hiː wʌz wˈʌn ʌv sˈɪks tʃˈɪldɹən bˈɔːɹn tə dʒˈuːl kjˈuːvˈeɪl wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi sˈɪks dˈæʃ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪtiːn ænd ɡɹˈoʊ kjˈuːvˈeɪl wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi θɹˈiː dˈæʃ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd tˈɛn, bˈoʊθ ʌv hˈuːm wɜːɹ ˈɪmɪɡɹənts fɹʌm nˈoːɹweɪ.
He was one of six children born to Jule Qvale (1836-1918) and  Gro Qvale (1833-1910), both of whom were immigrants from Norway.