Updated June 28, 2017 11:42:30

Photo: Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace starred in Swedish film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in 2009. (Yellow Bird Production Company)

Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, who starred in the original The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo films and often played villains in Hollywood movies like John Wick, has died.

Nyqvist's representative Jenny Tversky said he died from lung cancer, which he was diagnosed with last year. He was 56.

"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," Tversky said in a statement on behalf of the family.

Nyqvist was perhaps best known worldwide for originating the role of Mikael Blomkvist in the Swedish The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series opposite Noomi Rapace. Daniel Craig played the role in the American adaptation.

In Hollywood, Nyqvist played a broad range of memorable roles, including the mob boss who terrorises Keanu Reeves in John Wick and Tom Cruise's foe in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Photo: Nyqvist died from lung cancer, which he was diagnosed with last year. (Reuters: Henrik Montgomery)

"Michael's joy and passion were infectious to those who knew and loved him," read the family's statement.

"His charm and charisma were undeniable, and his love for the arts was felt by all who had the pleasure of working with him."

Nyqvist had a number of films on the slate that were yet to come out, including Terrence Malick's World War II drama Radegund and Thomas Vinterberg's Kursk, about the 2000 K-141 Kursk submarine disaster.

He is survived by his wife Catharina and their children Ellen and Arthur.

AP

Topics: actor, film-movies, arts-and-entertainment, sweden

First posted June 28, 2017 10:26:31