom Bierbaum, review of Space Rangers, p. 50; March 25, 1996, John P. McCarthy, review of Nash Bridges, p. 30; June 10, 1996, Godfrey Cheshire, review of The Phantom, pp. 40-41; February 1, 1999, Laura Fries, review of Tom Clancy's Netforce, p. 29; August 21, 2000, Emanuel Levy, review of The Art of War, p. 15.

Video Review, February, 1992, George Mannes, review of Showdown in Little Tokyo, p. 78.