Margaret Qualley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Margaret Qualley
Qualley at Berlinale 2025
Born	Sarah Margaret Qualley (1994-10-23) October 23, 1994 (age 30) Kalispell, Montana, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2011–present
Spouse(s)	Jack Antonoff ​ (m. 2023)​
Parent(s)	Andie MacDowell (mother)
Relatives	Rainey Qualley (sister)

Sarah Margaret Qualley (born October 23, 1994) is an American actress. She is the daughter of the famous actress Andie MacDowell. Before she started acting, Margaret trained to be a professional ballet dancer.

Her first movie role was in the 2013 film Palo Alto. She became well-known for her role in the HBO TV show The Leftovers (2014–2017).

Qualley has appeared in many popular movies, including The Nice Guys (2016) and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). She also played a character in the video game Death Stranding (2019). She earned award nominations for her roles in the TV shows Fosse/Verdon (2019) and Maid (2021). More recently, she has starred in films like Poor Things (2023), Kinds of Kindness (2024), and The Substance (2024).

Early Life and Family

Sarah Margaret Qualley was born in Kalispell, Montana. Her mother is actress and model Andie MacDowell, and her father is former model Paul Qualley. She has an older brother, Justin, and an older sister, Rainey Qualley, who is also an actress and singer.

The family lived on a ranch in Missoula, Montana. When Margaret was four, they moved to Asheville, North Carolina. Her parents separated when she was five, and she spent time living with both of them.

Qualley (third from right, front row) at a special ball in Paris, 2011

As a teenager, Margaret and her sister were both debutantes, which means they were formally introduced to society at a special event called the Bal des débutantes in Paris.

From Dance to Acting

At age 14, Qualley left home to study dance at the North Carolina School of the Arts. She was a talented ballet dancer and even earned an apprenticeship at the famous American Ballet Theatre.

However, at 16, she decided to quit dancing. She wanted to stay in New York City, so she started working as a model to support herself. She told her mom about her plan in a letter, explaining how she would earn money.

Soon after, Qualley decided to focus on acting. She took a summer program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and briefly attended New York University before leaving to take acting jobs.

Career

Modeling and Early Roles

Qualley began modeling at age 16. She walked in fashion shows for famous brands like Alberta Ferretti, Valentino, and Chanel. She has also appeared in many magazines, including Vogue, Teen Vogue, and Elle.

Qualley at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017

Her first movie role was a small part in the 2013 film Palo Alto. A year later, she was cast in the HBO series The Leftovers, where she played Jill Garvey for all three seasons.

In 2016, she appeared in the comedy movie The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. She also starred in a well-known commercial for KENZO World, where she showed off her dance skills. In 2017, she acted in the movies Novitiate and Death Note.

Breakthrough Success

The year 2019 was a big one for Qualley. She starred in the Netflix science-fiction movie IO. She also played dancer Ann Reinking in the TV miniseries Fosse/Verdon. Her performance earned her a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

That same year, she played a character named Pussycat in Quentin Tarantino's hit film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She also appeared in the video game Death Stranding as the characters Mama and Lockne.

In 2021, Qualley starred in the Netflix miniseries Maid. She played Alex, a young mother trying to make a better life for her daughter. The role was a huge success and earned her nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Qualley at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival

Since then, Qualley has continued to star in interesting films. She worked with director Yorgos Lanthimos on Poor Things (2023) and Kinds of Kindness (2024). In 2024, she also starred in the horror film The Substance with Demi Moore.

Personal Life

Qualley is close with her sister, Rainey Qualley, and has called her "my idol, my best friend in the whole world."

In 2020, she began dating actor Shia LaBeouf after they appeared in a music video together. Their relationship ended in early 2021.

On August 19, 2023, Qualley married musician Jack Antonoff. The singer Lana Del Rey wrote a song about her called "Margaret" for her 2023 album.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2013	Palo Alto	Raquel
2016	The Nice Guys	Amelia Kuttner
2017	Novitiate	Cathleen Harris
	The Vanishing of Sidney Hall	Alexandra
	Death Note	Mia Sutton
2018	Donnybrook	Delia Angus
2019	Io	Samantha "Sam" Walden
	Native Son	Mary Dalton
	Adam	Casey Freeman
	Once Upon a Time in Hollywood	"Pussycat"
	Strange but True	Melissa Moody
	Seberg	Linette Solomon
2020	My Salinger Year	Joanna Rakoff
2022	Stars at Noon	Trish Johnson
	Sanctuary	Rebecca	Also executive producer
2023	Poor Things	Felicity
2024	Drive-Away Dolls	Jamie Dobbs
	Kinds of Kindness	Vivian / Martha / Ruth / Rebecca
	The Substance	Sue
2025	Blue Moon	Elizabeth Weiland
	Honey Don't!	Honey O'Donahue
	Happy Gilmore 2	Sally
2026	The Dog Stars	Cima	Filming

Television

Video games

Awards and Nominations

This is a list of some of the major awards Margaret Qualley has been nominated for or has won.

See also

In Spanish: Margaret Qualley para niños