Victor French Biography

Victor French was an American actor best known for his roles of Isaiah Edwards in the TV series ‘Little House on the Prairie’ and Mark Gordon in ‘Highway to Heaven’. He was famous as a leading television villain due to his heavy physique and gruff countenance which made him a perfect fit for a thug. He made his film debut as an uncredited front desk clerk in ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1960). He loved boxing as a child but instead of jumping into rings, he accepted the role in CBS television western series ‘Gunsmoke,’ in which he made 23 appearances, and also directed several episodes. His stereotypical image was broken in ‘Little House on the Prairie’ in which he played the role of a scruffy farmer Isaiah Edwards. The credit for his image makeover goes to his co-star and life-long friend Michael Landon with whom he also appeared in ‘Highway to Heaven’ (1984). A chain smoker for the most of his life, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died at the age of 54. He was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City in 1998.