Los Angeles: Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, who starred in the original The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo films alongside Noomi Rapace, has died from lung cancer. He was 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 representative said in a statement on Tuesday.
![Michael Nyqvist, star of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, has died.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170628181154im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/0/0/h/i/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx00ad.png/1498651500461.jpg)
"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."
Though best known for his role in the Swedish The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, based on Stieg Larsson's books, Nyqvist also broke into American film.
![Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander and Michael Nyqvist as Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170628181154im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/0/0/h/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx00ad.png/1498651500461.jpg)
He played the villain alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and starred as Viggo Tarasov in John Wick with Keanu Reeves.
Nyqvist first garnered international attention as Mikael Blomkvist in Millennium, a six-part Swedish television series.
The films The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest followed.
ReutersÂ
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