Tribute to a Friend and Great Actor: Don Pedro Colley

You may or may not know who Don Pedro was, but if you were alive in the US during the 1960’s and 1970’s, you probably saw him. I had the great fortune of having known him and I called him my friend and my brother. That last is because I loved him like a brother, though we weren’t close to being related by blood. I’m of Cherokee heritage and Pedro was proudly a black.

Pedro was born on August 30, 1938, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. His dad, Pete Colley, was an accomplished piano player. His mother, Muriel, was active in area politics and ran the local chapter of the NAACP.

I first remember meeting Pedro in the early 1960’s. At the time, my family and I were living at Crater Lake National Park. My mother occasionally played the piano on Friday nights in a little tavern in a town called Fort Klamath. The tavern was called the Cattle Crossing, which was appropriate because Fort Klamath was a town of about 100 people, most of whom were cattle ranchers in the surrounding Wood River Valley. Pete Colley, Pedro’s father, ended up playing piano at the Cattle Crossing as well, so my mother and his father would take turns tickling the ivory.

The friendship that grew between my mother and Pedro’s father led to them being invited to visit us at Crater Lake National Park. At first, when they came to visit, it wasn’t taken well. The 1960’s were a time of civil unrest and strict segregation, so people weren’t sure what to think about us being visited by a black family. Then Pete sat down at our piano and my mother and father tactfully opened our windows. When Pete began to play, our neighbors began to stop by as shock was replaced by genuine appreciation. From that time, nobody questioned their visits, though people often stopped by when they did, just to listen to the music. It was at that time that Pedro and I became friends, and I came to call him brother; not entirely in the slang sense.

Even in his youth, Pedro was a big kid. He also excelled in sports. He loved playing football and was interested in track and field, setting state records for the javelin and throwing shot put and discus at Klamath Union High School. In 1960, Pedro tried out for the US track and field team for discus. While he didn’t make the team, he did place 6th in team try-out competition.

After graduating high school, Pedro went to college at the University of Oregon, majoring in architecture. While in college, he had a monumental change in his life. One day when he didn’t have classes, several friends invited Pedro to join them at a try-out for a play. Pedro went and ended up becoming interested in theater. From there, it was a natural step for him to get into acting.

Pedro had an undeniable stage presence, as can be imagined for a large black man standing 6 feet 4 inches and tipping the scale at over 270 pounds, with a booming voice. Among the first big roles he landed was Gideon on the Daniel Boone television show. He also was known for his role of Ongaro in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, playing opposite of Charlton Heston and James Franciscus.

The biggest role he was known for, though, was that of Sheriff “Big Ed” Little of Chickasaw County, on the Dukes of Hazzard TV show. It was because of that show that Pedro did many appearances at conventions around the US and Canada, when he semi-retired, though he did continue to act.

When he wasn’t acting, which was a large amount of the time, he struggled to make ends meet by working at various jobs such as a taxi driver in San Francisco. He also tried to take trips home to an A-Frame cabin Pete Colley built near the small town of Rocky Point, Oregon. When Pedro’s father sadly passed away, the cabin became his home when he wasn’t in California.

Many times, my family and I went to visit Pedro at his cabin, often bringing food and making a very large afternoon meal for all of us. Pedro invariably would groan when he saw us, saying something like, “You are going to make me gain 15 pounds!” It was said in a joking manner since Pedro simply loved good food, though he was perpetually dieting.

Don Pedro Colley was a good friend who had a great and singular wit that could leave a person holding their belly from the laughter. He was very mild mannered but was fast to come to the aid of anyone who needed it. I was and am tremendously saddened to learn that on October 11, 2017, after a year-long battle with cancer, my brother and friend passed away peacefully in his sleep in the hospital in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He is survived by his soul-mate, Roberta, his daughter, Kira, and two grandchildren.

My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. I’m going to miss you, my friend and brother! You were truly one of a kind; a man with a loving heart, strong integrity, and spirit.