Michael Nyqvist, ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ Actor, Dead at 56

Lawrence Yee
Movies
Movies

Michael Nyqvist, who played Mikael Blomkvist in the original Swedish adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and subsequent films, died on Tuesday at age 56.

“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 rep said in a statement. “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 was best known for his role opposite Noomi Rapace in the Swedish film and TV franchise based off of Stieg Larsson Millennium Trilogy: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

His character Mikael Blomkvist is a central figure in the series, a magazine publisher who is investigated by hacker Lisbeth Salandar (played by Rapace) and later helps her.

In the American adaptation of Dragon Tattoo Blomkvist was played by Daniel Craig and Salandar by Rooney Mara.

Nyqvist acted in over a dozen films in his native Sweden but broke into Hollywood in action roles opposite Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Keanu Reeves in John Wick.

He is survived by a wife and two children.

Lawrence Yee
Lawrence is Editor in Chief of FANDOM. He grew up loving X-Men, Transformers, and Japanese-style role playing games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. First-person shooters make him incredibly nauseous.