John Qualen

John Qualen

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Birthday: 
8 December 1899, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Birth Name: 
Johan Mandt Kvalen
Height: 
170 cm
One of the best and most familiar character actors of the first four decades of sound films, although few who knew his face also knew his name. John Qualen was born in Canada to Norwegian parents. His father was a minister. The family moved to the United States and Qualen (whose real name was Kvalen) grew up in Elgin, Illinois. He won an oratory co... Show more »
One of the best and most familiar character actors of the first four decades of sound films, although few who knew his face also knew his name. John Qualen was born in Canada to Norwegian parents. His father was a minister. The family moved to the United States and Qualen (whose real name was Kvalen) grew up in Elgin, Illinois. He won an oratory contest and was given a scholarship to Northwestern University. His interest in acting was piqued there, and he began appearing in tent shows on the Lyceum-Chautauqua circuit, and in stock. He went to New York in 1929 and got his big break as the Swedish janitor in Elmer Rice's Street Scene. He repeated the role two years later in the film version. That same year he first worked for director John Ford in Arrowsmith (1931). He became a member of Ford's famed "stock company, and had prominent roles for Ford for the next thirty-five years. He became a most familiar character player, specializing in Scandinavians of various nationalities, but frequently playing a wide variety of other ethnicities. Perhaps his greatest work among many memorable roles was as the pitiful Muley, who recounts the destruction of his farm by the bank in Ford's masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath (1940). Although plagued in his later years by failing eyesight, he continued to work steadily into his final years. He was treasurer of The Authors Club and historian of The Masquers, Hollywood's famed social group for actors. He had three children, Elizabeth, Kathleen, and Meredith. Qualen died in 1987. Show less «

John Qualen's FILMOGRAPHY

The Shepherd of the Hills

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The Streets of San Francisco - Season 5

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The Streets of San Francisco - Season 4

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The Odd Couple - Season 5 (1970)

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The Streets of San Francisco - Season 3

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The Odd Couple - Season 4 (1970)

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The F.B.I. - Season 9

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The Streets of San Francisco - Season 2

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The Partridge Family - Season 4

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The Odd Couple - Season 3 (1970)

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The F.B.I. - Season 8

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Bonanza - Season 14

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The Partridge Family - Season 3

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The Odd Couple - Season 2 (1970)

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The F.B.I. - Season 7

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The Streets of San Francisco - Season 1

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Bonanza - Season 13

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The Partridge Family - Season 2

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The Odd Couple - Season 1 (1970)

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The F.B.I. - Season 6

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Green Acres - Season 6

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Bonanza - Season 12

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Medical Center - Season 2 (US)

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John Qualen'S roles

Berger
Berger
Deputy Sheriff Sulo
Deputy Sheriff Sulo
Peter Ericson
Peter Ericson
Aladdin
Aladdin