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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1962
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.
Gender
Male
Birthday
December 6, 1899
Died
September 12, 1987
Birthplace
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Also Known As
The Searchers
1956
The Sons of Katie Elder
1965
The Grapes of Wrath
1940
Two Rode Together
1961
Donovan's Reef
1963
Casablanca
1943
Let's Fall in Love
1933
Let's Fall in Love
1933
Hell Bent for Leather
1960
The Mad Miss Manton
1938
Revolt in the Big House
1958
The Long Voyage Home
1940
The Fugitive
1947
Adventure
1945
Cheyenne Autumn
1964
Sing and Like It
1934
Arrowsmith
1931
An American Romance
1944
Our Daily Bread
1934
The Three Musketeers
1935
+ 116 more movies
The Andy Griffith Show
1960
Burke's Law
1963
The Virginian
1962
Maverick
1957
Maverick
1957
Cheyenne
1955
Dr. Kildare
1961
Dragnet
1951
Climax!
1954
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
Ben Casey
1961
Father Knows Best
1954
Lawman
1958
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
The Donna Reed Show
1958
December Bride
1954
The Odd Couple
1970
The Odd Couple
1970
The Odd Couple
1970
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
+ 31 more TV shows