Margaret Qualley Bio
Sarah Margaret Qualley (born October 23, 1994) is an American actress and daughter of actress Andie MacDowell. She trained as a ballet dancer and made her acting debut in the 2013 film Palo Alto. Qualley gained recognition for her role in HBO’s The Leftovers and has starred in films such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the Netflix series Maid, for which she received multiple award nominations.
Early Life and Background
Sarah Margaret Qualley was born in Kalispell, Montana. Her parents are actress and model Andie MacDowell and former model Paul Qualley. Margaret has an older brother, Justin, and an older sister, actress and singer Rainey Qualley. Through their mother, the siblings have Scottish ancestry. They lived on a ranch in Missoula, Montana, and moved to the Asheville suburb of Biltmore Forest, North Carolina, when Margaret was four. Margaret’s parents separated when she was five years old, and she split her time equally between them. For many years, her parents lived just 3 miles apart. Her family home with MacDowell is in North Carolina, and they have extended family nearby. As a teenager growing up in Asheville, Margaret and her sister were both debutantes; they made their debuts at the Bal des débutantes in Paris. Qualley left home at 14 to board at the North Carolina School of the Arts, where she studied dance. She trained as a ballet dancer, earning an apprenticeship at the American Ballet Theatre and studying at New York’s Professional Children’s School.
Path to Hollywood
At the age of 16, after receiving an offer to become an apprentice with the North Carolina Dance Theater company, Qualley decided to quit dance. In order to stay in New York, she began working as a model. She later changed her focus to acting and attended London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art summer program. Qualley attended New York University but left after a semester for acting roles. In 2011, at age 16, Qualley made her modeling debut during New York Fashion Week, walking for Alberta Ferretti. She modeled during Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 for Valentino and Chanel. She has appeared on the covers and editorials of various fashion magazines and has been a house ambassador for Chanel.
Margaret Qualley Career
Early Career (2011–2018)
Qualley first appeared on screen in 2013 playing a small part in Gia Coppola’s film Palo Alto. She received the part because she happened to be on set visiting her then-boyfriend, Nat Wolff. In June 2013, she was cast as a series regular in the HBO television series The Leftovers and reprised her role as Jill Garvey for the second and third seasons of the drama series in 2015 and 2017, respectively. In 2016, Qualley appeared as the central character in a Spike Jonze-directed commercial for KENZO World, where she improvised much of the dance routine using her training in classical ballet. She next appeared in Shane Black’s 2016 comedy The Nice Guys starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. In 2019, Qualley starred in the Netflix science-fiction film IO and portrayed the role of Mary Dalton in Rashid Johnson’s HBO adaptation of Native Son.
Breakthrough (2019–present)
Qualley portrayed actress and dancer Ann Reinking in the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon, for which she received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries. She appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s period comedy-drama film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, playing a member of the Manson Family named Pussycat. For the film, Qualley and the rest of the cast were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 2021, Qualley starred in the miniseries Maid based upon Stephanie Land’s memoir for Netflix. For her performance, she received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie. In 2023, Qualley executive produced and starred in the erotic thriller Sanctuary opposite Christopher Abbott. She also appeared in director Yorgos Lanthimos’s surrealist fantasy film Poor Things, along with Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo. In 2024, Qualley is set to star in the comedy road film Drive-Away Dolls directed by Ethan Coen and the body horror film The Substance.
Margaret Qualley Award Nominations
Throughout her career, Margaret Qualley has received several nominations, including Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her role in Fosse/Verdon and Golden Globe nominations for her performance in Maid.
Margaret Qualley Awards Won
While Margaret Qualley has not yet won major awards, her performances have garnered critical acclaim and multiple nominations, indicating her rising star status in Hollywood.
Margaret Qualley Family
Margaret Qualley is the daughter of actress Andie MacDowell and former model Paul Qualley. She has two siblings, an older brother named Justin and an older sister named Rainey Qualley, who is also in the entertainment industry.
Personal Life
Margaret Qualley married musician Jack Antonoff on August 19, 2023. She has lived in New York and was previously linked to actor Shia LaBeouf. Qualley is also the subject of the 2023 song “Margaret” by Lana Del Rey from her album Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
