Margaret Qualley

Margaret Qualley is an American actress, model, and former dancer who has rapidly emerged as one of the most compelling performers of her generation. Born on October 23, 1994, in Kalispell, Montana, she is the daughter of actress Andie MacDowell and former model and contractor Paul Qualley. Despite growing up with a famous mother, Qualley carved her own path, initially training as a ballet dancer and attending the North Carolina School of the Arts before transitioning to acting.

Qualley’s early career included modeling work, including an appearance as a debutante at the prestigious Bal des Debutantes in Paris, and she was signed by IMG Models. Her acting career began with a role in the television series The Leftovers (2014-2017), where her performance as Jill Garvey earned critical praise. She then appeared in films like The Nice Guys (2016) and Death Note (2017), gradually building her resume with diverse and challenging roles.

Her career took a major leap forward with her role as Pussycat in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), where she shared the screen with Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. She followed this with the Netflix limited series Maid (2021), based on the memoir by Stephanie Land, in which she delivered a tour-de-force lead performance as a young mother escaping domestic abuse. The series was one of Netflix’s most-watched shows, and her performance opposite her real-life mother Andie MacDowell earned widespread acclaim.

Qualley has continued to take on ambitious projects, starring in Claire Denis’s Stars at Noon, the Yorgos Lanthimos film Poor Things (in a supporting role), and the thriller series The Substance (2024). She married actor Jack Antonoff in 2023. With her combination of indie credibility, blockbuster appearances, and a growing list of lead roles, Qualley has established herself as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand young actresses.