Michael Nyqvist's most famous film roles
From playing alcoholic loners to the arch villain in "Mission Impossible," Michael Nyqvist has enjoyed a diverse career beyond his turn as Mikael Blomkvist in the "Dragon Tattoo" series. Here's a pick of his best.
International breakthrough with 'Millennium'
In 2009, Mikael Nyqvist starred in original film versions of the first three Millennium novels by Swedish author Stieg Larsson - and soon after became a Hollywood superstar. Here he is playing investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," the first film in the series - a role that was reprised by Daniel Craig in a 2011 remake.
Winning plaudits for 'Together'
In this award-winning comedy-drama, Nyqvist plays Rolf, an alcoholic but apologetic and soon-to-be lonely husband who sees his wife and children move to a suburban commune that is rapidly falling apart. In a review from 2001, "The Guardian" called out the then little-known actor for his "terrific performance."
An Oscar-nominated film: 'As It Is in Heaven'
In this breakout role, Nyqvist plays the famous international conductor Daniel Daréus, who retires early after suffering a heart attack and returns to his village in northern Sweden - and slowly overcomes his dark past through the power of music. The film garnered a Best Foreign Language Film nomination in 2005.
Based on Henning Mankell: 'Kennedy's Brain'
In this 2010 thriller, Nyqvist plays Lars Hakansson, a Swedish Embassy official in Mozambique who helps the mother of a Swedish freelance investigative journalist find out why her son died in strange circumstances in South Africa. Both are soon caught in a web of intrigue related to AIDS and the global pharmaceutical industry.
The evil villain in 'Mission: Impossible'
In 2011's "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," Nyqvist played the lead villain opposite Tom Cruise's good guy, Ethan Hunt. The versatile actor trained in mixed martial arts for the role and enjoyed working with Cruise. "We found out we have in a way the same trigger," he told "The Wall Street Journal." "When we push the button, him and me, it's only a second and we're up to 100."
'Colonia' with Emma Watson and Daniel Brühl
In the romantic thriller "Colonia," Nyqvist is pure evil as he plays infamous German sect leader and former Nazi, Paul Schäfer, whose Colonia Dignidad commune in Chile was infamous for its human rights abuses. Here he joins co-stars Emma Watson and Daniel Brühl at the film's Berlinale premiere in 2016.
'A Serious Game,' a tale of love and adultery
Nyqvist plays the editor of a local newspaper in this turn-of-the-century romantic drama based on the classic 1912 Swedish novel by Hjalmar Söderberg. He is joined here by other cast members Karin Franz Koerlof, Sverrir Guonason and Liv Mjoenes at the film's premiere at the 2016 Berlinale.