'Dragon Tattoo' star Michael Nyqvist dies aged 56
June 28, 2017
"On behalf of Michael Nyqvist's representatives and family, it is with deep sadness that I can confirm that our beloved Michael, one of Sweden's most respected and accomplished actors, has passed away quietly surrounded by family after a year long battle with lung cancer," his spokeswoman Alissa Goodman said in a statement to AFP.
"Michael's joy and passion were infectious to those who knew and loved him. His charm and charisma were undeniable, and his love for the arts was felt by all who had the pleasure of working with him."
Nyqvist, who had been acting in his native Sweden since the early 1980s, won global fame and critical acclaim for his role as the complex investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist in film adaptations of Swedish author Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" novel series.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and its two sequels, all released in 2009, made more than $215 million at box offices worldwide.
More recently, Nyqvist played menacing villains in Hollywood action films "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol," and "John Wick."
In 2010, Nyqvist published "Just After Dreaming," an acclaimed memoir detailing his earliest childhood memories after his adoption, experiences at theater school, and tracking down his biological parents at age 30.
In Sweden, Nyqvist was also a well known theater actor.
He is survived by his wife Catharina, and their children Ellen and Arthur.
sb/eg (Reuters, dpa, AFP)