Actor Michael Nyqvist
Actor Michael Nyqvist poses during a photo call for the Sky Series Night '100 Code' on March 15, 2015 in Munich, Germany.Joerg Koch/Getty Images

Actor Michael Nyqvist, who played the role an investigative journalist in The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo, passed away on Tuesday, his family announced. Nyqvist died after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 56.

The Swedish actor worked in several films, including John Wick and Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol. However, he is more popular for starring as journalist Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo and its sequels. He is also known for his work in European cinema and theatre.

Also Read: Celebrities mourn demise of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Michael Nyqvist

Here are 7 lesser-known facts about the actor. 

Michael Nyqvist
Actor Michael Nyqvist poses during a photo call for the Sky Series Night '100 Code' on March 15, 2015, in Munich, Germany.Joerg Koch/Getty Images

Michael Nyqvist was suffering from lung cancer

Nyqvist died of lung cancer, his family confirmed.

"On behalf of Michael Nyqvist's representatives and family, 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 after a year-long battle with lung cancer," the actor's representative said in a statement.

His acting career

He is said to have decided to take up acting as a career when he was travelling to Omaha, Nebraska, during his one-year exchange student program. He was just 17 at that time.

Michael Nyqvist
Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist clicked on February 20, 2009, in the Slussen district of Stockholm, where the intrigue of the film based on the book trilogy 'Millenium' took place.ANDERS WIKLUND/AFP/Getty Images

Michael Nyqvist's first international fame

The actor shot to fame globally after his stint as Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo, based on Stieg Larsson's books. He went on to work with Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise and Emma Watson in movies like John Wick, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Colonia, respectively.

Michael Nyqvist was an author

He published his memoir, Just After Dreaming, in 2010. The book, which received rave reviews, is a compilation of his childhood memories and his experience of working in theatre school at a young age.

Michael Nyqvist
Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist attends 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' photocall held at the Palais Des Festivals at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2009.LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images

Michael Nyqvist was adopted

He was in an orphanage as a baby. The actor was only a few years old when his parents revealed to him that he was adopted. He spent almost 30 years to get in touch with his biological parents. When he met his mother, she refused to give details about his father, who was from Italy. Later, after research, he found out about his father.

"Yes, it was very hard to find them. My father's Italian. I have a brother and sister now. The whole family's so big; it's been a happy journey for me," he told HuffPost in an interview.

Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist
Swedish actor Michael NyqvistHENRIK MONTGOMERY/AFP/Getty Images

Michael Nyqvist's parents

Nyqvist adoptive father was a lawyer, while the mother was a writer. His biological father was a pharmacist named Marcello, in Florence, Italy.

Michael Nyqvist witnessed near death experience

The actor met with a nasty accident during the shooting of the film, John Wick. He was hit in the head and required eight (some reports say, 80) stitches.