1899-12-06 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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.
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La Classe américaine | V12 (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1993-12-31 |
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Frasier, the Sensuous Lion | Old Man on Porch | 1973-06-19 |
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Getting Away from It All | Charlie Erickson | 1972-01-18 |
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Doc | Luke | 1969-07-28 |
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Hail, Hero! | Billy Hurd | 1969-10-04 |
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Firecreek | Hall | 1968-01-24 |
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P.J. | Poppa | 1968-03-27 |
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A Big Hand for the Little Lady | Jesse Buford | 1966-06-08 |
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A Patch of Blue | Mr. Faber | 1965-12-10 |
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The Sons of Katie Elder | Charlie Biller | 1965-06-23 |
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I'll Take Sweden | Olaf | 1965-06-18 |
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Cheyenne Autumn | Svenson (uncredited) | 1964-10-15 |
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7 Faces of Dr. Lao | Luther Lindquist | 1964-03-18 |
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Those Calloways | Ernie Evans | 1964-11-10 |
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The Prize | Oscar | 1963-12-25 |
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Donovan's Reef | Deckhand Who Cries 'Man Overboard' (uncredited) | 1963-06-12 |
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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | Peter Ericson | 1962-04-13 |
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Two Rode Together | Ole Knudsen | 1961-05-24 |
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Hell Bent for Leather | Old Ben | 1960-02-01 |
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North to Alaska | Logger | 1960-11-07 |
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Elmer Gantry | Sam - Storekeeper | 1960-07-07 |
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Anatomy of a Murder | Deputy Sheriff Sulo | 1959-07-01 |
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My World Dies Screaming | Jonah Snell | 1958-08-20 |
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The Gun Runners | Pop | 1958-08-01 |
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Revolt in the Big House | Doc | 1958-12-21 |
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The Big Land | Sven Johnson | 1957-03-01 |
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The Searchers | Lars Jorgensen | 1956-05-16 |
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Johnny Concho | Jake | 1956-07-01 |
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At Gunpoint | Livingstone | 1955-12-25 |
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Unchained | Leonard Haskins | 1955-08-25 |
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Man on a Bus | Second Prisoner | 1955-05-01 |
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The Sea Chase | Chief Engineer Schmitt | 1955-06-04 |
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The High and the Mighty | Jose Locota | 1954-07-03 |
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The Other Woman | Papasha | 1954-12-02 |
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Passion | Gaspar Melo | 1954-10-06 |
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Ambush at Tomahawk Gap | Jonas P. Travis | 1953-05-01 |
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I, the Jury | Dr. R.H. Vickers, Veterinarian | 1953-08-14 |
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Hans Christian Andersen | Burgomaster | 1952-12-19 |
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Goodbye, My Fancy | Professor Dingley | 1951-05-19 |
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Belle Le Grand | Corky McGee | 1951-01-27 |
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Woman on the Run | Maibus | 1950-11-10 |
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Buccaneer's Girl | Vegetable Seller | 1950-03-01 |
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The Flying Missile | Lars Hansen | 1950-12-24 |
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Captain China | Geech | 1950-02-02 |
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The Jackpot | Mr. Ferguson (uncredited) | 1950-11-01 |
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The Big Steal | Julius Seton | 1949-07-01 |
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16 Fathoms Deep | Capt. Athos | 1948-07-25 |
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Alias a Gentleman | No End | 1948-02-03 |
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Hollow Triumph | Swangron | 1948-08-18 |
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Reaching from Heaven | The Stranger | 1948-02-01 |
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My Girl Tisa | Svenson | 1948-02-07 |
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The Fugitive | A Refugee Doctor | 1947-11-11 |
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Song of Scheherazade | Lorenzo | 1947-02-26 |
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High Conquest | Peter Oberwalder Sr. | 1947-06-21 |
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Captain Kidd | Bart Blivens | 1945-11-22 |
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River Gang | Uncle Bill | 1945-09-21 |
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Adventure | Model T | 1945-12-28 |
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Roughly Speaking | Svend Olsen | 1945-01-31 |
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Dark Waters | Uncle Norbert | 1944-11-21 |
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The Impostor | Monge | 1944-02-10 |
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An American Romance | Anton Dubechek | 1944-04-16 |
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Casablanca | Berger | 1943-01-15 |
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Swing Shift Maisie | Horatio Curley | 1943-10-01 |
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Breakdowns of 1942 | Self | 1942-12-31 |
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Larceny, Inc. | Sam Bachrach | 1942-04-24 |
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Jungle Book | The Barber | 1942-04-03 |
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Tortilla Flat | Jose Maria Corcoran | 1942-05-21 |
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Arabian Nights | Aladdin | 1942-12-25 |
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The Shepherd of the Hills | Coot Royal | 1941-07-18 |
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Model Wife | The Janitor | 1941-04-17 |
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Out of the Fog | Olaf Johnson | 1941-06-14 |
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New Wine | Hasslinger's Clerk | 1941-09-10 |
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All That Money Can Buy | Miser Stevens | 1941-10-17 |
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Million Dollar Baby | Dr. Patterson | 1941-05-31 |
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His Girl Friday | Earl Williams | 1940-01-18 |
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The Long Voyage Home | Axel | 1940-11-16 |
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Babies for Sale | Howard Anderson | 1940-06-14 |
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On Their Own | Peters | 1940-05-17 |
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Knute Rockne All American | Lars Knutson Rockne | 1940-10-05 |
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Saturday's Children | First Carpenter (uncredited) | 1940-05-04 |
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Blondie on a Budget | Ed Fuddle | 1940-02-29 |
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Youth Will Be Served | Clem Howie | 1940-11-22 |
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Angels Over Broadway | Charles Engle | 1940-10-02 |
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Ski Patrol | Gustaf | 1940-05-09 |
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The Grapes of Wrath | Muley Graves | 1940-03-15 |
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Let Us Live | Dan (uncredited) | 1939-03-29 |
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Stand Up and Fight | Davy | 1939-01-06 |
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Four Wives | Frank | 1939-12-22 |
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Thunder Afloat | Milo | 1939-09-15 |
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Honeymoon in Bali | Meek Man (uncredited) | 1939-09-29 |
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Mickey the Kid | Mailman | 1939-07-03 |
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The Strange Case of Dr. Meade | Stoner | 1938-12-15 |
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The Chaser | Lars | 1938-07-29 |
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Joy of Living | Oswego | 1938-05-06 |
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The Mad Miss Manton | Night Watchman at Subway Construction Site | 1938-10-21 |
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Five of a Kind | Asa Wyatt | 1938-10-14 |
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Nothing Sacred | Fireman (uncredited) | 1937-11-25 |
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Fit for a King | Otto | 1937-09-01 |
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Fifty Roads to Town | Sheriff Dow | 1937-06-03 |
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She Had to Eat | Sleepy | 1937-07-02 |
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The Bad Man of Brimstone | Loco | 1937-12-31 |
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Angel's Holiday | Waldo Everett | 1937-06-07 |
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Seventh Heaven | Sewer Rat | 1937-03-25 |
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Reunion | Asa Wyatt | 1936-11-20 |
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Girls' Dormitory | Toni | 1936-08-08 |
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The Country Doctor | Asa Wyatt | 1936-03-12 |
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Ring Around the Moon | Bill Harvey | 1936-02-15 |
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The Road to Glory | Duflous | 1936-09-04 |
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Wife vs. Secretary | Mr. Jenkins (uncredited) | 1936-02-28 |
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Meet Nero Wolfe | Olaf | 1936-07-16 |
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Charlie Chan in Paris | Concierge, Dufresne's Hotel (bit) | 1935-01-21 |
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Silk Hat Kid | Mr. Fossbender | 1935-07-19 |
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The Great Hotel Murder | Ole | 1935-02-27 |
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The Farmer Takes a Wife | Sol Tinker | 1935-07-05 |
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Orchids to You | Smith | 1935-08-09 |
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The Three Musketeers | Planchet | 1935-11-01 |
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Chasing Yesterday | Coccoz | 1935-05-03 |
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Black Fury | Mike Shemanski | 1935-05-18 |
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Man of Iron | Collins | 1935-12-21 |
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Whipsaw | Will Dabson | 1935-12-18 |
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Doubting Thomas | Von Blitzen | 1935-07-10 |
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One More Spring | Auctioneer | 1935-02-15 |
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Thunder in the Night | Hotel Porter | 1935-09-16 |
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Hi, Nellie! | Steve (uncredited) | 1934-01-20 |
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Upperworld | Janitor | 1934-04-28 |
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Our Daily Bread | Chris (as John T. Qualen) | 1934-10-02 |
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He Was Her Man | Dutch, Santa Avila's Cabbie | 1934-06-16 |
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Straight Is the Way | Mr. Clapman (uncredited) | 1934-08-10 |
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365 Nights in Hollywood | Prof. Herman Ellenbogen | 1934-12-11 |
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Servants' Entrance | Detective | 1934-09-25 |
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Sing and Like It | Oswald (as John M. Qualen) | 1934-04-20 |
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Let's Fall in Love | Bjorkman | 1933-12-26 |
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Counsellor at Law | Breitstein | 1933-12-25 |
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Let's Fall in Love | Svente Bjorkman | 1933-12-26 |
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Arrowsmith | Henry Novak (uncredited) | 1931-12-07 |
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Street Scene | Karl Olsen (as John M. Qualen) | 1931-09-05 |
