John Qualen (born Johan Mandt Kvalen, December 8, 1899 – September 12, 1987) was an American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles.

Early years

Qualen was born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

, the son of immigrants from Norway; his father was a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

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 (Illinois) High School in 1920. For four years, Qualen attended the University of Toronto, but he left there to join a Toronto-based traveling troupe as an actor.

Career

In a ''Milwaukee Journal'' interview he said he needed to start working and did so with the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...

Circuit. He drove stakes for the tent used for presentations until a night in Ripon, Wisconsin, when the scheduled principal lecturer did not arrive. Qualen replaced the missing man after he showed the Chautauqua manager a medal he had won for oratory as a high school student. Not long after that, he formed his own troupe, The Qualen Concert Company. At the conclusion of a tour following his marriage, Qualen and his wife, Pearle, formed the company to produce plays. The group's stops in a two-year tour included Boston, Chicago, and New Orleans. The Qualens' income was low enough that he sold cookware in New York for additional funds. Using a handcart to move the merchandise, he made more money from sales than from his acting. Grapes of Wrath, The - (Original Trailer) - 08

Grapes of Wrath, The - (Original Trailer) - 08

Eventually reaching Broadway, he gained his big break there in 1929, when he was cast as the Swedish janitor Carl Olsen in Elmer Rice's play ''

Street Scene A street scene () is a basic model for epic theater set forth by Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and ...

''. His movie career began when he re-created the role two years later in the film adaptation of the stage production. That screen performance was followed by his appearance in

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

's '' Arrowsmith'' (1931), which began a more than 35-year membership in the director's "stock company", with supporting roles in '' The Searchers'' (1956), '' Two Rode Together'' (1961), '' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'' (1962) and '' Cheyenne Autumn'' (1964). John Qualen-Paul Henreid in Hollow Triumph

John Qualen-Paul Henreid in Hollow Triumph

Appearing in well over one hundred films, and acting 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), in a performance so powerful it reportedly reduced director Ford to tears; and as the confused killer Earl Williams in

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is ...

' classic comedy '' His Girl Friday'' (1940). As Berger, the jewelry-selling

Norwegian resistance member The Norwegian resistance ( Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled governme ...

in Michael Curtiz' '' Casablanca'' (1942), he used 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 also a flautist, having begun to play at age eight. He continued his musical education while at the University of Toronto and went on to play with some professional orchestras, including the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Qualen was treasurer of The Authors Club and historian of The Masquers, Hollywood's social group for actors.

Personal life and death

In 1924, after he became an actor, Qualen married Pearle Larson, whom he had known in high school. She joined him in the Toronto-based traveling troupe when he left university, becoming the troupe's costume mistress. The couple remained together for over 60 years, until 1987, when Qualen died at age 87 of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

in Torrance, California.

Filmography

1930s

*''

'' (1931) as Karl Olsen *'' Arrowsmith'' (1931) as Henry Novak (uncredited) *'' The Devil's Brother'' (1933) as Man who owned bull (unconfirmed) *'' Counsellor at Law'' (1933) as Johan Breitstein *'' Let's Fall in Love'' (1933) as Svente Bjorkman (uncredited) *''

Hi Nellie! ''Hi, Nellie!'' is a 1934 American crime drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Paul Muni and Glenda Farrell. A newspaper editor is demoted to writing an advice column for refusing to go along with the crowd in declaring a missing lawye ...

'' (1934) as Steve (uncredited) *'' No Greater Glory'' (1934) as Nemecsek's father *'' Upper World'' (1934) as Chris *'' Sing and Like It'' (1934) as Oswald *'' Private Scandal'' (1934) as Schultz (uncredited) *'' He Was Her Man'' (1934) as Dutch *'' Our Daily Bread'' (1934) as Chris *''

Straight Is the Way ''Straight Is the Way'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Paul Sloane, written by Bernard Schubert, and starring Franchot Tone, May Robson, Karen Morley, Gladys George, Nat Pendleton and Jack La Rue. It is based upon the stage play by Da ...

'' (1934) as Mr. Chapman (uncredited) *'' Servants' Entrance'' (1934) as Detective *'' 365 Nights in Hollywood'' (1934) as Professor Herman Ellenbogen *'' Charlie Chan in Paris'' (1935) as Consierge *'' One More Spring'' (1935) as Auctioneer *'' The Great Hotel Murder'' (1935) as Ole *'' Black Fury'' (1935) as Mike *'' Chasing Yesterday'' (1935) as Aristide Coccoz *''

Silk Hat Kid ''Silk Hat Kid'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and written by Edward Eliscu, Lou Breslow and Dore Schary. The film, starring Lew Ayres, Mae Clarke, Paul Kelly, Ralf Harolde, William Harrigan and Billy Lee, was re ...

'' (1935) as Mr. Fossbender *'' Doubting Thomas'' as Von Blitzer *'' The Farmer Takes a Wife'' (1935) as Sol Tinker *'' Orchids to You'' (1935) as Smith *'' Thunder in the Night'' (1935) as Hotel porter *'' The Three Musketeers'' (1935) as

Planchet A planchet is a round metal disk that is ready to be struck as a coin. An older word for planchet is flan. They are also referred to as blanks. History The preparation of the flan or planchet has varied over the years. In ancient times, the f ...

*''

Whipsaw A whipsaw or pitsaw was originally a type of saw used in a saw pit, and consisted of a narrow blade held rigid by a frame and called a frame saw or sash saw (see illustrations). This evolved into a straight, stiff blade without a frame, up to 1 ...

'' (1935) as Will Dabson *'' Man of Iron'' (1935) as Collins *'' Ring Around the Moon'' (1936) as Bill Harvey *''

Wife vs. Secretary ''Wife vs. Secretary'' (or ''Wife versus Secretary'') is a 1936 comedy drama directed and co-produced by Clarence Brown and starring Clark Gable as a successful businessman, Jean Harlow as his secretary, and Myrna Loy as his wife, supported by Ja ...

'' (1936) as Mr. Jenkins (uncredited) *'' The Country Doctor'' (1936) as Asa Wyatt *'' The Road to Glory'' (1936) as Scared soldier *'' Meet Nero Wolfe'' (1936) as Olaf *'' Girls' Dormitory'' (1936) as Toni *'' Reunion'' (1936) as Asa Wyatt *'' Seventh Heaven'' (1937) as Sewer Rat *'' Angel's Holiday'' (1937) as Waldo Everett *'' Fifty Roads to Town'' (1937) as Sheriff Dow *''

She Had to Eat ''She Had to Eat'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and written by Samuel G. Engel. The film stars Jack Haley, Rochelle Hudson, Arthur Treacher, Eugene Pallette, Douglas Fowley and John Qualen. It was released on July ...

'' (1937) as Sleepy *'' Fit for a King'' (1937) as Otto *'' Nothing Sacred'' (1937) as Fireman (uncredited) *'' The Bad Man of Brimstone'' (1937) as "Loco" *'' Joy of Living'' (1938) as Oswego *'' The Texans'' (1938) as Abilene Swede (uncredited) *'' The Chaser'' (1938) as Lars *'' The Mad Miss Manton'' (1938) as Subway worker *'' Five of a Kind'' (1938) as Asa Wyatt *'' The Strange Case of Dr. Meade'' (1938) as Stoner *'' Stand Up and Fight'' (1939) as Davy *'' Let Us Live'' (1939) as Dan (uncredited) *''

Mickey the Kid ''Mickey the Kid'' is a 1939 American drama film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Bruce Cabot, Ralph Byrd and ZaSu Pitts. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures. Plot Dr. Ben Cameron is worried about 12-year-old Mickey, son of ...

'' (1939) as Mailman *''

Career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defi ...

'' (1939) as Jeff Trotter (uncredited) *'' Honeymoon in Bali'' (1939) as Meek man *'' Thunder Afloat'' (1939) as Milo *'' Four Wives'' (1939) as Frank

1940s

*'' His Girl Friday'' (1940) as Earl Williams *'' The Grapes of Wrath'' (1940) as Muley Graves *'' Blondie on a Budget'' (1940) as Mr. Ed Fuddle *'' Saturday's Children'' (1940) as First carpenter (uncredited) *'' Ski Patrol'' (1940) as Gustaf *'' On Their Own'' (1940) as Peters *'' Babies for Sale'' (1940) as Howard Anderson *'' Angels Over Broadway'' (1940) as Charles Engle *'' Knute Rockne, All American'' (1940) Lars Knuteson Rockne *'' The Long Voyage Home'' (1940) as Axel *'' Youth Will Be Served'' (1940) as Clem Howie *'' Model Wife'' (1941) as Janitor *'' Million Dollar Baby'' (1941) as Dr. Patterson *'' Out of the Fog'' (1941) as Olaf Johnson *'' The Shepherd of the Hills'' (1941) as Coot Royal *'' The Great Awakening'' (1941) as Hasslinger's Clerk *''

The Devil and Daniel Webster "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936) is a short story by American writer Stephen Vincent Benét. He tells of a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the devil and is later defended by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the noted 19th-c ...

'' (1941) as Miser Stevens *'' Jungle Book'' (1942) as The Barber *''

Larceny, Inc. ''Larceny, Inc.'' is a 1942 American film. Originally released on May 2, 1942, by Warner Bros., the film is a cross between comedy and gangster genres. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the film stars Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, a ...

'' (1942) as Sam Bachrach *'' Tortilla Flat'' (1942) as Jose Maria Corcoran *'' Casablanca'' (1942) as Berger *''

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

'' (1942) as Alladin *'' Swing Shift Maisie'' (1943) as Horatio Curly *'' The Impostor'' (1944) as Monge *'' An American Romance'' (1944) as Anton Dubechek *'' Dark Waters'' (1944) as Uncle Norbert *''

Roughly Speaking ''Roughly Speaking'' is the sixteenth studio album by the Canadian rock band April Wine, released in November 2006. The album was recorded without computerized modern digital recording techniques. Instead, the group employed the same type of au ...

'' (1945) as Svend Olsen *'' River Gang'' (1945) as Uncle Bill *'' Captain Kidd'' (1945) as Bart Blivens *''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...

'' (1945) as Model T *'' Song of Scheherazade'' (1947) as Lorenzo *'' High Conquest'' (1947) as Peter Oberwalder Sr. *'' The Fugitive'' (1947) as Refugee doctor *'' Reaching from Heaven'' (1948) as The Stranger *'' On Our Merry Way'' (1948) (deleted sequence, uncredited) *'' Alias a Gentleman'' (1948) as No End *'' My Girl Tisa'' (1948) as Svenson *''

16 Fathoms Deep ''Sixteen Fathoms Deep'' (also written as ''16 Fathoms Deep'') is a 1948 American adventure film directed by Irving Allen and starring Lloyd Bridges, Lon Chaney Jr. and Arthur Lake. It was a remake of the 1934 film of the same title in which Ch ...

'' (1948) as Capt. Athos *'' Hollow Triumph'' (1948) as Swangon *'' The Big Steal'' (1949) as Julius Seton

1950s

*'' Captain China'' (1950) as Geech *'' Buccaneer's Girl'' (1950) as Vegetable man *'' Woman on the Run'' (1950) as Maibus *'' The Jackpot'' (1950) as Mr. Ferguson (uncredited) *''

The Flying Missile ''The Flying Missile'' is a 1950 black-and-white Cold War era Columbia Pictures film starring Glenn Ford and Viveca Lindfors. Made with the cooperation of the US Navy,Ford 2011, p. 111. it tells a fictionalized story of the then recently revealed ...

'' (1950) as Lars Hansen *''

Belle Le Grand ''Belle Le Grand'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Allan Dwan and written by D.D. Beauchamp. The film stars Vera Ralston, John Carroll, William Ching, Hope Emerson, Grant Withers, Stephen Chase, John Qualen and Harry Morgan. The f ...

'' (1951) as Corky McGee *'' Goodbye, My Fancy'' (1951) as Professor Dingley *''

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consist ...

'' (1952) as Burgomaster *'' Ambush at Tomahawk Gap'' (1953) as Jonas P. Travis *'' Francis Covers the Big Town'' (1953) as Defense Attorney Cavendish (uncredited) *'' I, the Jury'' (1953) as Dr. R. H. Vickers *'' The High and the Mighty'' (1954) as Jose Locota *'' The Student Prince'' (1954) as Willie Klauber *'' Passion'' (1954) as Gasper Melo *'' The Other Woman'' (1954) as Papasha *'' Unchained'' (1955) as Leonard Haskins *'' The Sea Chase'' (1955) as Chief Engineer Schmitt *'' At Gunpoint'' (1955) as Livingstone *'' The Searchers'' (1956) as Lars Jorgensen *''

Johnny Concho ''Johnny Concho'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Don McGuire starring Frank Sinatra, Keenan Wynn, William Conrad and Phyllis Kirk. This was Sinatra's first serious Western and the role allowed him to play against type in his portra ...

'' (1956) as Jake *'' The Big Land'' (1957) as Sven Johnson *''

My World Dies Screaming ''Terror in the Haunted House'' (originally titled ''My World Dies Screaming'') is a 1958 American horror film produced by William S. Edwards and directed by Harold Daniels. The movie stars Gerald Mohr, Cathy O'Donnell, William Ching, and John Qua ...

'' (1958) as Jonah Snell *'' The Gun Runners'' (1958) as Pop *'' Revolt in the Big House'' (1958) as Doc *''

Anatomy of a Murder ''Anatomy of a Murder'' is a 1959 American courtroom drama and crime film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. ...

'' (1959) as Deputy Sheriff Sulo

1960s

*'' Hell Bent for Leather'' (1960) as Old Ben *'' Elmer Gantry'' (1960) as Sam, a storekeeper (uncredited) *'' North to Alaska'' (1960) as Logger Judge *'' Two Rode Together'' (1961) as Ole Knudsen *'' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'' (1962) as Peter Erickson *'' Donovan's Reef'' (1963) as Deckhand (uncredited) *''

The Prize The Prize may refer to: * ''The Prize'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Irving Wallace ** ''The Prize'' (1963 film), a 1963 film based on the novel * ''The Prize'' (1950 film), a 1950 French film * ''The Prize'' (2011 film), a 2011 Mexican film * * ...

'' (1963) as Oscar *'' 7 Faces of Dr. Lao'' (1964) as Luther Lindquist *'' Cheyenne Autumn'' (1964) as Svenson (uncredited) *'' Those Calloways'' (1965) as Ernie Evans *'' I'll Take Sweden'' (1965) as Olaf *'' The Sons of Katie Elder'' (1965) as Charlie Biller *'' A Patch of Blue'' (1965) as Mr. Faber *'' A Big Hand for the Little Lady'' (1966) as Jesse Buford *'' The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin'' (1967) as Barber (uncredited) *'' Firecreek'' (1968) as Hall *'' P.J.'' (1968) as Poppa Gonowski *''Doc'' (1969, TV Movie) as Luke *'' Hail, Hero!'' (1969) as Billy Hurd

1970s

*''

Getting Away from It All ''Getting Away from It All'' is a 1972 American made-for-television comedy film directed by Lee Philips and starring Larry Hagman, Barbara Feldon, Gary Collins, Jim Backus, Vivian Vance, and Burgess Meredith. It was aired on January 18, 1972 in t ...

'' (1972, TV Movie) as Charlie Erickson *''Wednesday Night Out'' (1972, TV Movie) *''Frasier, the Sensuous Lion'' (1973) as Old man on porch

Television

*'' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', episode "A Bullet for Baldwin" – Benjamin Steep (1956) *'' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', episode "Help Wanted" – Mr. Crabtree (1956) *'' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', episode "Shopping for Death" – Elmer Shore (1956) *'' Father Knows Best'', episode "The Bus to Nowhere" - Old Man (1956) *''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian languages, Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized tribe, federally recognize ...

'', episode "Deadline" – Charley Dolan (1957) *'' Maverick'', episode "The Lonesome Reunion" – Leland Mills (1958) *'' The Californians'' episode "J. Jimmerson Jones, Inc."—J. Jimmerson Jones (1958) *''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges a ...

'' (1960) Season 3, Episode 31 *''

Mister Ed ''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which origi ...

'', episode "Ed's New Shoes" – Axel (the Handyman) (1961) *''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'', episode "Springtime" – Parley (1961) *'' Maverick'', episode "The Golden Fleecing" – Henry Albright (1961) *''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. Th ...

'', episode "The Jinx" – Henry Bennett (1962) *'' Laramie'', episode "Shadow of the Past" – Mr. Elbee (1962) *'' The Real McCoys'', episode "Cupid Wore a Tail" – Frank (1963) *''The Real McCoys'', episode "The Other Side of the Fence" – Frank (1963) *'' Make Room for Daddy'', episodes "Sense of Humor" and "Call Off the Hounds" – Swenson, the Janitor (1964) *'' The Virginian'', episode "A Bride for Lars" – Gosta Swenson (1964) *''

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction TV series starring Stefanie Powers that aired on NBC for one season from September 16, 1966, to April 11, 1967. The series was a spin-off from ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' and used the sam ...

'', episode "The Jewels of Topango Affair" – Dr. Elmer Spritzer (1966) *''

Hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999 ...

'', episode "A Question of Ethics" – Mr. Johansson (1966) *'' Shane'', episode "The Hant" - Old Man (1966) *'' I Spy'', episode "Red Sash of Courage" – Hannos (1967) *'' Green Acres'', episode "Eb's Romance" - Mr. Appleby (1968) *'' Green Acres'', episode "The Ex-Con" - Willy Dunhill (1970) *'' The Odd Couple'', episode “The Taste Of Money” - Sam (1971) *'' Make Room for Granddaddy'', episode "The Arm Wrestle" Folsom (1971) *'' The Partridge Family'' episode "My Heart Belongs to a Two Car Garage" – The Old Man (1972) *'' The F.B.I.'', episode "The Detonator" (1973) *'' Movin' On'', episode "Life Line" – Liggett (1974) (final appearance)

References

External links

* * * * * *
Photos of John Qualen from ''The Long Voyage Home''
by Ned Scott {{DEFAULTSORT:Qualen, John 1899 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American people of Norwegian descent Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian people of Norwegian descent Male actors from Vancouver Male Western (genre) film actors Northwestern University alumni People from Elgin, Illinois