# Rainey Qualley
**Rainey Qualley** is an American actress, singer, and songwriter who performs and records music under the name **Rainsford**. Born in New York City and raised in [Missoula, Montana](https://www.edgepedia.org/missoula-montana), and [Asheville, North Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/asheville-north-carolina), she is the daughter of actress [Andie MacDowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/andie-macdowell) and former model Paul Qualley, and the older sister of actress Margaret Qualley[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054). She began her screen career with the 2012 film *Mighty Fine*, spent a period as a Nashville country singer, and then relaunched herself as a pop artist under her first full name, Rainsford[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Rainsford Dubose Qualley; "Rainsford" is her birth name, after her great-great-grandmother[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3958585/) • [3](https://www.asifmag.com/story/rainsford-musician-oh-my-god-single) |
| Born | 1990 in New York, New York (AllMusic lists 1989)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/rainey_qualley) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054) |
| Family | Daughter of Andie MacDowell and Paul Qualley; sister of Margaret Qualley[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054) |
| Screen debut | *Mighty Fine* (2012), as Maddie Fine, alongside Chazz Palminteri and her real-life mother[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054) |
| Country-era release | Seven-track EP *Turn Down the Lights*, Cingle Records, June 2015[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054) |
| Rainsford releases | "S.I.D. (Sunshine in December)" (2016), "Too Close" (2016), EP *Emotional Support Animal* (2018), debut album *Before Blue* (2025)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054) • [5](https://www.indiependent.co.uk/interview-rainsford/) |
| Notable screen credits | *Falcon Song* (2014), *Ocean's 8* (2018, cameo), *Ultrasound* (2021), *Shut In* (2022), *Off the Record* (2025)[6](https://www.metacritic.com/person/rainey-qualley/) |
## Early life and family
Qualley grew up in a family already working in entertainment and fashion. Her mother, Andie MacDowell, is an actress whose films include *Groundhog Day* and *Four Weddings and a Funeral*; her father, Paul Qualley, was a model[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054). She describes her early years in Montana as idyllic, with the family moving to North Carolina when she was nine[7](https://autre.love/interviewsmain/2016/4/11/not-innocent-anymore-an-interview-actress-and-musician-rainey-qualley).
Performance started early. She began dancing at age two, started writing songs as a child, and learned guitar from her father as a teenager[3](https://www.asifmag.com/story/rainsford-musician-oh-my-god-single) • [7](https://autre.love/interviewsmain/2016/4/11/not-innocent-anymore-an-interview-actress-and-musician-rainey-qualley). At nineteen she moved to New York, and in 2012 she served as Miss Golden Globe[7](https://autre.love/interviewsmain/2016/4/11/not-innocent-anymore-an-interview-actress-and-musician-rainey-qualley) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3958585/).
## Acting career
Her first major film role came in the 2012 comedy-drama *Mighty Fine*, where she played the daughter of characters portrayed by [Chazz Palminteri](https://www.edgepedia.org/chazz-palminteri) and her real-life mother[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054). She followed with the short film *Pink & Baby Blue* (2014) and a lead as Sarah Lou in the contemporary western *Falcon Song* (2014)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054). In 2015 she appeared as a model in the final season of *Mad Men*, playing Cindy in a scene opposite [Jon Hamm](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-hamm)'s Don Draper that drew attention despite having no lines[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054) • [3](https://www.asifmag.com/story/rainsford-musician-oh-my-god-single).
Later credits mix independent film and cameo work: a cameo as herself in *Ocean's 8* (2018), a role as Perl in Eddie Alcazar's *Perfect* (2018), Katie in *Ultrasound* (2021), Nadia in *The Shuroo Process* (2021), Jessica in the thriller *Shut In* (2022), and Astor Grey, a rising singer-songwriter, in *Off the Record* (2024/2025)[6](https://www.metacritic.com/person/rainey-qualley/) • [8](https://www.afinfestival.com/people/rainey-qualley/). She also appeared in the 2020 miniseries *Love in the Time of Corona*, shot in her home during quarantine[3](https://www.asifmag.com/story/rainsford-musician-oh-my-god-single). More recent work includes the 2025 films *The Devil and the Daylong Brothers*, *Pig Hill*, and *This Bloody Country*[6](https://www.metacritic.com/person/rainey-qualley/).
## The Nashville years
Qualley moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting and became the flagship artist of the new label Cingle Records[9](https://www.raineyqualleymusic.com/). Her self-written debut EP, the seven-track *Turn Down the Lights*, was produced by Russ Zavitson ([Billy Ray Cyrus](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-ray-cyrus), the Wilkinsons) and songwriter John Ramey (Tracy Byrd, Don Williams) and released in June 2015[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054). SiriusXM's "The Highway" added her single "Turn Me On Like The Radio" as its "Highway Find," and it rose to number 17 on the channel's countdown[9](https://www.raineyqualleymusic.com/).
During this period she performed on the [Grand Ole Opry](https://www.edgepedia.org/grand-ole-opry) stage for the first time on August 28, featured in AT&T's "Country Deep" documentary *My Opry Debut*, and opened shows for [Willie Nelson](https://www.edgepedia.org/willie-nelson), Loretta Lynn, and [Hank Williams Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/hank-williams-jr)[9](https://www.raineyqualleymusic.com/).
## Music as Rainsford
After leaving Nashville, Qualley reemerged as Rainsford, a name she had been given at birth for her great-great-grandmother on her mother's side[3](https://www.asifmag.com/story/rainsford-musician-oh-my-god-single). Her sound shifted from country-pop to an R&B-inflected electropop, beginning with "S.I.D. (Sunshine in December)" in 2016, followed by the similar "Too Close" that fall[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054). She has said the separate name keeps her musical work "more like a special project" distinct from her acting career[3](https://www.asifmag.com/story/rainsford-musician-oh-my-god-single).
Her debut EP as Rainsford, *Emotional Support Animal*, arrived in 2018[10](https://www.nickiswift.com/973795/what-you-should-know-about-rainey-qualleys-music-career/). Later singles included the duet "Brutal" with Anna of the North, written with Charlotte Laurence, and "Crying in the Mirror," whose video was directed by her friend [Cara Delevingne](https://www.edgepedia.org/cara-delevingne) and starred model [Kaia Gerber](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaia-gerber)[11](https://www.pusspussmagazine.com/caturday-with-rainsford/) • [3](https://www.asifmag.com/story/rainsford-musician-oh-my-god-single).
In September 2025 she released her first full-length album, *Before Blue*, which she describes as covering the heartbreak in her life before she met her partner and welcomed her daughter Bluebell[5](https://www.indiependent.co.uk/interview-rainsford/). She has described her earlier songwriting as a "sad girl" era built on personal heartbreak, with newer material deliberately more upbeat[10](https://www.nickiswift.com/973795/what-you-should-know-about-rainey-qualleys-music-career/).
## The two careers together
Qualley has said she was once told she had to choose between acting and music, put acting aside for a time, and then decided to pursue both, using the Rainsford name to separate the two identities[3](https://www.asifmag.com/story/rainsford-musician-oh-my-god-single). Alongside acting and music she has worked as a model, including for brands such as [Louis Vuitton](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-vuitton) and Versace[12](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3311219/who-rainey-qualley-daughter-andie-macdowell-and-sister-substances-margaret-qualley-shes-been-acting?module=latest&pgtype=homepage).
## References
1. [Rainey Qualley Biography, AllMusic (Marcy Donelson)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rainey-qualley-mn0003387054)
2. [Rainey Qualley, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3958585/)
3. ["It's Raining Talent with Rainsford," AS IF Magazine (September 18, 2020)](https://www.asifmag.com/story/rainsford-musician-oh-my-god-single)
4. [Rainey Qualley, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/rainey_qualley)
5. ["Interview: Rainsford," The Indiependent (October 2, 2025)](https://www.indiependent.co.uk/interview-rainsford/)
6. [Rainey Qualley, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/rainey-qualley/)
7. ["Not So Innocent Anymore: An Interview With Actress and Musician Rainey Qualley," Autre Magazine (April 2016)](https://autre.love/interviewsmain/2016/4/11/not-innocent-anymore-an-interview-actress-and-musician-rainey-qualley)
8. [Rainey Qualley at AFIN International Film Festival](https://www.afinfestival.com/people/rainey-qualley/)
9. [Rainey Qualley Music, official bio](https://www.raineyqualleymusic.com/)
10. ["What You Should Know About Rainey Qualley's Music Career," Nicki Swift](https://www.nickiswift.com/973795/what-you-should-know-about-rainey-qualleys-music-career/)
11. ["Caturday with Rainsford," PUSS PUSS Magazine (May 31, 2022)](https://www.pusspussmagazine.com/caturday-with-rainsford/)
12. ["Who is Rainey Qualley?", South China Morning Post (May 22, 2025)](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3311219/who-rainey-qualley-daughter-andie-macdowell-and-sister-substances-margaret-qualley-shes-been-acting?module=latest&pgtype=homepage)
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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 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 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