Dragon Tattoo actor Michael Nyqvist dies aged 56

Actor Michael Nyqvist, who starred in the film 
adaptation of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon 
Tattoo, has died aged 56, his family has announced.

Nyqvist played journalist Mikael Blomkvist in that film 
and its sequels, which formed the Millennium trilogy.

The Swedish actor died on Tuesday after a year-long 
battle with lung cancer, according to a family statement.

Nyqvist's love of the arts was "felt by all who had the 
pleasure of working with him", the family added.

"Michael's joy and passion were infectious to those who 
knew and loved him," his family said. "His charm and 
charisma were undeniable."

They said Nyqvist had left a "huge void behind him", 
local media report .

His death was announced "with deep sadness" by a 
family representative who said that "one of Sweden's 
most respected and accomplished actors" had "passed 
away quietly surrounded by family".

The popular Swedish actor and writer began his training 
at the Malmö Theatre Academy in Sweden.

He was best known for his role in Dragon Tattoo
 (2009), starring as the investigative reporter who teams 
up with feisty computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, played 
by Noomi Rapace.

In a subsequent US version of the film, his role was 
performed by James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

Nyqvist later appeared in a number of Hollywood blockbusters.

He played the villain alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and starred as Viggo 
Tarasov in John Wick with Keanu Reeves.

He went on to star in the 2015 film Colonia, opposite 
Daniel Brühl and Emma Watson.

Nyqvist also wrote an acclaimed memoir, 
Just After Dreaming, published in 2010, about his earliest childhood memories following adoption and how he later traced his biological parents.

Nyqvist is survived by his wife, Catharina Ehrnrooth, 
and their children, Ellen and Arthur.

Larsson himself died in 2004, a year before the first 
of his Millennium trilogy crime novels was published.