John Qualen profile
Actor profile

John Qualen

6th December 1899 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Acting

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Qualen (born Johan Mandt Kvalen, December 8, 1899 – September 12, 1987) was a Canadian-American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles. Qualen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, the son of immigrants from Norway; his father was a Lutheran minister and changed the family's original surname, "Kvalen", to "Qualen" – though some sources give Oleson, later Oleson Kvalen as Qualen's earlier surnames. His father's ministering meant many moves and John was 20 when he graduated from Elgin High School in 1920. Though he was awarded a scholarship to Northwestern University after he won an oratory contest he never attended college. In a Milwaukee Journal interview he said he needed to start working and did so with the Chattaqua Circuit. Eventually reaching Broadway, he gained his big break as the Swedish janitor in Elmer Rice's Street Scene. His movie career began when he recreated the role in the film version. This was followed by his appearance in John Ford's Arrowsmith (1931) which began a more than thirty year membership in the director's "stock company", with important supporting roles in The Searchers (1956), Two Rode Together (1961), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). Appearing in well over one hundred films, and acting extensively on television into the 1970s, Qualen performed many of his roles with various accents, usually Scandinavian, often intended for comic effect. Three of his more memorable roles showcase his versatility. Qualen assumed a Midwestern dialect as Muley, who recounts the destruction of his farm by the bank in Ford's The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and as the confused killer Earl Williams in Howard Hawks' classic comedy His Girl Friday (also 1940). As Berger, the jewelry-selling Norwegian resistance member in Michael Curtiz' Casablanca (1942), he essayed a light Scandinavian accent, but put on a thicker Mediterranean accent as the homeward-bound fisherman Locota in William Wellman's The High and the Mighty (1954) Qualen was treasurer of The Authors Club and historian of The Masquers, Hollywood's social group for actors. John Qualen was blind in his later years. He died of heart failure in 1987 in Torrance, California, and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale. He was survived by his three daughters.

136 Movies 53 TV Shows 190 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Doc poster
Doc 28th July 1969 as Luke
P.J. poster
P.J. 27th March 1968 as Poppa
Donovan's Reef poster
Donovan's Reef 12th June 1963 as Deckhand Who Cries 'Man Overboard' (uncredited)
Passion poster
Passion 6th October 1954 as Gaspar Melo
I, the Jury poster
I, the Jury 14th August 1953 as Dr. R.H. Vickers, Veterinarian
The Jackpot poster
The Jackpot 1st November 1950 as Mr. Ferguson (uncredited)
New Wine poster
New Wine 10th September 1941 as Hasslinger's Clerk
Reunion poster
Reunion 20th November 1936 as Asa Wyatt
Whipsaw poster
Whipsaw 18th December 1935 as Will Dabson
Arrowsmith poster
Arrowsmith 7th December 1931 as Henry Novak (uncredited)
Street Scene poster
Street Scene 5th September 1931 as Karl Olsen (as John M. Qualen)
Shane poster
Shane 10th September 1966 as Old Man
Burke's Law poster
Burke's Law 20th September 1963 as Richard Prince (uncredited)
Hazel poster
Hazel 28th September 1961 as Mr. Johansson
Thriller poster
Thriller 13th September 1960 as Streetcar Conductor
Tate poster
Tate 8th June 1960 as Sam
Lawman poster
Lawman 5th October 1958 as Doc Shea
Lawman poster
Lawman 5th October 1958 as Doc Shay
Maverick poster
Maverick 22nd September 1957 as Leland Mills