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John Qualen 1899 - 1987

John M. Qualen of Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County, CA was born on December 8, 1899 in Vancouver, Metro Vancouver County, BC Canada. John was baptized at his father was a minister. He was baptised!. John Qualen died at age 87 years old on September 12, 1987 in Torrance, Los Angeles County, California United States, and was buried at Forest Lawn Forest Lawn Dr, in Los Angeles.

John M. Qualen

John M. Qualen, Birth Name Johan Mandt Kvalen

Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County, CA 90274

December 8, 1899

Vancouver, Metro Vancouver County, BC, Canada

September 12, 1987

Torrance, Los Angeles County, California, United States

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John Qualen John Qualen (1899 - 1987)

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John M. Qualen's History: 1899 - 1987

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Introduction

Spouse (1) Pearle Larson (1924 - 12 September 1987) ( his death) ( 3 children) Exaggerated Scandinavian accent (although he himself was born and raised in Canada) Small, slight frame Bumbling comic relief characters Though some reference works list his birth name as Oleson or Olson, in actuality Qualen's grandfather changed the family name from Olson to Kvalen long before Qualen's birth. Qualen's father subsequently changed the name from Kvalen to Qualen, after Qualen's birth. Originally pronounced identically to the previous spelling ("Kvah-len"), John Qualen himself changed the pronunciation to "Kway-len." Of Norwegian parentage. In 1930, although working in New York, his home base was at 328 Sidney Street West, St. Paul, Minnesota. Appeared with John Wayne in nine films: The Long Voyage Home (1940), The Shepherd of the Hills (1941), The High and the Mighty (1954), The Sea Chase (1955), The Searchers (1956), North to Alaska (1960), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Donovan's Reef (1963) and The Sons of Katie Elder (1965). Was a talented musician playing piano, flute and saxophone in traveling concert parties. He became involved in acting while touring in Canada. Teamed with Paul Fix 5 times. They started in "Road to Glory (1936)" and finished in 1973 in "The Streets of San Francisco: Winterkill." In between, they made featured appearances in 3 John Wayne movies: "The High and the Mighty" (1954), "The Sea Chase" (1955) and "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965). Was in five Oscar Best Picture nominees: Arrowsmith (1931), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Long Voyage Home (1940), Casablanca (1942) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959). Casablanca won Best Picture of 1943.
12/8

1899

Birthday

December 8, 1899

Birthdate

Vancouver, Metro Vancouver County, BC Canada

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Norwegian.
Nationality & Locations

Canadian. Norwegian descent. American Citizen.
Baptism

mm/dd/yyyy

Baptism date
his father was a minister. He was baptised!
Place of worship
Religious Beliefs

Lutheran.
Professional Career

John Qualen Born December 8, 1899 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Died September 12, 1987 in Torrance, California, USA (heart failure) Birth Name Johan Mandt Kvalen Height 5' 7" (1.7 m) 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. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Jim Beaver
Personal Life & Family

He is survived by his wife, Pearle, whom he married in 1924. He also leaves their three daughters, Meredith Kilpatrick, Kathleen Roberts and Tina Bacon, as well as 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Stayed married until death.
09/12

1987

Death

September 12, 1987

Death date

Heart Failure.

Cause of death

Torrance, Los Angeles County, California United States
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Forest Lawn Forest Lawn Dr, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States
Burial location
Obituary

John Qualen, 87; Character Actor in Films, TV - LOS ANGELES TIMES BY JACK JONES SEPT. 16, 1987 12 AM PT TIMES STAFF WRITER Services were held Tuesday for veteran actor John Qualen, whose face became familiar in more than 150 film and television roles--including that of the overwhelmed father of the Dionne Quintuplets in three movies. He was 87. Qualen died at Torrance Memorial Hospital on Saturday when his heart failed. Besides his portrayal in the 1930s films he made with the famed quints, Qualen drew attention for his performances as Muley Graves in “The Grapes of Wrath,” as the convicted killer in “His Girl Friday” and as sailor Axel Larson in “The Long Voyage Home,” all in 1940. Played Accent Roles Of Norwegian descent, he often played accent roles and frequently was cast as a well-meaning victim. Qualen was born Johan Mandt Kvalen on Dec. 8, 1899, in Vancouver, Canada, the son of a minister. He studied piano, flute and saxophone. On the strength of a gold medal he won in a Northwestern University oratory contest, he managed to talk himself onto a Chautauqua tent show stage one night in Wisconsin when the scheduled lecturer failed to appear. He then organized his own show, but it did not do well, and he later became a salesman of aluminum pots and pans in Kansas City. Eventually, he took his oratory medal to New York, where he experienced a disheartening series of rejections by producers and booking agents. It was not until he told one producer that he could play Norwegian character parts that he found success. The producer had been looking for someone to play a Norwegian janitor in Elmer Rice’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Street Scene.” Qualen played the part on Broadway for three years, then did it in the film version. The same thing happened in the play “Councilor at Law,” in which he appeared with star Paul Muni. Then came the part of the quints’ harried father, named Asa Wyatt in the films “Country Doctor,” “Reunion” and “Five of a Kind.” He was so well-known in that role that when he was cast in “The Road to Glory” as a soldier going mad in the trenches in World War I, a preview audience began to laugh at his big dramatic scene. The studio was forced to re-shoot, cutting down the part, changing his makeup to disguise him and having him speak in French. There was a pause before he returned to the screen as Earl Williams, the insane little man sentenced to death in “His Girl Friday,” a remake of “The Front Page” with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. His numerous other films included “Seventh Heaven” (1937), “Knute Rockne, All-American” (1940), “Angels Over Broadway” (1940), “Casablanca” (1943), “Captain Kidd” (1945), “The High and the Mighty,” (1954), “The Searchers” (1956), “Anatomy of a Murder” (1959), “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962), “Cheyenne Autumn” (1964) and “Frasier the Sensuous Lion” (1973). On television, he appeared in episodes of such series as “Mr. Ed,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Hazel,” “The Danny Thomas Show” and “The Partridge Family.” Inactive as an actor since 1975, Qualen lived for the last 12 years in Torrance, moving there from Westwood. He is survived by his wife, Pearle, whom he married in 1924. He also leaves their three daughters, Meredith Kilpatrick, Kathleen Roberts and Tina Bacon, as well as 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The family asked that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the American Heart Assn.

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