Biography
An imposing stage actor from Ohio and a true screen pioneer, Charles K. French (born Strauss) appeared with the famed Biograph stock company before organizing his own production entity, The Navajo Film Co. That venture lasted only a year, 1914-1915, and French returned to the ranks of actors for hire. Sporting a formidable beard, French was often cast in historical settings, notably
Thomas Ince's
Civilization (1916) as the prime minister, D. W. Griffith's
Abraham Lincoln (1924) as Enlow, and
Raymond Griffith's Hands-Up (1926) as Brigham Young. In between, he played countless fathers, military officers, and the like, often opposite such stars as
Tom Mix and
Hoot Gibson, and continued in films until his retirement in 1944. French was the father of B-Western regular
Ted French (1899-1978) and grandfather of
Little House on the Prairie star
Victor French (1934-1989). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide