| Intro | American actor | ||
| A.K.A. | Donald Joseph Qualls, Donald Joseph “DJ” Qualls | ||
| Is |
Actor Film actor Television actor Model |
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| From | United States of America | ||
| Type |
Fashion Film, TV, Stage & Radio |
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| Gender | male | ||
| Birth | 10 June 1978, Nashville, USA | ||
| Age: | 42 years | ||
| Star sign | Gemini | ||
| Stats |
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Donald Joseph Qualls (born June 10, 1978), known professionally as DJ Qualls, is an American actor, producer, and model. He is best known for his work in films including Road Trip (2000), The New Guy (2002), Hustle & Flow (2005), and The Core (2003), and for several appearances on television series such as Breaking Bad, Supernatural, Scrubs, Lost, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and The Big Bang Theory. He co-starred in the FX comedy series Legit, and recently co-starred in the Syfy horror series Z Nation and the Amazon Studios show The Man in the High Castle.
Early and personal life
Qualls was born in Nashville, Tennessee, one of five children of Donnie and Debbie Qualls. He was raised in Manchester, Tennessee, and attended school nearby. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age fourteen; after two years of treatment, his cancer was said to be in remission. According to Qualls, the chemotherapy at an early age sped up his metabolism and impacted his growth, “It stopped my development,” which explains his slender frame. After graduating from Coffee County Central High School, where he was an active member in the Red Raider Band, Qualls attended King’s College, London, where he studied English language and English literature. He returned to Tennessee enrolling at Belmont University in Nashville, where he also began acting in a local theater company.
In January 2020, Qualls came out as gay on his Twitter account, stating he was “tired of worrying about what it would do to my career,” after announcing it at a Jim Jefferies show in San Diego.
Career
Qualls was an extra in the 1994 HBO film Against the Wall. He landed the small role of Jason in the miniseries Mama Flora’s Family (1998) while participating in community theater. After auditioning for a one-liner in Road Trip (2000), he was asked to come from the Atlanta office to meet producer Ivan Reitman in California. He debuted in Road Trip as shy virgin Kyle Edwards. After this, he worked as a model for Prada and photographers such as David LaChapelle and Steve Klein. In Cherry Falls (2000), he played Wally, another virgin. In 2001, he played Neil Lawrence in Chasing Holden. Qualls also appeared as a Y2K prophet opposite Rami Malek in the sci-fi mystery thriller Buster’s Mal Heart (2017).
In 2002, Qualls played Archie in the film Comic Book Villains, Andrew in the film Big Trouble, Junior in the film Lone Star State of Mind, Dizzy Gillespie Harrison in the film The New Guy, and Rat in the sci-fi film The Core. He starred in the comedy Delta Farce. In 2005, he appeared as Shelby in the film Hustle & Flow. His television work includes eccentric hunter Garth Fitzgerald IV on Supernatural and appearances on Monk, Scrubs, Criminal Minds, Lost, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, CSI, Numb3rs, My Name Is Earl, Breaking Bad, The Big Bang Theory, and Memphis Beat.
Qualls appeared in a cameo in Britney Spears’ music video “Boys” (2001) and was also in the “I’m Just a Kid” music video by Simple Plan (2002). He starred in the Paramount Pictures web series Circle of Eight. He co-starred on the television series Legit as Billy Nugent, a 33-year-old man with muscular dystrophy.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (shared with the cast) | Hustle & Flow | Nominated |