Victor French

Victor French
Victor French as Roy Mobey in Carter Country
Born	Victor Edwin French (1934-12-04)December 4, 1934 Santa Barbara, California, United States
Died	June 15, 1989(1989-06-15) (aged 54) Los Angeles, California, United States
Cause of death	Lung cancer
Resting place	Ashes scattered at sea near Santa Barbara
Years active	1954–1989
Spouse(s)	Judith Schenz (1959–?) Julie Cobb (1976–1978)
Children	3

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

Born in Santa Barbara, California, to Ted French, an actor and stuntman who appeared in westerns in the 1940s, French later appeared with his father 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.

Following in his father's footsteps, French also began his television career as a stuntman in mostly westerns and anthology shows. During this period, he guest starred in some thirty-nine television series. Though he was uncredited 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; his fellow guest star on the segment was L.Q. Jones, another actor destined to become well known in western roles. French was cast as Larrimore in the episode "Fargo" on the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, The Dakotas.

French appeared twenty-three times on Gunsmoke, often playing a crook, whether dangerous or bumbling. On October 25, 1971, he portrayed a cold-hearted gunman named "Trafton", who while robbing the communion vessels in a Roman Catholic church murders a priest. As the clergyman lies dying, he forgives his killer, a development which dogs Trafton, who holds human life in low regard, for the entire episode until he is shot to death by Marshal Matt Dillon. French guest starred in another episode, titled Matt's Love Story, in which Dillon falls in love with a character played by Michael Learned. This episode would then lead to the story line in the 1990 made-for-television movie, Gunsmoke: The Last Apache in which Matt rejoins with Learned's character "Mike" and he learns that he has a grown daughter.