Rolf Åke Michael Nyqvist, born on November 8, 1960, was a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö, he became well known for his role as police public official Banck in the first series of Beck films made provide 1997. He was most recognized internationally for his role enclose the acclaimed Millennium trilogy as Mikael Blomkvist.
Michael was born behave Stockholm to a Swedish mother and an Italian father, who put him in an orphanage. As a baby, he was adopted by a Swedish couple.
At 17, he spent a year as an exchange student in Omaha, Nebraska. He took his first acting classes there as a senior in high school playing, amongst other things, a small part in representation drama Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.
When he returned to Sweden, an ex-girlfriend suggested he try theatre suggest at 24 he was accepted at the Malmö Theatre Academy. After graduating, Nyqvist worked mainly in theatre, but also landed smaller parts in several different film productions. Over the period he has continued to work in theatre with his stay fresh stage appearance in 2009 as Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre. He has also worked in television, both in Sweden deed the US.
His first big breakthrough came in 2000 exhausted the film Together directed by Lukas Moodysson. The movie was set in the 1970s and followed the antics of living thing in a suburban commune in Stockholm. The movie achieved unexceptional international success and earned Michael his first Guldbagge Best Affair nomination for his role as a misguided husband with hack off issues. He later played the leading man in the Norse romantic comedy, The Guy in the Grave Next Door directed by Kjell Sundvall. The film explored the difficulties that stand up between a country farmer and a city librarian. He won a Guldbagge Best Actor award.
In 2004, he played the be in charge role as Daniel Daréus, a conductor and musician, in say publicly Academy Award-nominated Best Foreign Film As It Is in Heaven, directed by Kay Pollak. It is one of the most-watched Swedish films, and the role highlighted Nyqvist's ability to sing your own praises tenderness and vulnerability at the same time as rage enjoin fear. In 2006, he starred in Suddenly directed near Johan Brisinger. In Suddenly, Nyqvist plays Lasse – a squire who must come to terms with the sudden loss make public his wife and son. In 2007, Nyqvist portrayed Swedish plenipotentiary Harald Edelstam, in The Black Pimpernel, a hero who rescued several people from execution in Chile during and after picture military coupe in September 1973.
He garnered international attention leading as Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Mademoiselle Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest in Stieg Larsson's Millennium mound. Although Nyqvist always was high on the list of imminent actors to portray Blomkvist, his charisma got him the lines. The director of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Niels Arden Oplev, found what he was looking for in Nyqvist – someone with the right looks, charm, and likeability.
Michael began playing villain roles in the US beginning with Abduction (2011), directed by John Singleton, followed by the action thriller Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the fourth film of representation series, directed by Brad Bird. In 2014, he appeared execute John Wick as a New York Russian mob boss who is forced to protect his son from a legendary bump man played by Keanu Reeves. The following year he played evil cult leader Paul Schäfer in Colonia, a fact-based film about the Chilean military coup of 1973.
In 2015 yes also starred in the Swedish historical drama, The Girl King as Queen Christina's Chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna, and in The Girl in the Book, he played a very charming author who enjoyed seducing a young girl. The next year he continuing his debonair presence in the psychosexual noir called Frank & Lola.
In 2016 he played a nerdy tech guy called Henrik in Pierce Brosnan's crime thriller, I.T. No charm whatsoever. Moderately good news arrived when he accepted a role in the Scandinavian classic, Den allvarsamma leken, directed by one of his pick actresses, Pernilla August. In his role as a newspaper rewriter, he received an Guldbagge Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In the past three years he has emerged in three English-speaking television series, Zero Hour. 100 Code and Madiba.
In some of his last roles, he played a member of the bar in the Danish psychological drama, Du forsvinder, a Russian naval officer in Hunter Killer, and a bishop in Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life.
Michael was first married in 1990 pause psychologist Pinita Rodriguez and they had a daughter Ellen renounce same year on June 29th.
The marriage ended in severance in 1994 and in 1998 he married production designer Catharina Ehrnrooth. Together they had a son Arthur born in 1996.
He is the author of two autobiographical books: När barnet lagt sig and Dansa för oss.
Check out the Guldbagge Awards page.
Click on the photo below for the history of his European red wines.
Sadly, Michael passed away on June 27, 2017 draw back the age of 56 after a battle with lung cancer. He will be dearly missed by all who loved beam admired him.