Swedish Crime Crossovers
Since there are quite few TV actors in Sweden, many of them have appeared in more than one of the many crime TV-series that have made Sweden famous internationally. This is a short list of actors who have impressed in more than one of these series.
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- Jens Hultén was born on 6 December 1963 in Stockholm. He is an actor, known for Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015), Skyfall (2012) and Alpha (2018).Usually cast as the main villain. Plays Seth Rydell in the Johan Falk series, has appeared as two different main villains in Wallander movies. In addition to this, he has appeared in Höök, Irene Huss and Kommissarie Winter.
- Born Rolf Åke Mikael Nyqvist in Stockholm, Sweden, it wasn't until he was over a year old when he was finally adopted from the orphanage he had been given to. His father was a lawyer and his mother a writer. It wasn't until he had his first child that he decided to seek out his biological parents. After a long journey, he met his biological mother who is Swedish and is now close to his biological father who is Italian and a pharmacist.
Acting wasn't always originally on the agenda for Nyqvist. A career in hockey was desired until an injury lead to an early retirement. At the age of 17, Nyqvist went to Omaha, Nebraska in America as an exchange student for a year. This is where his passion for acting first sparked. He took his first acting classes and played in addition to other roles, a part in a school version of the drama Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.
However, upon returning to Sweden he got accepted into Ballet school but after one year gave it up insisting he was too "stiff" and twirls and twists were not for him. An ex-girlfriend suggested to try theatre instead and at 19 years old, he was accepted into the Swedish Academic School of Drama in Malmö. He then went onto work mainly in theatre but also had several parts in film productions.
He became well known for his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck (1997) films made in 1997. His big breakthrough in European cinema came three years later, as he starred as Rolf, an alcoholic and abusive husband, in a film by Lukas Moodysson called Together (2000). This role landed him his first Guldbagge nomination (Best Supporting Actor) and won him the Best Actor award at the Gijón International Film Festival.
The accolades, awards and nominations flowed on from there. In 2002, Nyqvist played the leading man in the Swedish romantic comedy-drama, Grabben i graven bredvid (2002) directed by Kjell Sundvall and based on the novel of the same name written by Katarina Mazetti. He won a Best Actor Guldbagge award for his performance. The following year, Nyqvist starred as the leading role in As It Is in Heaven (2004) which was Academy Award nominated for Best Foreign Film and his performance as an internationally renowned, struggling conductor earned Nyqvist his second nomination for a Best Actor Guldbagge award. In 2006, he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Guldbagge award for his role in the film Mother of Mine (2005).
Over the next few years he went on to star in several other films and plays as part of the Royal Dramatic Theatre. A notable role that Nyqvist portrayed was that of Swedish ambassador Harald Edelstam in the film The Black Pimpernel (2007). Edelstam was a hero that saved several lives from execution in Chile during and after the military coupe in September 1973.
In 2008, it was announced that Nyqvist was chosen to star as Mikael Blomkvist of the literary phenomenon, the Millennium Trilogy written by Stieg Larsson. It was long speculated by Scandinavian tabloids that fellow Swedish actor, Mikael Persbrandt could be chosen for the role of Blomkvist until Niels Arden Oplev claimed that 'he would not have been right for the role.' Oplev needed 'a humanist with his heart in the right place, a Swedish teddy bear whom women would feel safe in his arms...a man who respects women, regardless of what type they are.' Nyqvist's capabilities as an actor and his public persona scored him the role.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) and its sequels, The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2009) were released in 2009 throughout Europe and in the following year, throughout the rest of the world. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has garnered international critical acclaim. Oplev, Noomi Rapace (who starred as Lisbeth Salander, female protagonist of the trilogy) and Nyqvist all gained international recognition. Nyqvist said that his role as Blomkvist 'put me on the map internationally.' As a result he starred in two major Hollywood action movies as the leading villain: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) as Hendricks, and John Wick (2014) as Tarasov. He made other movies in English, and continued to work in Swedish language projects.
He appeared in two films based on novels by well-known Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell, Kennedy's Brain (2010) and The Man from Beijing (2011). There was speculation and talk from Mankell that Nyqvist would be his first choice to play Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, who was assassinated in 1986, but that project never materialized. Instead, one of his final appearances was as a man who was the diametric opposite of Palme: he played Hendrik Verwoed, the architect of apartheid in South Africa, in Madiba (2017).
Michael Nyqvist was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he passed away of the disease in Stockholm in June 2017, aged 56.
He was married to set designer, Catharina Ehrnrooth and had two children Ellen (born in 1991) and Arthur (born in 1996).Played series regular John Banck in the first season of Beck-movies. Subsequently cast as the main villain in Wallander - Mastermind, arguably the best Wallander movie yet. - A multilingual stage and screen actrice and cult figure in auteur work, Ruth Vega Fernandez has been living and working in France and Sweden since graduating from the French National School of Drama (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre). After working several years in the Theatre Company of the National Theatre (TNP) in France, she made her screen debut in the Swedish award winning series Upp Till Kamp (Golden FIPA award for outstanding cast and Prix Italia for best TV Drama), playing one of the leading parts.
Since then she's been dividing her time between screen and stage playing lead parts, working and collaborating with some of Europe's most prominent experimental theatre directors such as tg STAN, Tiago Rodrigues and Gisèle Vienne with whom she's touring "L'Etang", a duo with actrice Adèle Haenel in 2021-2022. On screen she has collaborated with auteur directors such as Lucie Borleteu in "Cannabis" and Swedish director Mikael Marcimain on several occasions. She was nominated for a "Guldbagge" award for her portrayal of Maud in "Gentlemen", and received critical acclaim for her interpretations in "Upp Till Kamp" and "Callgirl".
Her international break came with the award winning LGBTQ drama "Kyss Mig".
Ruth Vega Fernandez is a Spanish actress who grew up between Spain and Sweden, lived in the States during her teens and later moved to France. She has played Spanish, Swedish and French speaking parts and currently lives in Paris.Plays series regular Marie Lindell in the Johan Falk-movies, also found time to star in Wallander - Arvet. - Ingvar Hirdwall was born on 5 December 1934 in Stockholm, Sweden. He was an actor, known for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), Daybreak (2003) and Children's Island (1980). He was married to Marika Lindström. He died on 6 April 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden.Plays Martin Beck's neighbour in almost all of the Beck movies, as well as fisherman Lundberg in Wallander - Den orolige mannen.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Jakob Eklund was born on 21 February 1962. He is an actor, known for Noll tolerans (1999), Executive Protection (2001) and Run for Your Life (1997). He has been married to Marie Richardson since 12 August 2008. They have two children.As well as playing policeman Johan Falk in his own series, he also delivered a colorful performance as Frank Borg in Wallander - Jokern.- Angela Kovacs was born on 23 May 1964 in Vaksala, Uppland, Sweden. She is an actress, known for Class Trip (2015), Wallander (2005) and Irene Huss (2007). She is married to Jan Modin. They have two children.Played Ann-Britt in the early Wallander movies, but moved on to playing main character Irene Huss in her own TV series.
- Leif Andrée was born on 29 January 1958 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. He is an actor, known for Daybreak (2003), Lasermannen (2005) and Äkta människor (2012). He was previously married to Sophia Artin.Known from Beck - Mannen utan ansikte, Wallander - Jokern, and recently he played Spiken in the Annika Bengtzon-series.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Stina Ekblad was born on 26 February 1954 in Solf, Finland. She is an actress, known for Fanny and Alexander (1982), The Serpent's Way (1986) and Amorosa (1986).Played the main villain in Beck - mannen utan ansikte, went on to play series regular Karin in the Wallander movies.- Göran Axel Ragnerstam grew up in Stockholm. His father had a particular interest in the theatre and used to perform for his children. It was also he who later came to encourage Göran to become an actor. In high school Göran enjoyed theatre and staged the rock opera "Tommy". He begun his acting training at Kulturama and was later a student at the Malmö Theatre Academy 1981-1984. He was engaged at the Gothenburg City Theatre and starred in "Richard III", "Tartuffe" and "The Count of Monte Christo". Furthermore he has been performing at Stockholm City Theatre, Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm and other companies. In recent years, he has worked extensively with playwright Lars Norén. Göran Ragnerstam has, up till now, appeared in 69 feature films and television productions. He enjoys portraying strange and odd characters. Like the figure Bertil in "Sjätte dagen" and "Personkrets 3:1", Lasse in "Kopps", Robert" in "Suxxess" and Göran Wass in "Jordskott". In 2002 he was awarded a Guldbagge for Best Supporting Actor in the film "Suxxess".Played Aronsson in Beck - Öga för öga, and then bad guy lawyer Lundkvist in Wallander - Jokern.
- Actor
- Music Department
Shanti Roney was born on 24 November 1970 in Stockholm, Sweden. He is an actor, known for Vägen ut (1999), Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013) and Stockholm (2018).Played in Wallander - Tjuven, and the main villain in Beck - Hämndens pris.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ing-Marie Carlsson was born on 25 February 1957 in Jönköping, Jönköpings län, Sweden. She is an actress, known for My Life as a Dog (1985), Reine & Mimmi i fjällen! (1997) and Tre kronor (1994).Played the unfortunate Britta Holm in Wallander - Hemligheten, and then series regular Bodil Lettermark in the later Beck movies.- Anders Ahlbom Rosendahl was born on 18 May 1947 in Malmö, Skåne län, Sweden. He is an actor, known for The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009), The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2009) and Wallander (2005).Usually typecast as a villain, played bad guy Roffe in Wallander - Hemligheten, and also starred in Beck - Okänd avsändare and in one of the recent Annika Bengtzon movies.
- Per Morberg was born on 23 June 1960 in Stockholm, Sweden. He is an actor, known for Kodenavn Hunter (2007), Beck (1997) and Enemy's Enemy (1990). He has been married to Inese Bergs Morberg since 1988. They have five children.Played Beck's first boss in the early Beck movies, and then two different characters in the Wallander series.
- Actress
- Production Designer
Anna Ulrika Ericsson was born on 30 December 1966 in Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden. She is an actress and production designer, known for Beck (1997), Rederiet (1992) and Kommissionen (2005).Played series regular Jäder in the early Beck movies, and then minister of defence in Wallander - Hämnden.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Gustaf Hammarsten was born on 2 September 1967 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. He is an actor, known for Brüno (2009), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and Together (2000).Played in Beck - Okänd avsändare, and recently the main villain in Wallander - Försvunnen.- Annika Hallin was born on 16 February 1968. She is an actress, known for The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2009). She was previously married to Lars Norén.Has starred in Beck - Okänd avsändare, Wallander - Arvet, and the Annika Bengtzon-movie Den röda vargen.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Lia Boysen was born on 6 April 1966 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. She is an actress, known for Sök (2006), The Last King (2016) and Livet i Fagervik (2008).Starred in the Johan Falk-movie Livvakterna and then played Bodil Jensen in Wallander - Dödsängeln.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Martin Aliaga was born on 30 April 1971 in Kungsängen, Stockholms län, Sweden. Martin is an actor and writer, known for Beck (1997), Festival (2001) and Johan Falk: Leo Gaut (2009).One of few actors to star in Beck (Hämndens pris), Johan Falk (Leo Gaut) and Wallander (Läckan).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Livia Millhagen was born on 23 May 1973 in Stockholm, Sweden. She is an actress, known for Miffo (2003), Höstminnen (2012) and Bus to Italy (2005).Played Malin Tavast in Beck - Annonsmannen and then Åsa Nordström in Wallander - Prästen.- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Nour El-Refai was born on 14 November 1987 in Lebanon. She is an actress and writer, known for Frostbitten (2006), Skitsamma (2021) and Jordskott (2015).Another of the select group of actors who played in Beck (Det tysta skriket), Wallander (Dödsängeln) and Johan Falk (Spelets regler).