John Qualen
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- December 6, 1899
- Died
- September 12, 1987
- Birthplace
- 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.
Filmography
La Classe américaine 1993
as V12 (archive footage) (uncredited)
Frasier, the Sensuous Lion 1973
as Old Man on Porch
Getting Away from It All 1972
as Charlie Erickson
Hail, Hero! 1969
as Billy Hurd
Doc 1969
as Luke
P.J. 1968
as Poppa
Firecreek 1968
as Hall
A Big Hand for the Little Lady 1966
as Jesse Buford
A Patch of Blue 1965
as Mr. Faber
The Sons of Katie Elder 1965
as Charlie Biller
I'll Take Sweden 1965
as Olaf
Those Calloways 1964
as Ernie Evans
Cheyenne Autumn 1964
as Svenson (uncredited)
7 Faces of Dr. Lao 1964
as Luther Lindquist
The Prize 1963
as Oscar
Donovan's Reef 1963
as Deckhand Who Cries 'Man Overboard' (uncredited)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962
as Peter Ericson
Two Rode Together 1961
as Ole Knudsen
North to Alaska 1960
as Logger
Elmer Gantry 1960
as Sam - Storekeeper
Hell Bent for Leather 1960
as Old Ben
Anatomy of a Murder 1959
as Deputy Sheriff Sulo
Revolt in the Big House 1958
as Doc
My World Dies Screaming 1958
as Jonah Snell
The Gun Runners 1958
as Pop
The Big Land 1957
as Sven Johnson
Johnny Concho 1956
as Jake
The Searchers 1956
as Lars Jorgensen
At Gunpoint 1955
as Livingstone
Unchained 1955
as Leonard Haskins
The Sea Chase 1955
as Chief Engineer Schmitt
Man on a Bus 1955
as Second Prisoner
The Other Woman 1954
as Papasha
Passion 1954
as Gaspar Melo
The High and the Mighty 1954
as Jose Locota
I, the Jury 1953
as Dr. R.H. Vickers, Veterinarian
Ambush at Tomahawk Gap 1953
as Jonas P. Travis
Hans Christian Andersen 1952
as Burgomaster
Goodbye, My Fancy 1951
as Professor Dingley
Belle Le Grand 1951
as Corky McGee
The Flying Missile 1950
as Lars Hansen
Woman on the Run 1950
as Maibus
The Jackpot 1950
as Mr. Ferguson (uncredited)
Buccaneer's Girl 1950
as Vegetable Seller
Captain China 1950
as Geech
The Big Steal 1949
as Julius Seton
Hollow Triumph 1948
as Dr. Swangron
16 Fathoms Deep 1948
as Capt. Athos
My Girl Tisa 1948
as Svenson
Alias a Gentleman 1948
as No End
Reaching from Heaven 1948
as The Stranger
The Fugitive 1947
as A Refugee Doctor
High Conquest 1947
as Peter Oberwalder Sr.
Song of Scheherazade 1947
as Lorenzo
Adventure 1945
as Model T
Captain Kidd 1945
as Bart Blivens
River Gang 1945
as Uncle Bill
Roughly Speaking 1945
as Svend Olsen
Dark Waters 1944
as Uncle Norbert
An American Romance 1944
as Anton Dubechek
The Impostor 1944
as Monge
Swing Shift Maisie 1943
as Horatio Curley
Casablanca 1943
as Berger
Breakdowns of 1942 1942
as Self
Arabian Nights 1942
as Aladdin
Tortilla Flat 1942
as Jose Maria Corcoran
Larceny, Inc. 1942
as Sam Bachrach
Jungle Book 1942
as The Barber
All That Money Can Buy 1941
as Miser Stevens
New Wine 1941
as Hasslinger's Clerk
The Shepherd of the Hills 1941
as Coot Royal
Out of the Fog 1941
as Olaf Johnson
Million Dollar Baby 1941
as Dr. Patterson
Model Wife 1941
as The Janitor
Youth Will Be Served 1940
as Clem Howie
The Long Voyage Home 1940
as Axel
Knute Rockne All American 1940
as Lars Knutson Rockne
Angels Over Broadway 1940
as Charles Engle
Babies for Sale 1940
as Howard Anderson
On Their Own 1940
as Peters
Ski Patrol 1940
as Gustaf
Saturday's Children 1940
as First Carpenter (uncredited)
The Grapes of Wrath 1940
as Muley Graves
Blondie on a Budget 1940
as Ed Fuddle
His Girl Friday 1940
as Earl Williams
Four Wives 1939
as Frank
Honeymoon in Bali 1939
as Meek Man (uncredited)
Thunder Afloat 1939
as Milo
Mickey the Kid 1939
as Mailman
Let Us Live 1939
as Dan (uncredited)
Stand Up and Fight 1939
as Davy
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade 1938
as Stoner
The Mad Miss Manton 1938
as Night Watchman at Subway Construction Site
Five of a Kind 1938
as Asa Wyatt
The Chaser 1938
as Lars
Joy of Living 1938
as Oswego
The Bad Man of Brimstone 1937
as Loco
Nothing Sacred 1937
as Fireman (uncredited)
Fit for a King 1937
as Otto
She Had to Eat 1937
as Sleepy
Angel's Holiday 1937
as Waldo Everett
Fifty Roads to Town 1937
as Sheriff Dow
Seventh Heaven 1937
as Sewer Rat
Reunion 1936
as Asa Wyatt
The Road to Glory 1936
as Duflous
Girls' Dormitory 1936
as Toni
Meet Nero Wolfe 1936
as Olaf
The Country Doctor 1936
as Asa Wyatt
Wife vs. Secretary 1936
as Mr. Jenkins (uncredited)
Ring Around the Moon 1936
as Bill Harvey
Man of Iron 1935
as Collins
Whipsaw 1935
as Will Dabson
The Three Musketeers 1935
as Planchet
Thunder in the Night 1935
as Hotel Porter
Orchids to You 1935
as Smith
Silk Hat Kid 1935
as Mr. Fossbender
Doubting Thomas 1935
as Von Blitzen
The Farmer Takes a Wife 1935
as Sol Tinker
Black Fury 1935
as Mike Shemanski
Chasing Yesterday 1935
as Coccoz
The Great Hotel Murder 1935
as Ole
One More Spring 1935
as Auctioneer
Charlie Chan in Paris 1935
as Concierge, Dufresne's Hotel (bit)
365 Nights in Hollywood 1934
as Prof. Herman Ellenbogen
Our Daily Bread 1934
as Chris (as John T. Qualen)
Servants' Entrance 1934
as Detective
Straight Is the Way 1934
as Mr. Clapman (uncredited)
He Was Her Man 1934
as Dutch, Santa Avila's Cabbie
Upperworld 1934
as Janitor
Sing and Like It 1934
as Oswald (as John M. Qualen)
Hi, Nellie! 1934
as Steve (uncredited)
Let's Fall in Love 1933
as Bjorkman, as Svente Bjorkman
Counsellor at Law 1933
as Breitstein
Arrowsmith 1931
as Henry Novak (uncredited)
Street Scene 1931
as Karl Olsen (as John M. Qualen)
Credits from TMDB.