Victor French (December 4, 1934 - June 15, 1989) was an American actor and director.
Born in Santa Barbara, California, French began his television career as a stuntman in mostly westerns and anthology shows, and guest starred in over 39 series between 1965-1989. He guest starred in Gunsmoke thirteen times, often playing a crook, whether dangerous or bumbling. He was also in a few episodes of Bonanza with Michael Landon at that time. He played the recurring character "Agent 44" in the series Get Smart! in 1965-1966, where he portrayed an undercover spy who showed up in the most unlikely of places (like a mailbox or a porthole in a boat).
French is most widely known for costarring with Michael Landon on two television series:
Little House on the Prarie (1974-1977), (1981-1983, 1984) as Isaiah Edwards (French also directed some episodes of Little House).
Highway to Heaven (1984-1989) as Mark Gordon
From 1977-79, he left "Little House" to star as a sheriff in Carter Country. When the series ended, the actor was surprised that Michael Landon was agreeable to returning the character of Mr. Edwards. French appeared in Episode 8 of Season 6, in Episode 8 of Season 8, then returned full time, starting with Episode 19 of Season 8.
His father Ted French was also an actor and stuntman who appeared in westerns in the 1940s. He also appeared with his son Victor in one episode of Gunsmoke entitled "Prime Of Life" in 1966, as well as a war film in 1963 called The Quick And The Dead. Ted French died in 1978.
After years of heavy smoking, Victor died of lung cancer on June 15, 1989 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 54. Saddened by the loss of a longtime friend and co-star Michael Landon abruptly ended Highway to Heaven. Landon would also die of cancer 2 years later.
In 1998, French was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
External links
Victor French at the Internet Movie Database
WouldYouBelieve.com
Victor French at Find A Grave
This article about an American television actor born in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_French"
Categories: 1934 births | 1989 deaths | American television actors | People from Santa Barbara, California | Deaths from lung cancer | American television actor, 1930s birth stubs
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