June 28 (Reuters): Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, best known for a leading role in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Swedish film series, died in Sweden yesterday after a year-long battle with lung cancer, his representative said. He was 56.
Nyqvist "passed away quietly surrounded by family" in Stockholm, his spokeswoman Alissa Goodman said in an emailed statement that called him "one of Sweden's most respected and accomplished actors". "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," the statement said.
Nyqvist rose to prominence as the complex investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist in film adaptations of Swedish author Stieg Larsson's gritty Millennium novel series that spawned the Dragon Tattoo franchise.