Michael Nyqvist
Encyclopedia
Rolf Åke Michael Nyqvist (born November 8, 1960) is a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö
, he became well known from his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck
movies made in 1997. He is recently most recognized for his role in the internationally acclaimed Millennium series as Mikael Blomkvist
.
. As a baby, he was adopted from an orphanage and his biological father is Italian. At 17, he spent a year as an exchange student in the United States
in Omaha
, Nebraska
. He took his first acting classes there, as a senior in high school playing, amongst other things, a small part in the drama Death of a Salesman
by Arthur Miller
. When he returned to Sweden, he was accepted at Ballet School, but after one year gave it up. An ex-girlfriend suggested he try theatre instead and at 24 he was accepted to the Malmö Theatre Academy. After graduating, Nyqvist worked mainly in theatre but also landed smaller parts in several different film productions.
directed by Lukas Moodysson
. The movie was set in the 1970s and followed the antics of life in a suburban commune in Stockholm. The movie reached great international success and earned Nyqvist his first Guldbagge
Best Actor nomination for his role as a misguided husband with anger issues. He later played the leading man in the Swedish romantic comedy, The Guy in the Grave Next Door directed by Kjell Sundvall
. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Catherine Mazetti. The film explored the difficulties that arise between a farmer living in the country and a city girl librarian highlighting working class and upper-middle class differences. Nyqvist won a Guldbagge Best Actor award for his role as the farmer, Benny.
In 2004, he played the lead role as Daniel Daréus, a conductor and musician, in the Academy Award nominated Best Foreign Film As It Is in Heaven
, directed by Kay Pollak
. As It Is in Heaven
is one of the most watched Swedish films and the role highlighted Nyqvist's ability to display tenderness and vulnerability at the same time as rage and angst. In 2006, he starred in Suddenly directed by Johan Brisinger
. In Suddenly, Nyqvist plays Lasse – a man who must come to terms with the sudden loss of his wife and son. In 2007, Nyqvist portrayed Swedish ambassador Harald Edelstam
, in The Black Pimpernel
, a hero who saved several lives from execution in Chile during and after the military coupe in September 1973.
He has garnered recent international attention starring as Mikael Blomkvist
in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish title: Män som hatar kvinnor), The Girl Who Played With Fire
(Swedish title: Flickan som lekte med elden) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest
(Swedish title: Luftslottet som sprängdes) of Stieg Larsson
's Millennium Trilogy
. Although Nyqvist always was high on the list of potential actors to portray Blomkvist, it was his charisma that got him the role. Director of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
, Neils Arden Oplev found what he was looking for in Nyqvist – someone with the right looks, charm and likeability.
He starred in Abduction
, directed by John Singleton and an adaptation of Henning Mankell
's novel The Man from Beijing. He is also part of the permanent ensemble at the Royal Dramatic Theatre
. Nyqvist has signed on to star in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol directed by Brad Bird
.
He is married and has two children.
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, he became well known from his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck
Martin Beck
Martin Beck is a fictional Swedish police detective who is the main character in a series of ten novels by Sjöwall and Wahlöö, collectively titled The Story of a Crime...
movies made in 1997. He is recently most recognized for his role in the internationally acclaimed Millennium series as Mikael Blomkvist
Mikael Blomkvist
Mikael Blomkvist is a fictional character created by writer Stieg Larsson who appears as a main character in the Millennium series along with Lisbeth Salander.-Name:...
.
Early life
Nyqvist was born in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. As a baby, he was adopted from an orphanage and his biological father is Italian. At 17, he spent a year as an exchange student in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. He took his first acting classes there, as a senior in high school playing, amongst other things, a small part in the drama Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman...
by Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
. When he returned to Sweden, he was accepted at Ballet School, but after one year gave it up. An ex-girlfriend suggested he try theatre instead and at 24 he was accepted to the Malmö Theatre Academy. After graduating, Nyqvist worked mainly in theatre but also landed smaller parts in several different film productions.
Career
His first big breakthrough came in 2000 with the film TogetherTogether (2000 film)
Together is a 2000 comedy/drama film. It is Swedish director Lukas Moodysson's second full length film. Set in a Stockholm commune called "Tillsammans" in 1975, it is a satirical view at socialist values and a bittersweet comedy....
directed by Lukas Moodysson
Lukas Moodysson
- External links :*...
. The movie was set in the 1970s and followed the antics of life in a suburban commune in Stockholm. The movie reached great international success and earned Nyqvist his first Guldbagge
Guldbagge Award
The Guldbagge Award is an official Swedish film award awarded annually since 1964 by the Swedish Film Institute.-Etymology:Guldbagge is the Swedish name for Cetonia aurata, a beetle also known as rose chafer. The name of the award could also be interpreted as a play on the Swedish word skalbagge,...
Best Actor nomination for his role as a misguided husband with anger issues. He later played the leading man in the Swedish romantic comedy, The Guy in the Grave Next Door directed by Kjell Sundvall
Kjell Sundvall
Kjell Gösta Sundvall is a Swedish director/producer.Sundvall has directed a series of films about the police officer Martin Beck .-Selected filmography:*2011 - Jägarna 2...
. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Catherine Mazetti. The film explored the difficulties that arise between a farmer living in the country and a city girl librarian highlighting working class and upper-middle class differences. Nyqvist won a Guldbagge Best Actor award for his role as the farmer, Benny.
In 2004, he played the lead role as Daniel Daréus, a conductor and musician, in the Academy Award nominated Best Foreign Film As It Is in Heaven
As It Is in Heaven
As It Is in Heaven is a 2004 film directed by Kay Pollak and starring Michael Nyqvist and Frida Hallgren. It was a box office hit in Sweden and several other countries...
, directed by Kay Pollak
Kay Pollak
Kay Pollak is an Academy Award-nominated Swedish film director. After a long break from film-making, he returned in 2004 with As It Is in Heaven , a major box office success in Sweden. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film...
. As It Is in Heaven
As It Is in Heaven
As It Is in Heaven is a 2004 film directed by Kay Pollak and starring Michael Nyqvist and Frida Hallgren. It was a box office hit in Sweden and several other countries...
is one of the most watched Swedish films and the role highlighted Nyqvist's ability to display tenderness and vulnerability at the same time as rage and angst. In 2006, he starred in Suddenly directed by Johan Brisinger
Johan Brisinger
Johan Brisinger is a film writer and director. As a child, Brisinger spent a great time in England, picking up a fascination with moving pictures...
. In Suddenly, Nyqvist plays Lasse – a man who must come to terms with the sudden loss of his wife and son. In 2007, Nyqvist portrayed Swedish ambassador Harald Edelstam
Harald Edelstam
Gustav Harald Edelstam was a Swedish diplomat. During World War II he earned the nickname Svarta nejlikan for helping SOE agents and saboteurs escape from the Germans...
, in The Black Pimpernel
The Black Pimpernel
The Black Pimpernel is a Swedish drama film directed by Ulf Hultberg and starring Michael Nyqvist and Lisa Werlinder...
, a hero who saved several lives from execution in Chile during and after the military coupe in September 1973.
He has garnered recent international attention starring as Mikael Blomkvist
Mikael Blomkvist
Mikael Blomkvist is a fictional character created by writer Stieg Larsson who appears as a main character in the Millennium series along with Lisbeth Salander.-Name:...
in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish title: Män som hatar kvinnor), The Girl Who Played With Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire (film)
The Girl Who Played with Fire is a 2009 Swedish thriller film directed by Daniel Alfredson, and the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson, the second in his "Millennium series".The...
(Swedish title: Flickan som lekte med elden) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (film)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest is a 2009 Swedish thriller film directed by Daniel Alfredson. It is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson, the third and final entry in his "Millennium series". More were to follow, but because...
(Swedish title: Luftslottet som sprängdes) of Stieg Larsson
Stieg Larsson
Karl Stig-Erland Larsson , who wrote professionally as Stieg Larsson, was a Swedish journalist and writer, born in Skelleftehamn outside Skellefteå. He is best known for writing the "Millennium series" of crime novels, which were published posthumously...
's Millennium Trilogy
Millennium Trilogy
The Millennium series is a series of bestselling novels originally written in Swedish by the late Stieg Larsson. The primary characters in the series are Lisbeth Salander, an intelligent, eccentric woman in her twenties with a photographic memory and poor social skills, and Mikael Blomkvist, an...
. Although Nyqvist always was high on the list of potential actors to portray Blomkvist, it was his charisma that got him the role. Director of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an award-winning crime novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. It is the first book in the trilogy known as the "Millennium series"....
, Neils Arden Oplev found what he was looking for in Nyqvist – someone with the right looks, charm and likeability.
He starred in Abduction
Abduction (2011 film)
Abduction is an American action thriller film, directed by John Singleton, starring Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Sigourney Weaver, Maria Bello, Jason Isaacs, Michael Nyqvist, and Alfred Molina. The film is about a teenager who finds out that his parents are not really his when he sees his baby...
, directed by John Singleton and an adaptation of Henning Mankell
Henning Mankell
Henning Mankell is a Swedish crime writer, children's author, leftist activist and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most famous creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander.-Life and career:...
's novel The Man from Beijing. He is also part of the permanent ensemble at the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
. Nyqvist has signed on to star in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol directed by Brad Bird
Brad Bird
Phillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an Academy Award-winning American director, voice actor, animator and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille . He also adapted and directed the critically acclaimed 2D animated 1999 Warner Brothers...
.
Personal life
Nyqvist has described his childhood and quest to find his biological parents, subsequently in his adult life, in his autobiographical novel, Just after dreaming (Swedish title: När barnet lagt sig).He is married and has two children.
Awards
- Best Male Actor at the Guldbagge, the Swedish Oscar 2002
- Filmstar of the year 2002 and 2004 by Aftonbladet, a Swedish newspaper
- Best Male Actor 2003 by Nöjesguiden
- Price winner The Golden Sun, 2004
- Best Actor in the International Film Festival in Gijon 2003
- As It Is in Heaven was nominated as Best Foreign Film at the Academy AwardsAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in 2004 - Best Male Actor in the International Film Festival in Minsk 2006
- Won the Audience Price at the Gulbagge Gala 2006
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Kamraterna | The model | TV Movie |
| 1987 | Jim och piraterna Blom | ||
| 1990 | Pass | TV Movie | |
| 1996 | Sånt är livet | Kalle Andersson | |
| 1997 | Tic Tac Tic Tac (film) Tic Tac is a 1997 Swedish thriller film directed by Daniel Alfredson and written by Hans Renhäll, about various people involved in small crime during one day and night in Stockholm... |
Vinni | |
| 1997–1998 | Beck Beck (film) Beck, later called Beck – Lockpojken, is a 1997 film about the Swedish police detective Martin Beck directed by Pelle Seth.- Cast :*Peter Haber as Martin Beck*Mikael Persbrandt as Gunvald Larsson*Figge Norling as Benny Skacke... |
John Banck | Television cop film series – 7 episodes |
| 1998 | Nightwalk | Short film | |
| 1998 | Waiting for the tenor | The Director | |
| 1998 | Personkrets 3:1 | Karl-Erik | |
| 1999 | Breaking out Breaking Out Breaking Out is a blues album by Buddy Guy. It was released in 1988.-Track listing:# "Have You Ever Been Lonesome" - 6:22# "You Can Make It If You Try" - 4:39# "Break Out All over You " - 4:10# "She Winked Her Eye" - 4:55... |
Diego | |
| 1999 | En dag i taget | Henrik | TV Series |
| 2000 | 10:10 10:10 Drono Acharya composed the film's songs and Ritam Sen, Sandip Chakrabarty, Padmanabha Dasgupta, Rana Basu Thakur and Rangeet wrote the lyrics.-External links:* IMDB Title* * *... |
Magnus | Short film |
| 2000 | Together Together (2000 film) Together is a 2000 comedy/drama film. It is Swedish director Lukas Moodysson's second full length film. Set in a Stockholm commune called "Tillsammans" in 1975, it is a satirical view at socialist values and a bittersweet comedy.... |
Rolf | Best Supporting Actor Guldbagge nomination, Best Actor Award at the Gijón International Film Festival |
| 2001 | Home Sweet Home | Kent | |
| 2001 | Making Babies | ||
| 2002 | The Guy in the Grave Next Door | Benny | Best Actor Guldbagge Award |
| 2003 | Smala Sussie | Mörka Rösten | |
| 2003 | Detailjer | Erik | |
| 2004 | As It Is In Heaven As It Is in Heaven As It Is in Heaven is a 2004 film directed by Kay Pollak and starring Michael Nyqvist and Frida Hallgren. It was a box office hit in Sweden and several other countries... |
Daniel Daréus | Academy Award nominated for Best Foreign Film, Best Actor Guldbagge nomination |
| 2004 | Day and night | Jacob | Silver Hugo Award for Best Ensemble Acting at the Chicago International Film Festival |
| 2004 | ABBA: Our Last Video Ever | ||
| 2005 | Shadow world Shadow World Shadow World is a high-fantasy campaign setting situated on the fictional planet of Kulthea. Originally produced for the Rolemaster role-playing game system, the setting is owned by Iron Crown Enterprises . It is currently maintained by the primary author of the setting, Terry K... |
Short film | |
| 2005 | Naboer Naboer Naboer is a 2005 Norwegian psychological thriller film, directed by Pål Sletaune. In the movie, the protagonist John is drawn into a sexual, violent game by his two beautiful neighbours. Naboer received an over-18 rating in Norway, which had only happened to four Norwegian movies before... |
Åke | |
| 2005 | Mother of mine Mother of Mine "Mother of Mine" is a song written by Bill Parkinson and made famous by a Scottish former child singing star Neil Reid who sang it on ITV's Opportunity Knocks and won the competition on 13 December 1971, singing his version of the song... |
Hjalmar Jönsson | Best Supporting Actor Guldbagge nomination |
| 2005 | Bang Bang Orangutang Bang Bang Orangutang Bang Bang Orangutang is a 2005 Swedish film directed by Danish director Simon Staho starring Mikael Persbrandt, Tuva Novotny, Lena Olin, Fares Fares, Jonas Karlsson, Reine Brynolfsson and many other popular Swedish actors.... |
Sven Blomberg | |
| 2005 | Kurt Wallander Kurt Wallander Kurt Wallander is a fictional character created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. The protagonist of several mystery novels, set in and around the town of Ystad, 60 km south-east of the city of Malmö, in the southern province of Skåne... |
Lothar Kraftzcyk | TV series based on Henning Mankell Henning Mankell Henning Mankell is a Swedish crime writer, children's author, leftist activist and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most famous creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander.-Life and career:... 's crime novels – 1 episode |
| 2006 | Search | ||
| 2006 | Suddenly Suddenly (2006 film) Suddenly is a Swedish film from 2006, directed by Johan Brisinger. The film was shot on the island Härmanö in Orust Municipality.... |
Lasse | |
| 2007 | The Black Pimpernel The Black Pimpernel The Black Pimpernel is a Swedish drama film directed by Ulf Hultberg and starring Michael Nyqvist and Lisa Werlinder... |
Harald Edelstam Harald Edelstam Gustav Harald Edelstam was a Swedish diplomat. During World War II he earned the nickname Svarta nejlikan for helping SOE agents and saboteurs escape from the Germans... |
|
| 2007 | Arn: The Knight Templar | Magnus Folkesson | |
| 2008 | The Kautokeino Rebellion | Lars Levi Laestadius | |
| 2008 | Downloading Nancy Downloading Nancy Downloading Nancy is a 2008 drama film directed by Johan Renck, starring Maria Bello and Jason Patric. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize.-Plot:From the press release:... |
Stan | |
| 2008 | Iscariot | Masen | |
| 2009 | The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo | Mikael Blomkvist Mikael Blomkvist Mikael Blomkvist is a fictional character created by writer Stieg Larsson who appears as a main character in the Millennium series along with Lisbeth Salander.-Name:... |
|
| 2009 | The Girl Who Played with Fire The Girl Who Played with Fire (film) The Girl Who Played with Fire is a 2009 Swedish thriller film directed by Daniel Alfredson, and the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson, the second in his "Millennium series".The... |
Mikael Blomkvist Mikael Blomkvist Mikael Blomkvist is a fictional character created by writer Stieg Larsson who appears as a main character in the Millennium series along with Lisbeth Salander.-Name:... |
|
| 2009 | Bröllopsfotografen Bröllopsfotografen Bröllopsfotografen is a Swedish tragicomedy film from 2009. It was directed and written by Ulf Malmros.-Plot:The film is mostly set in Stockholm and in the small industrial town of Molkom in the Swedish province of Värmland, where Robin, an amateur photographer lives... |
Stage actor | |
| 2009 | The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (film) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest is a 2009 Swedish thriller film directed by Daniel Alfredson. It is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson, the third and final entry in his "Millennium series". More were to follow, but because... |
Mikael Blomkvist Mikael Blomkvist Mikael Blomkvist is a fictional character created by writer Stieg Larsson who appears as a main character in the Millennium series along with Lisbeth Salander.-Name:... |
|
| 2010 | The Woman That Dreamed About a Man The Woman That Dreamed About a Man The Woman That Dreamed About a Man aka The Woman Who Dreamed Of a Man is a 2010 mostly English language Danish-Polish-French erotic psychological drama film directed by Per Fly.- Plot :... |
Johan | |
| 2010 | Among Us | Ernst | |
| 2010 | Kennedys Hirn | Lars Hakansson | TV Movie |
| 2010 | The Chinese Man | Staffan | Film adaptation of Henning Mankell Henning Mankell Henning Mankell is a Swedish crime writer, children's author, leftist activist and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most famous creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander.-Life and career:... novel 'The Man From Beijing' |
| 2011 | Abduction Abduction (2011 film) Abduction is an American action thriller film, directed by John Singleton, starring Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Sigourney Weaver, Maria Bello, Jason Isaacs, Michael Nyqvist, and Alfred Molina. The film is about a teenager who finds out that his parents are not really his when he sees his baby... |
Nikola Kozlow | |
| 2011 | Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Kurt Hendricks |
External links
- Michael Nyqvist at the Royal Dramatic TheatreRoyal Dramatic TheatreThe Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
- www.larssontrilogy.com from Quercus, publishers of Stieg Larsson
- The official Millennium site of Nordstedt Publishing