Johan Mandt Kvalen Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family
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". Qualen grew up in Elgin, Illinois.His acting career began when he was attending Northwestern University on a scholarship awarded after he won an oratory contest. 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) and 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.
Full Name
Johan Mandt Kvalen
Net Worth
$600,000
Date Of Birth
December 8, 1899
Died
1987-07-12
Place Of Birth
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Height
5' 7" (1.7 m)
Occupation
Actor
Profession
Actor, Soundtrack, Music Department
Spouse
Pearle Larson daughters
Nicknames
John Qualen, Qualen, John
Star Sign
Sagittarius
#
Trademark
1
Bumbling comic relief characters
2
Small, slight frame
3
Exaggerated Scandinavian accent (although he himself was born and raised in Canada)
#
Fact
1
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).
2
Was a talented musician playing piano, flute and saxophone in travelling concert parties. He became involved in acting while touring in Canada.
He is often erroneously credited with the bit role of the bull owner in the Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy film The Devil's Brother (1933). However, it is clearly not him nor is it his voice.
5
In 1930, although working in New York, his home base was at 328 Sidney Street West, St. Paul, Minnesota.
6
Of Norwegian parentage.
7
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."
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Tortilla Flat
1942
Jose Maria Corcoran
Larceny, Inc.
1942
Sam Bachrach
Jungle Book
1942
The Barber
The Devil and Daniel Webster
1941
Miser Stevens
New Wine
1941
Hasslinger's Clerk
The Shepherd of the Hills
1941
Coot Royal
Out of the Fog
1941
Olaf Johnson
Million Dollar Baby
1941
Dr. Patterson
Model Wife
1941
The Janitor
Youth Will Be Served
1940
Clem Howie
The Long Voyage Home
1940
Axel
Knute Rockne All American
1940
Lars Knutson Rockne
Angels Over Broadway
1940
Charles Engle
Babies for Sale
1940
Howard Anderson
On Their Own
1940
Peters
Ski Patrol
1940
Gustaf Nerkuu
Saturday's Children
1940
First Carpenter (uncredited)
Blondie on a Budget
1940
Mr. Ed Fuddle
The Grapes of Wrath
1940
Muley Bates
His Girl Friday
1940
Earl Williams
Four Wives
1939
Frank
Thunder Afloat
1939
Milo
Honeymoon in Bali
1939
Meek Man
Career
1939
Jeff Trotter (uncredited)
Mickey the Kid
1939
Mailman
Let Us Live
1939
Dan (uncredited)
Stand Up and Fight
1939
Davy
Strange Case of Dr. Meade
1938
Stoner
Five of a Kind
1938
Asa Wyatt
The Mad Miss Manton
1938
Subway Watchman
The Chaser
1938
Lars
The Texans
1938
Swede (uncredited)
Joy of Living
1938
Oswego
The Bad Man of Brimstone
1937
'Loco'
Nothing Sacred
1937
Fireman (uncredited)
Fit for a King
1937
Otto
She Had to Eat
1937
Sleepy
Fifty Roads to Town
1937
Sheriff Dow
Angel's Holiday
1937
Waldo Everett
Seventh Heaven
1937
Sewer Rat
Reunion
1936
Asa Wyatt
Girls' Dormitory
1936
Toni
Meet Nero Wolfe
1936
Olaf
The Road to Glory
1936
Scared Soldier
The Country Doctor
1936
Asa Wyatt
Wife vs. Secretary
1936
Mr. Jenkins (uncredited)
Ring Around the Moon
1936
Bill Harvey
Man of Iron
1935
Collins - a Factory Worker
Whipsaw
1935
Will Dabson
The Three Musketeers
1935
Planchet
Thunder in the Night
1935
Hotel Porter
Orchids to You
1935
Smith
The Farmer Takes a Wife
1935
Sol Tinker
Doubting Thomas
1935
Von Blitzen
Silk Hat Kid
1935
Mr. Fossbender
Chasing Yesterday
1935
Aristide Coccoz
Black Fury
1935
Mike (as John T. Qualen)
The Great Hotel Murder
1935
Ole
One More Spring
1935
Auctioneer
Charlie Chan in Paris
1935
Concierge
365 Nights in Hollywood
1934
Prof. Herman Ellenbogen
Servants' Entrance
1934
Detective
Straight Is the Way
1934
Mr. Clapman (uncredited)
Our Daily Bread
1934
Chris (as John T. Qualen)
He Was Her Man
1934
Dutch, Santa Avila's Cabbie
Private Scandal
1934
Schultz (uncredited)
Sing and Like It
1934
Oswald (as John M. Qualen)
Upperworld
1934
Chris--Janitor
Hi, Nellie!
1934
Steve (uncredited)
Let's Fall in Love
1933
Svente Bjorkman (uncredited)
Counsellor at Law
1933
Johan Breitstein
The Devil's Brother
1933
Man Who Owned the Bull (unconfirmed, uncredited)
Arrowsmith
1931
Henry Novak (uncredited)
Street Scene
1931
Karl Olsen (as John M. Qualen)
Movin' On
1974
TV Series
Liggett
The Streets of San Francisco
1973
TV Series
Frank Casey
Frasier, the Sensuous Lion
1973
Old Man on Porch
The F.B.I.
1973
TV Series
Gas Station Attendant
The Odd Couple
1971-1973
TV Series
Mr. Larson / Groundskeeper / Sam Mitchell
Wednesday Night Out
1972
TV Movie
The Partridge Family
1972
TV Series
The Old Man
Getting Away from It All
1972
TV Movie
Charlie Erickson
Make Room for Granddaddy
1971
TV Series
Folsom
Medical Center
1971
TV Series
Charlie
Green Acres
1968-1970
TV Series
Willie Dunhill / Mr. Appleby
Hail, Hero!
1969
Billy Hurd
Doc
1969
TV Movie
Luke
Firecreek
1968
Hall
P.J.
1968
Poppa Gonowski
I Spy
1967
TV Series
Hannos
The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin
1967
Barber (uncredited)
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
1966
TV Series
Dr. Elmer Spritzer
Shane
1966
TV Series
Old Man
Jericho
1966
TV Series
Heern Hentje
A Big Hand for the Little Lady
1966
Jesse Buford
Hazel
1966
TV Series
Mr. Johansson
Burke's Law
1966
TV Series
Richard Prince
The Donna Reed Show
1966
TV Series
Zeke
Mister Ed
1961-1965
TV Series
Justice of Peace / Milo Simmons / Axel the Handyman
