50 Years of Little House on the Prairie: Victor French (Isaiah Edwards)

 

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

Early career

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.

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. 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 on 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.

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.

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 the protagonist Paula Pokrifki, played by Debra Winger.

Work with Michael Landon

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

French had two daughters and a son.

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.

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

Filmography

Film

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

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)

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)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_French