Margaret Qualley

Who is Margaret Qualley?
Sarah Margaret Qualley is an American actress. A daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, she trained as a ballet dancer in her youth. She made her acting debut in the 2013 drama film Palo Alto and gained recognition for her supporting role in the HBO drama series The Leftovers (2014–2017).
Qualley then appeared in films such as The Nice Guys (2016), Death Note (2017), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), and performed in the video game Death Stranding (2019). She received critical acclaim and nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards for playing Ann Reinking in the FX biographical miniseries Fosse/Verdon (2019) and the title role in the Netflix drama miniseries Maid (2021). Qualley has since appeared in Yorgos Lanthimos’ films Poor Things (2023) and Kinds of Kindness (2024), as well as in the body horror film The Substance (2024). The last of these earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award.
Quick Details
Full Name | Sarah Margaret Qualley |
Date of Birth | October 23, 1994 (age) |
Birthplace | Kalispell, Montana, U.S. |
Current Residence | New York, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Gender | Female |
Birthday | October 23 |
Age | 30 years |
Height | 5′ 8″ (1.73 m) |
Weight | 58 kilograms (approx) |
Hair Color | Brown |
Eyes Color | Brown |
Parents | Paul James Qualley Andie MacDowell |
Relatives | Rainey Qualley (sister) Justin Qualley(Sibling) |
Spouse | Jack Antonoff (married. 2023) |
Occupation | Actress, Producer |
Years active | 2011–present |
Debut film | Palo Alto (2013) |
Early Life and Education


Sarah Margaret Qualley was born on October 23, 1994, in Kalispell, Montana, to actress and model Andie MacDowell and former model Paul Qualley. She has two older siblings: Justin and Rainey Qualley, the latter an actress and singer. Margaret’s childhood was spent on a ranch in Missoula, Montana, before her family moved to Biltmore Forest near Asheville, North Carolina when she was four. Her parents separated when she was five, and Margaret divided her time between them, as they lived just three miles apart. Her mother’s home remained in North Carolina, where their extended family is also based.
As a teenager in Asheville, Margaret and her sister debuted as debutantes at the Bal des débutantes in Paris. At 14, Margaret left home to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts, where she pursued ballet. She trained extensively, apprenticing at the American Ballet Theatre and studying at New York’s Professional Children’s School. Despite earning an apprenticeship with the North Carolina Dance Theater company at 16, she decided to leave ballet, opting instead to model in New York.
Margaret’s transition to acting began with her attendance at a summer program at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She later enrolled at New York University but left after one semester to focus on acting opportunities.
Career
Modeling
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 walked for Chanel again during their Fall/Winter 2012 show.
She has appeared on the covers and editorials of Evening Standard, Jolie, Teen Vogue, Paper, Elle, W, Hunger, Porter, Document Journal, AnOther, Interview, Vogue (including Vogue Russia and China), Vanity Fair, Nylon, V, The Cut, and C. She appeared in advertising campaigns for Kenzo, Ralph Lauren, Kate Spade, and Celine. Qualley was in numerous campaigns for Chanel, for which she is a house ambassador.
Acting
Margaret Qualley made her on-screen debut in 2013 with a small role in Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto, a part she landed while visiting her then-boyfriend, Nat Wolff, on set. Later that year, she joined the cast of HBO’s The Leftovers as Jill Garvey, a role she reprised for all three seasons until 2017. In 2015, she appeared in the short film L’Américaine for Tory Burch and gained attention in 2016 for her striking performance in a Spike Jonze-directed commercial for KENZO World, showcasing her ballet background. That same year, she appeared alongside Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in The Nice Guys.
Qualley starred in several notable films from 2016 onward. She joined the cast of The Vanishing of Sidney Hall and the Sundance-premiered Novitiate, where she played a young nun questioning her faith. She also appeared in Death Note and Soko’s music video for Sweet Sound of Ignorance with her sister, Rainey. In 2018, she starred in Donnybrook, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Her career soared in 2019 with diverse roles, including the Netflix sci-fi film IO, HBO’s Native Son, and the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon, where she played Ann Reinking and earned Emmy and Critics’ Choice nominations. She also appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as a Manson Family member, earning a SAG Award nomination with the ensemble cast. That year, she starred in Seberg and voiced characters in Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.
In 2020, Qualley featured in Olivia Wilde’s short film Wake Up and the feature My Salinger Year, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2021, her role in Netflix’s Maid earned her Golden Globe and SAG nominations. In 2022, she starred in Claire Denis’s Stars at Noon.
In 2023, Qualley executive produced and starred in the thriller Sanctuary and appeared in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things. She reunited with Lanthimos for Kinds of Kindness, playing multiple roles, and starred in the body horror film The Substance, both premiering at the Cannes Film Festival.
Looking ahead, Qualley will appear in Ethan Coen’s comedy Honey Don’t! alongside Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans, as well as John Patton Ford’s thriller Huntington with Glen Powell.
Personal Life
As of November 2019, Qualley lives in New York. Qualley formerly lived in Los Angeles with her sister Rainey, whom she described as “my idol, my best friend in the whole world”.
Qualley was briefly romantically linked to Pete Davidson in 2019. She began dating actor Shia LaBeouf in 2020 after they were co-stars in Rainey’s music video “Love Me Like You Hate Me”. Qualley and LaBeouf’s relationship ended in January 2021 after controversies began with LaBeouf, including his ex-girlfriend and singer FKA Twigs’s lawsuit against him for sexual battery and assault. In September 2021, Qualley told Harper’s Bazaar that she believed FKA Twigs’s allegations.

In May 2022, Qualley announced her engagement to musician Jack Antonoff. They married on August 19, 2023.
She is 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. Her voice is on the track “Taco Truck x VB” which is on the same album.
Filmography
Margaret Qualley Movies
[Related Content: Margaret Qualley Upcoming Movies]
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2024 | The Substance | Sue |
2024 | Kinds of Kindness | Vivian / Martha / Ruth / Rebecca |
2024 | Drive-Away Dolls | Jamie |
2023 | Poor Things | Felicity |
2022 | Sanctuary | Rebecca |
2022 | Stars at Noon | Trish |
2020 | My Salinger Year | Joanna |
2020 | Wake Up | Jane Doe |
2019 | Seberg | Linette Solomon |
2019 | Strange But True | Melissa |
2019 | Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood | Pussycat |
2019 | Adam | Casey |
2019 | Native Son | Mary Dalton |
2019 | IO | Sam |
2018 | Donnybrook | Delia Angus |
2018 | Light Beings | Girl (uncredited) |
2017 | Death Note | Mia Sutton |
2017 | The Vanishing of Sidney Hall | Alexandra |
2017 | Novitiate | Sister Cathleen |
2016 | Dream Girl | Nora |
2016 | The Nice Guys | Amelia Kuttner |
2013 | Palo Alto | Raquel |
Related Content: 15 Best Margaret Qualley Movies & TV Shows (Ranked)]
Margaret Qualley TV Series
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | Maid | Alexandra “Alex” Russell | Main role (10 episodes) |
2020 | Acting for a Cause | Juliet | (1 episodes) |
2019 | Fosse/Verdon | Ann Reinking | Miniseries (5 episodes) |
2018 | Asesinato en el Hormiguero Express | Herself | Television special |
2014–2017 | The Leftovers | Jill Garvey | Main role (22 episodes) |
Video games
Year | Title | Voice Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Death Stranding | Mama/Lockne | Also provided the 3D model and motion capture for both characters |
Music videos
Year | Song | Artist | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | “Tiny Moves” | Bleachers | Danced as Jack Antonoff’s wife |
2023 | “Alma Mater” | Bleachers | Cameo, as Jack Antonoff’s wife |
2020 | “Love Me Like You Hate Me” | Rainsford | Danced with Shia LaBeouf |
2019 | “Emotions” | Cashmere Cat | Danced as Princess Catgirl using motion capture |
2019 | “For Your Eyes Only” | Cashmere Cat | Danced as Princess Catgirl using motion capture |
2017 | “Sweet Sound of Ignorance” | Soko | As the mascot dancer with sister, Rainey Qualley |
Awards & Nominations
Award | Year | Work | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
Austin Film Critics Association | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
Columbus Film Critics Association | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Performance | Nominated |
Critics’ Choice Awards | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Pending |
DiscussingFilm Global Film Critics | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Bronze |
Dorian Awards | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Performance | Pending |
Golden Globe Awards | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Nominated |
Great Western New York Film Critics Association | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
Hawaii Film Critics Society | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
Houston Film Critics Society | 2025 | The Substance | Best Actress – Supporting Role | Pending |
Portland Critics Association | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Performance Female | Runner-up |
Satellite Awards | 2025 | The Substance | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Nominated |
Saturn Awards | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Pending |
Vancouver Film Critics Circle | 2025 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Pending |
Alliance of Women Film Journalists | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
Astra Film Awards | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
Astra Film Awards | 2024 | The Substance | Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller | Nominated |
Boston Online Film Critics Association | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
Chicago Film Critics Association | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
Chicago Indie Critics Awards | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Runner-up |
Film Critics UK Association | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
Georgia Film Critics Association | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
Indiana Film Journalists Association | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Performance | Won |
Kansas City Film Critics Circle | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
Las Vegas Film Critics Society | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
London Film Critics’ Circle | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Pending |
Michigan Movie Critics Guild | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
Minnesota Film Critics Association | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
MTV Video Music Awards | 2024 | “Tiny Moves” | Best Direction (with Alex Lockett) | Nominated |
MTV Video Music Awards | 2024 | “Tiny Moves” | Best Choreography | Nominated |
Music City Film Critics’ Association | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
North Carolina Film Critics Association | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
North Dakota Film Society | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
Online Association of Female Critics | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
Online Film Critics Society | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Pending |
Philadelphia Film Critics Circle | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
Phoenix Critics Circle | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
Seattle Film Critics Society | 2024 | The Substance | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
Critics’ Choice Awards | 2022 | Maid | Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | Nominated |
Golden Globe Awards | 2022 | Maid | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated |
Primetime Emmy Awards | 2022 | Maid | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Nominated |
Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2022 | Maid | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries/Television Movie | Nominated |
Television Critics Association Awards | 2022 | Maid | Individual Achievement in Drama | Nominated |
Prix Iris | 2021 | My Salinger Year | Best Actress | Nominated |
Critics’ Choice Awards | 2020 | Fosse/Verdon | Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | Nominated |
Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2020 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
Primetime Emmy Awards | 2019 | Fosse/Verdon | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie | Nominated |
Photo Gallery
[Also See: Margaret Qualley Photos, Images, Pictures, Photo Gallery HD Download]