# Margaret Qualley
**Margaret Qualley** (in full Sarah Margaret Qualley, born 1994 in [Kalispell, Montana](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalispell-montana)) is an American actor, dancer, and model known for her roles in the film *Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood* (2019) and the television miniseries *Maid* (2021)[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638). Trained as a ballet dancer until age 16, she moved into modeling and then acting, earning Primetime Emmy nominations for *Fosse/Verdon* (2019) and *Maid* (2022) and a Golden Globe nomination for *The Substance* (2025)[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/margaret-qualley) • [3](https://goldenglobes.com/person/margaret-qualley/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Sarah Margaret Qualley, born 1994, Kalispell, Montana[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638) |
| Training | Ballet from age four; left home at 14 for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; American Ballet Theatre summer workshop at 16, then quit dance[4](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a45206958/margaret-qualley-interview-2023/) • [1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638) |
| Emmy nominations | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, 2019, as Ann Reinking in *Fosse/Verdon*; Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, 2022, as Alex in *Maid*[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/margaret-qualley) |
| Golden Globe nominations | 2022, Best Actress in a Limited Series for *Maid*; 2025, Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for *The Substance*[3](https://goldenglobes.com/person/margaret-qualley/) |
| Breakthrough | *Maid* (2021), based on Stephanie Land's memoir, opposite her mother Andie MacDowell[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638) |
| Yorgos Lanthimos films | *Poor Things* (2023), nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and *Kinds of Kindness* (2024)[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638) |
| The Substance | Body-horror film directed by Coralie Fargeat, released September 20, 2024, with Demi Moore[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/14/movies/margaret-qualley-substance.html) |
| Marriage | Married to musician Jack Antonoff since August 19, 2023[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4960279/) |
## Early life and training
Qualley was born in Kalispell, Montana, the daughter of actress [Andie MacDowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/andie-macdowell) and Paul Qualley[7](https://people.com/all-about-margaret-qualley-famous-parents-actress-andie-macdowell-paul-qualley-8406151). Her older sister, [Rainey Qualley](https://www.edgepedia.org/rainey-qualley), performs as a singer under the stage name Rainsford[8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/margaret-qualley/bio/3000894177/). When the family moved from their Montana ranch to North Carolina, her mother enrolled both daughters in ballet school; Qualley was four years old[9](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/margaret-qualley-interview).
At 14 she left home to study dance as a boarding student at the [University of North Carolina School of the Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-north-carolina-school-of-the-arts)[4](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a45206958/margaret-qualley-interview-2023/). By 16 she was living in New York with the [American Ballet Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-ballet-theatre), dancing Monday to Saturday, eight hours a day[9](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/margaret-qualley-interview). That year, during a summer workshop at American Ballet Theatre, she concluded that the art form was taking too great a toll on her body and mind and gave up ballet as a career[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638). In her own account, persistent knee pain and a limp caused by imperfect hip turn-out convinced her she would never become the dancer she wanted to be, and she walked out mid-class[9](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/margaret-qualley-interview). She had also been weighing a professional apprenticeship with the North Carolina Dance Theater, which she abandoned when she decided in New York that she did not actually want to be a dancer[10](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/margaret-qualley-joanna-rakoff).
The pivot to a new career was quick. Within a week of quitting ballet she had found an apartment and signed with the modeling agency IMG; she debuted at [New York Fashion Week](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-fashion-week) in 2011, modeling for Alberta Ferretti[9](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/margaret-qualley-interview) • [11](https://www.nine.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/margaret-qualley-career-rise-to-fame-explained-20250108-p5po58.html). Five months later she decided modeling was not for her and turned to acting after taking an improvised-acting class[9](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/margaret-qualley-interview). She has also studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London[8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/margaret-qualley/bio/3000894177/).
## Career beginnings and The Leftovers
Her first film role was a small part in [Gia Coppola](https://www.edgepedia.org/gia-coppola)'s *Palo Alto* (2013)[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638). The following year she won the role of Jill Garvey, a struggling, disillusioned teenager, in HBO's *The Leftovers*, which premiered in 2014 and ran for three seasons through 2017[4](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a45206958/margaret-qualley-interview-2023/) • [11](https://www.nine.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/margaret-qualley-career-rise-to-fame-explained-20250108-p5po58.html). The New York Times later described this as a striking debut, made roughly ten years before her 2024 profile[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/14/movies/margaret-qualley-substance.html).
Film work followed through the late 2010s: *The Nice Guys* (2016), [Shane Black](https://www.edgepedia.org/shane-black)'s picture; *Novitiate* (2017); a role opposite [Brad Pitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-pitt) in [Quentin Tarantino](https://www.edgepedia.org/quentin-tarantino)'s *Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood* (2019); and *My Salinger Year* (2020), in which she played the author Joanna Rakoff's younger self[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638). Rakoff chose Qualley as her first and only pick for the part after seeing her on *The Leftovers*[10](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/margaret-qualley-joanna-rakoff).
## Television breakthrough: Fosse/Verdon and Maid
In the 2019 FX miniseries *Fosse/Verdon*, Qualley played the dancer and choreographer [Ann Reinking](https://www.edgepedia.org/ann-reinking), a performance that brought her first Primetime Emmy nomination, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/margaret-qualley). She was also nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for the role[11](https://www.nine.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/margaret-qualley-career-rise-to-fame-explained-20250108-p5po58.html).
A breakthrough for Qualley came with the 2021 Netflix miniseries *Maid*, adapted from [Stephanie Land](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephanie-land)'s identically titled memoir, which centers on Alex Russell, a young mother who, having escaped an abusive relationship, fights to support her child.[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638) She appeared on screen opposite her mother, Andie MacDowell, and reviewers found her performance grounding in a series that was otherwise not exactly naturalistic[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638). The role earned her the 2022 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/margaret-qualley), a 2022 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series[3](https://goldenglobes.com/person/margaret-qualley/), and Golden Globe nominations for both Qualley and [MacDowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/macdowell)[7](https://people.com/all-about-margaret-qualley-famous-parents-actress-andie-macdowell-paul-qualley-8406151). She also received a [Screen Actors Guild](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild) nomination for the performance[11](https://www.nine.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/margaret-qualley-career-rise-to-fame-explained-20250108-p5po58.html).
## Film career and director collaborations
Across the 2020s Qualley moved between independent film and commercial cinema. She was part of the Screen Actors Guild-nominated ensemble of *Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood*, and she starred in *Sanctuary*, a talky two-hander in which she plays a dominatrix[11](https://www.nine.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/margaret-qualley-career-rise-to-fame-explained-20250108-p5po58.html) • [4](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a45206958/margaret-qualley-interview-2023/).
Her collaboration with the director [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://www.edgepedia.org/yorgos-lanthimos) spans two features: *Poor Things* (2023), which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and *Kinds of Kindness* (2024)[1](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638). Lanthimos, who also cast her in his subsequent film then titled *And*, described her working method: "She's willing to try things without questioning anything, and she loves to explore"[4](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a45206958/margaret-qualley-interview-2023/).
In the twelve months before September 2024 she appeared in *Poor Things*, *Drive-Away Dolls*, Ethan Coen's road picture, and *Kinds of Kindness*[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/14/movies/margaret-qualley-substance.html). The run culminated in *The Substance*, directed by Coralie Fargeat and released on September 20, 2024, a body-horror film in which Demi Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an actress who injects herself with a mysterious serum attempting to recapture her fading youth; the serum produces the younger Sue, played by Qualley[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/14/movies/margaret-qualley-substance.html). The film earned Qualley a 2025 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture[3](https://goldenglobes.com/person/margaret-qualley/).
## Recognition and current projects (2024-2026)
By September 2024, at 29, Qualley had accumulated Emmy-nominated performances in *Fosse/Verdon* and *Maid*, about a decade after her *The Leftovers* debut[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/14/movies/margaret-qualley-substance.html). Her 2024-2025 slate showed a dense production pace: when the Times profiled her she had just returned from shooting three back-to-back films, Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke's *Honey Don't!*, John Patton Ford's *Huntington*, and Richard Linklater's *Blue Moon*[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/14/movies/margaret-qualley-substance.html). As of January 2025 she remained an ambassador for the French fashion house Chanel[11](https://www.nine.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/margaret-qualley-career-rise-to-fame-explained-20250108-p5po58.html).
## Personal life and family
Qualley's family ties run through the industry on both sides. Her mother is Andie MacDowell, with whom she shared the screen in *Maid*; her father is Paul Qualley; and her sister Rainey Qualley records music as Rainsford, whose music video "Rendezvous" Margaret directed[7](https://people.com/all-about-margaret-qualley-famous-parents-actress-andie-macdowell-paul-qualley-8406151) • [8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/margaret-qualley/bio/3000894177/). The sisters live together in Los Angeles when Qualley is not working[9](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/margaret-qualley-interview). She married the musician Jack Antonoff on August 19, 2023[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4960279/).
## References
1. [Margaret Qualley, Britannica](https://kids.britannica.com/scholars/article/Margaret-Qualley/643638)
2. [Margaret Qualley, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/margaret-qualley)
3. [Margaret Qualley, Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/person/margaret-qualley/)
4. [Margaret Qualley on Jack Antonoff, Kids, Acting, and Her Parents, Harper's Bazaar](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a45206958/margaret-qualley-interview-2023/)
5. [Margaret Qualley Is Getting the Hang of Being a Movie Star, The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/14/movies/margaret-qualley-substance.html)
6. [Margaret Qualley, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4960279/)
7. [All About Margaret Qualley's Famous Parents, Actress Andie MacDowell and Paul Qualley, People](https://people.com/all-about-margaret-qualley-famous-parents-actress-andie-macdowell-paul-qualley-8406151)
8. [Margaret Qualley Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/margaret-qualley/bio/3000894177/)
9. [Margaret Qualley: The Vogue Interview, British Vogue](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/margaret-qualley-interview)
10. [Margaret Qualley Is a Bookworm at Heart, Interview Magazine](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/margaret-qualley-joanna-rakoff)
11. [Margaret Qualley's career and rise to fame, explained, Nine.com.au](https://www.nine.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/margaret-qualley-career-rise-to-fame-explained-20250108-p5po58.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Pi to Q*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license