John Qualen, a renowned character actor, was born in Canada to Norwegian parents. His father, a minister, led the family to the United States, where Qualen grew up in Elgin, Illinois. He won an oratory contest, earning a scholarship to Northwestern University, where he developed an interest in acting.
Qualen began his acting career in tent shows on the Lyceum-Chautauqua circuit and in stock theatre. In 1929, he moved to New York and landed his breakout role as the Swedish janitor in Elmer Rice's play Street Scene. Two years later, he reprised the role in the film adaptation.
Qualen's big break came in 1931 when he worked with director John Ford on Arrowsmith. He became a member of Ford's esteemed stock company, securing prominent roles for the next thirty-five years. Qualen specialized in portraying Scandinavians, but also played a wide range of ethnicities.
One of his most iconic roles was as Muley, a pitiful farmer who recounts the destruction of his farm by the bank in Ford's masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath (1940). Despite struggling with failing eyesight in his later years, Qualen continued to work steadily until his final years.
Outside of acting, Qualen served as treasurer of The Authors Club and historian of The Masquers, a prestigious social group for actors. He was the father of three children, Elizabeth, Kathleen, and Meredith. Qualen passed away in 1987.
