| Full name | Sarah Margaret Qualley |
|---|---|
| Born | October 23, 1994, Kalispell, Montana |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actress, former dancer, former model |
| Known for | The Leftovers, Fosse/Verdon, Maid, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood |
| Parents | Andie MacDowell and Paul Qualley |
| Spouse | Jack Antonoff (married August 19, 2023) |
| Relationship to Andie MacDowell | Daughter |
Margaret Qualley is an American actress who has built a recognized career across film and television through a range of performances that earned her critical attention and Emmy nominations. Born Sarah Margaret Qualley on October 23, 1994, in Kalispell, Montana, she is the daughter of actress Andie MacDowell and former model and rancher Paul Qualley. While her family name is well known in entertainment, Margaret has developed a body of work that stands clearly on its own terms.
Who Is Margaret Qualley?
Margaret Qualley grew up as the youngest of three children in a family with deep ties to both the entertainment industry and the American Northwest. Her mother is actress and former model Andie MacDowell, and her father, Paul Qualley, worked as a model before becoming a rancher. The family split time between Montana and North Carolina during her upbringing.
From an early age, Margaret trained seriously in classical ballet. She pursued it with enough dedication that it looked for a time like a professional path, but she stepped away from that pursuit at around age 16. After ballet, she moved into modeling before eventually finding her way to acting, which became her primary career.
Her acting debut came in the 2013 film Palo Alto, an ensemble drama adapted from James Franco’s short story collection. The role was a modest entry point, but it marked the beginning of a professional screen career that would grow steadily over the following decade.
From Ballet to the Screen
Margaret’s wider public profile began to take shape through her work on the HBO drama The Leftovers, where she played Jill Garvey, the teenage daughter of the show’s central character. The series ran from 2014 to 2017 and introduced her to a broader audience.
She followed that with a supporting role in the FX limited series Fosse/Verdon, which earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination. The show explored the creative and personal relationship between choreographer Bob Fosse and dancer and actress Gwen Verdon, and Margaret’s performance drew considerable notice.
On the film side, she appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), playing a character connected to the Manson Family. The film had a large ensemble cast and gave her a memorable presence in one of the more talked-about releases of that year.
Her film work has continued to span a wide range. She appeared in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness, both of which reached audiences looking for unconventional, director-driven cinema. She also starred in The Substance and appeared in Honey Don’t!, further establishing her as an actress willing to take on unusual material.
The role that brought her perhaps the most direct critical recognition was the lead in Netflix’s limited series Maid, which earned her a second Primetime Emmy nomination. Based on Stephanie Land’s memoir, the series followed a young mother escaping domestic abuse while working as a house cleaner. The performance was widely praised for its emotional range and sustained intensity.
Appearing Alongside Her Mother in Maid
Maid holds a particular place in Margaret’s career not only because of the Emmy nomination but because it brought her and her mother together professionally on screen. Andie MacDowell played the lead character’s mother in the series — a role that mirrored, at least in structure, their real-life relationship.
The casting drew attention from the press, and both women spoke openly about the experience of working together. MacDowell’s performance in the series was also well received, and the project became a notable professional intersection for two people who had otherwise built entirely separate careers. Margaret carried the lead throughout the series, and the work was very much hers to anchor.
The Qualley Family
Margaret is the youngest of three children born to Andie MacDowell and Paul Qualley. Her parents married in 1986 and divorced in 1999.
Her older sister, Rainey Qualley, has also pursued a career in entertainment. Rainey works as an actress and musician and releases music under the name Rainsford. Like Margaret, she has carved out her own path rather than simply trading on the family name.
Margaret also has an older brother, Justin Qualley, who is the eldest of the three siblings. Both sisters have been active in public-facing careers, while Justin has maintained a much lower public profile.
The family’s connection to Montana remained part of Margaret’s personal identity even as her career took her to Los Angeles and film sets around the world. Readers interested in more on the family’s entertainment background can find further coverage through First Business Mag.
Marriage to Jack Antonoff
Margaret married musician, songwriter, and producer Jack Antonoff on August 19, 2023, in Beach Haven, New Jersey. Antonoff is widely known for his work as a performer with the band Bleachers and as a producer and collaborator for a number of prominent recording artists.
The wedding was covered by several entertainment outlets, and the couple had been public about their relationship in the period leading up to it. In a 2024 interview, Margaret spoke about wanting children in the future, though no children had been reported at that time.
Margaret Qualley came to acting through an unusual route — ballet training, modeling, and a family background that could have defined her before she had a chance to define herself. Instead, she built a career through consistent work across independent and major productions, earned serious awards recognition, and took on a lead role in a streaming series that put her name in front of a large global audience. Her connection to Andie MacDowell is part of her story, but it is not the whole of it.
