One of his most memorable roles was as the villainous Baron Scarpia in Puccini's "Tosca." Wixell joined the Deutsche Oper in 1963 and also made guest performances in Vienna, Milano, London, New York and other cities. In 1965 he was Sweden's entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest in Naples, Italy, where he placed 10th.

As late as 2003, he performed in Richard Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos" in Malmo. The Deutsche Oper dedicated a performance Friday of Verdi's "Messa da Requiem" to Wixell.