Victor French

American actor and director (1934–1989)

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|

Victor French

French in 1977

Born|

Victor Edwin French

(1934-12-04)December 4, 1934

Santa Barbara, California, U.S.

Died| June 15, 1989(1989-06-15) (aged 54)

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Occupations|

* Actor
* director

Years active| 1954–1989
Known for|

* Gunsmoke
* Highway to Heaven
* Little House on the Prairie
* Carter Country

Spouses|

* Judith Schenz
(m. 1959; div. 1975)

Julie Cobb

(m. 1976; div. 1978)​

Children| 3

Victor Edwin French (December 4, 1934 – June 15, 1989) was an American actor and director.[1] He is remembered for roles on the television programs Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, and Carter Country.

## Early career

[edit]

French appeared with his father in one episode of Gunsmoke, "Prime of Life", and another episode, "The Wishbone", where he was credited as "Victor Frence", both in 1966. Ted French died in 1978.[2]

French appeared in the war film The Quick and the Dead (1963), which was produced by the theatre arts department of Los Angeles Valley College in Van Nuys, which French attended.[3][4][5] Also in 1963, he appeared as one of the "Spencer brothers" in the movie that was a forerunner of the television series The Waltons titled Spencer's Mountain starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. Both the movie and the series were based upon the same novel by Earl Hamner Jr.

Like his father, French began his television career as a stuntman in mostly Westerns and anthology shows. He guest-starred in 39 television series. Though he had an uncredited role as an office clerk in the film The Magnificent Seven, French's first real Western role was the 1961 episode "The Noose" of the syndicated series Two Faces West. French was cast as Larrimore in the episode "Fargo" on the ABC/Warner Bros. Western series The Dakotas.[citation needed]

French appeared a record 23 times on Gunsmoke, often playing a dangerous or bumbling crook. On October 25, 1971, he portrayed cold-hearted robber and murderer Trafton. French guest-starred in another episode, "Matt's Love Story".

French appeared on The Waltons a year later. In "The Fulfillment", French plays blacksmith Curtis Norton, whose wife could not have children and subsequently adopts an eight-year-old orphan boy who has come to spend the week on Walton's Mountain.

This led to his being cast in his most well-known role as Mr. Edwards in Little House on the Prairie, beginning in 1974.[6]

In other work, French starred opposite Elvis Presley in the 1969 Western, Charro!, and played the recurring character Agent 44 in the NBC series Get Smart in 1965–1966, where he portrayed an undercover spy who showed up in the worst, most unlikely of places (such as a mailbox or a porthole in a boat), and appeared in a few episodes of Bonanza, with Michael Landon. Shortly before being teamed up once again, French made a guest appearance on Kung Fu as a corrupt, bigoted sheriff in 1973. French also guest-starred in episode 24 ("Trial by Fury") of season two of Mission: Impossible, in which he played the informer in a prison. Continuing in that corrupt mode, in 1974 on Gunsmoke, he played the part of "Sheriff Bo Harker", a ruthless & murderous town sheriff in "The Tarnished Badge" (S20E9).

In 1976, French appeared in an episode of the Western series Sara. In 1982, he appeared in the film An Officer and a Gentleman as the stepfather of protagonist Paula Pokrifki, played by Debra Winger.

## Work with Michael Landon

[edit]

French co-starred with Michael Landon on Little House on the Prairie (1974–1977, 1981–1984) as Isaiah Edwards. French also directed some episodes of the show.

From 1977–79, he left Little House on the Prairie to star as a small-town Georgia police chief in Carter Country.

After Little House on the Prairie, he appeared on Highway to Heaven (1984–1989) as Mark Gordon, co-starring with Michael Landon.

## Personal life

[edit]

French had two daughters and a son.[7]

He died at the age of 54 on June 15, 1989, at Sherman Oaks Community Hospital in Los Angeles, California, three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer while filming the live-action segments for Rock-a-Doodle in Dublin. The remaining live-action segments for the film were directed by Don Bluth.[7]

French was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.[8]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1960  | The Magnificent Seven | Front Office Clerk  | Uncredited
1961  | The Clown and the Kid | Patrolman #1  | Uncredited
1963  | The Quick and the Dead | Milo Riley  |
Spencer's Mountain | Spencer Brother  | Uncredited
1968  | Gavilan | Villain  |
1969  | Charro! | Vince Hackett  |
Death of a Gunfighter | Phil Miller  |
1970  | Cutter's Trail | Alex Bowen  | TV film
There Was a Crooked Man... | Whiskey  |
Flap | Sergeant Rafferty  |
Rio Lobo | Ketcham  |
1971  | Wild Rovers | Sheriff  |
1972  | The Other | Angelini  |
Chato's Land | Martin Hall  |
1974  | The Nickel Ride | Paddie  |
The House on Skull Mountain | Dr. Andrew Cunningham  |
The Tribe | Mathis  | TV film
1979  | Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill | Mac  | TV film
1980  | The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story | Anatoly Andreyev  | TV film
Riding for the Pony Express | Irving G. Peacock  | TV film
The Ghosts of Buxley Hall | Sergeant Major Chester B. Sweet  | TV film
1981  | Choices | Gary Carluccio  |
1982  | An Officer and a Gentleman | Joe Pokrifki  |
1983  | Little House: Look Back to Yesterday | Isaiah Edwards  | TV film
1984  | Little House: The Last Farewell
Little House: Bless All the Dear Children

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1955  | TV Reader's Digest | Bill's Henchman  | Episode: "Human Nature Through a Rear View Mirror"
1961  | Two Faces West |  | Episode: "The Noose"
Hazel | Bailiff  | Episode: "A Matter of Principle"
1962  | The Donna Reed Show | Mike  | Episode: "The New Office"
G.E. True |  | Episode: "Circle of Death"
The Virginian | Roy  | Episode: "The Accomplice"
Bonanza | Conn  | Episode: "Gallagher's Sons"
1963  | Hawaiian Eye | Floyd Dillon  | Episode: "The Long Way Home"
The Dakotas | Larrimore  | Episode: "Fargo"
77 Sunset Strip | Deputy Collins  | Episode: "Stranger from the Sea"
Temple Houston | Willie Harrod  | Episode: "Letter of the Law"
Kraft Suspense Theatre | Murderer  | Episode: "A Hero for Our Times"
Grindl | Deputy #1  | Episode: "The Great Schultz"
1964  | The Virginian | Michael  | Episode: "The Secret of Brynmar Hall"
No Time for Sergeants | Leonard  | Episode: "The $100,000 Canteen"
Rawhide | Corporal  | Episode: "Incident at Hourglass"
1965  | Wagon Train | Beal  | Episode: "The Silver Lady"
Hogan's Heroes | Commando  | Episode: "Kommandant of the Year"
Mister Ed | Murphy  | Episode: "Anybody Got a Zebra?"
The Wild Wild West | Arnold  | Episode: "The Night of a Thousand Eyes"
Rawhide | Bartender  | Episode: "The Vasquez Woman", uncredited
Slattery's People | Peter Lindler  | Episode: "The Hero"
Dr. Kildare | Jack  | Episode: "Welcome Home, Dear Anna"
Ben Casey | Dr. Wood  | Episode: "The Man from Quasilia"
My Favorite Martian | Mugs Carson  | Episode: "Lorelei Brown vs. Everybody"
Lassie | Joe  | Episode: "Charlie Banana"
Get Smart | Insurance Man  | Episode: "Too Many Chiefs"
1966  | Batman | Hood No. I  | Episode: "A Death Worse Than Fate"
Get Smart | Agent 44  | 7 episodes
Lassie | Surveyor  | Episode: "The Untamed Land"
Branded | Sheriff  | Episode: "Kellie"
The Hero | Fred Gilman  | 10 episodes
Death Valley Days | Louis Baptiste  | Episode: "Hugh Glass Meets the Bear"
1966–1975  | Gunsmoke | Various roles  | 18 episodes
1967  | Tarzan | Cotonasos  | Episode: "A Pride of Assassins"
F Troop | Corporal Matt Delaney  | Episode: "The Day They Shot Agarn"
Iron Horse | Harry Cleary  | Episode: "Decision at Sundown"
Captain Nice | Anthony  | Episode: "The Week They Stole Payday"
The Beverly Hillbillies | Tony  | Episode: "Robin Hood and the Sheriff"
Death Valley Days | Charbonneau  | Episode: "The Girl Who Walked the West"
Cimarron Strip | Rafe Coleman  | Episode: "Till the End of Night"
The Danny Thomas Hour | Detective  | Episode: "The Zero Man"
Daniel Boone | Blue Belly Sangster  | Episode: "The Ballad of Sidewinder and Cherokee"
The F.B.I. | Lloyd Smith  | Episode: "False Witness"
1968  | Gentle Ben | Turner  | Episode: "Ben the Champ"
Bonanza | Aaron Gore  | Episode: "The Burning Sky"
Mission: Impossible | Leduc  | Episode: "Trial by Fury"
1969  | Lancer | Travis Caudle  | Episode: "The Measure of a Man"
Bonanza | Jesse Potter  | Episode: "Meena"
The F.B.I. | Vincent Roger Tobias  | Episode: "Moment of Truth"
1970  | Daniel Boone | Ess  | Recurring role
Bonanza | Jesse Potter  | Episode: "The Horse Traders"
Dan August | Art Bowman  | Episode: "When the Shouting Dies"
Mannix | Karl Hastings  | Episode: "Figures in a Landscape"
1971  | Bonanza | Tom Callahan  | Episode: "An Earthquake Called Callahan"
Longstreet | Hank Cottle  | Episode: "One in the Reality Column"
Mission: Impossible | Vic Hatcher  | Episode: "The Tram"
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury | Paris Kohler  | Episode: "Operation: Deadhead"
1973  | The Streets of San Francisco | Reggie Norris  | Episode: "Deathwatch"
Kung Fu | Sheriff Aldon Pool  | Episode: "The Ancient Warrior"
The Rookies | Crazy Marvin  | Episode: "Deadly Cage"
The F.B.I. | Vince Riles  | Episode: "Tower of Terror"
1974  | Mannix | Matt Brandon  | Episode: "The Dark Hours"
The Waltons | Curtis Norton  | Episode: "The Fulfillment"
1974–1983  | Little House on the Prairie | Isaiah Edwards  | 57 episodes
1976  | Sara | Achille  | Episode: "Mountain Man"
Petrocelli | Roy Caldwell  | Episode: "The Pay Off"
1977–1979  | Carter Country | Chief Roy Mobey  | 44 episodes
1979  | CHiPs | Victor French  | Episode: "Roller Disco"
1980  | Disneyland | Sergeant Major Chester B. Sweet  | Episode: "The Ghosts of Buxley Hall"
1984–1989  | Highway to Heaven | Mark Gordon  | 111 episodes

## Director (film and television)

[edit]

* Little House on the Prairie \- 18 episodes (1974–1983)
* Gunsmoke \- 5 episodes (1974–1975)
* Buck Rogers in the 25th Century \- episode "The Satyr" (1981)
* Dallas \- episode "Denial" (1982)
* Little House: Look Back to Yesterday \- TV movie (1983)
* Little House: Bless All the Dear Children \- TV movie (1984)
* Highway to Heaven \- 12 episodes (1984–1986)
* Rock-a-Doodle \- co-director (live action segments) (1991)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Victor French, 54, Actor on TV". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 16, 1989. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
2. ^ Harris, Harry (March 25, 1979). "Who needs stardom? Not French". The Philadelphia Inquirer TV Week.
3. ^ Schellie, Don (May 16, 1973). "The Real West". Tucson Daily Citizen.
4. ^ "Symposium on Movie Slated". Los Angeles Times. January 5, 1964.
5. ^ Sar, Ali (January 10, 1964). "'The Quick and the Dead': Two Valley Alumni Show Successful $32,000 Film". The Van Nuys News.
6. ^ Newcomb, Horace (February 3, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television. Routledge. p. 1311\. ISBN 978-1-135-19479-6.
7. ^ a b Folkart, Burt A. (June 16, 1989). "Victor French; Actor, Director on 'Highway to Heaven,' 'Little House'". Los Angeles Times.
8. ^ "Bronze statue of Reagan to be unveiled at awards Western Heritage ceremony packs star power". The Dallas Morning News. Associated Press. March 30, 1998.

## External links

[edit]

* Biography portal
* United States portal
* California portal
* Television portal
* Film portal

* Victor French at IMDb
* About Victor French

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Other|

* IdRef

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced