Biografía

Was a talented musician playing piano, flute and saxophone in travelling concert parties. He became involved in acting while touring in Canada.

Turner Classic Movies network aired a short-feature profile of John Qualen in August 2020 as part of its "What a Character" series. The moving tribute noted that one tragically bitter scene-stealing performance Qualen gave in Las viñas de la ira (1940) brought director John Ford to tears.

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."

In 1930, although working in New York, his home base was at 328 Sidney Street West, St. Paul, Minnesota.

He has appeared in seven films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Ayuno de amor (1940), Las viñas de la ira (1940), Creador de campeones (1940), Casablanca (1942), Más corazón que odio (1956), Anatomía de un asesinato (1959) and Un tiro en la noche (1962).