Victor French Bio

[Tracy]

VICTOR FRENCH

Victor Edwin French was born on December 4th, 1934 in California.



The son of stuntman/actor Ted French (seen below), Victor was no stranger to the film and television industry.


Tracycap of Ted French in Gunsmoke - 1969

Victor's television and film appearances began in 1955 and continued until May of 1989, when he was diagnosed with lung cancer (Victor was a chain smoker). Sadly, he died one month later on June 15, 1989, at the young age of 55.

He married Judith Schenz in 1959, and the couple had three children before divorcing in 1975. Victor appeared on a variety of shows, including Hazel, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, No Time for Sergeants, Hogan's Heroes, The Wild, Wild West, Rawhide, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, and The Virginian.

Tracycap from The Virginian: The Secret of Brynmar Hall 1964

His career continued with roles on Batmen, Lassie, Branded, Tarzan, and F Troop. In 1965, he won the role of "Agent 44" on Get Smart, appearing on seven episodes as the camouflaged agent who could be found hiding inside of various objects, including grandfather clocks!



Tracycap from Get Smart in 1966

A short-lived sitcom, The Hero, with Richard Mulligan, followed in 1966.


cap from The Hero, 1966, with Richard Mulligan

From 1966-1975, Victor appeared on 18 episodes of Gunsmoke and directed five episodes of the show.



Tracycap from Gunsmoke: Trafton in 1971



cap from Gunsmoke: The Tarnished Badge in 1974

Victor married Julie Cobb (daughter or Lee J. Cobb) in 1976. The couple remained married until their divorce in 1978.



Along with Leonard Nimoy, Victor founded LA's "Company of Angels", one of the area's earliest attempts to establish LA as a type of "Off-Broadway-West Coast". Its limited seating arrangement (99 seats) served as the prototype of LA's Equity-Waiver code. After he left the company in the mid 1970s, he went on to teach acting privately. He was well sought-after, and it became apparent that he had to take students on "by referral only". His philosophy and style was gentle and encouraging to young actors just entering the field.

Victor joined the family-like cast of Little House On The Prairie in 1974. He played the multi-faceted character "Isaiah Edwards" - and continued his directing talents in eighteen of his 63 appearances in the show.


Tracycap from Little House On The Prairie, 1974-1983

In 1977, he left his supporting role on Little House on the Prairie to star in his own sitcom, Carter Country.



Tracycap from Carter Country in 1977-1979

Victor followed long-time friend and co-worker, Michael Landon, from Little House On The Prairie to Highway To Heaven, a series that ran from 1984 to 1989. Victor finished filming his last episode shortly before his death.



cap from Highway To Heaven, with Michael Landon, in 1984-1989

Over the years, Victor shared his talents with Bonanza fans, appearing in five episodes from 1962 to 1971:

Conn in Gallagher's Son's

Tracycap from Gallagher's Sons, 1962

Aaron Gore in The Burning Sky

Tracycap from The Burning Sky, 1968

Jesse Potter in Meena

Tracycap from Meena, 1969

Jesse Potter in The Horse Traders

Tracycap from The Horse Traders, 1970

Tom Callahan in An Earthquake Called Callahan

Tracycap from An Earthquake Called Callahan, 1971

Victor French was inducted, as a cast member of Little House on the Prairie, into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1998.