‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Actor Don Pedro Colley Dies at 79

Don Pedro Colley, who appeared in The Dukes of Hazzard as Sheriff Little in the 1980s and starred in George Lucas’ THX 1138, has died. He was 79 years old.

His friend, William Sowles told The Hollywood Reporter that Colley died on Oct. 11 in Klamath Falls, Oregon, where he was born. Sowles said Colley died after a long battle with cancer.

Colley’s death was reported by the Herald And News on Nov. 5. He is survived by his former partner, Roberta, his daughter and two grandchildren.

Colley, who stood 6-foot-4, starred as Ongaro in 1970’s Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and played a hologram in Lucas’ first film, THX-1138.

His other films included The World’s Greatest Athlete, Herbie Rides Again and Piranha. He was also a regular in blaxploitation films of the 1970s, including Black Caesar, Sugar Hill and many others.

But the role Colley is best known for is playing Sheriff “Big Ed” Little in The Dukes of Hazzard, which aired on CBS. He appeared in 10 episodes of the series.

Colley stopped acting in the mid-1990s, but had appeared in two films in 2016. He was in Midnight Massacre, which he co-directed and Dead End.

Colley’s first roles were in 1967 episodes of Daktari and Iron Horse. He attended the University of Oregon to study architecture, but left to pursue acting.

Photo credit: CBS, Warner Bros. Television / Dukes of Hazzard