pedro-gonzalez-2-sized.jpgPEDRO GONZALES-GONZALES
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Date of birth
21 December 1926
Aguilares, Texas, USA
Date of death
8 February 2006
Willcox, Arizona, USA. (natural causes)
Sometimes Credited As:
Gonzales Gonzales / Pedro Gonzales Gonzales / Pedro Gonzales / Gonzales-Gonzales / Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez / Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzales / Gonzalez-Gonzales / Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez / Gonzalez-Gonzalez
Birth name
Ramiro Gonzalez-Gonzalez
Trade mark
Often played "comedy relief" roles in Westerns. Almost always played a Mexican in a service job (barber, bartender, etc.).
Trivia
Grandfather of Clifton Collins Jr.
Was featured in the EPCOT Mexico ride at Disney World.
Brother of Jose Gonzales-Gonzales.
From his appearance on "You Bet Your Life" (1950): Groucho Marx: "If we got together as an act, what would it be called?" Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales: "It would be Gonzales-Gonzales and Marx." Marx (to audience): "Do you believe that? Two men in the act, and I get third billing!"
Had only the most elemental schooling as a youngster and remained functionally illiterate for much of his life.
First came to notice as a contestant on Groucho Marx's quiz show, "You Bet Your Life." His highly amusing personality won him bit parts in films, and he continued to work as a minor supporting player for years.
Jim Beaver
Arizona Range News / October 7, 1998
For 41 years, Willcox area residents have laughed at the comedy of Pedro Gonzales Gonzales during the annual Rex Allen Days celebration.
Appearing as a sidekick to both Rex Allen and Rex Allen Jr., the 73-year-old's energy and attitude continue to delight audiences here in Willcox and around the globe.
Born in Aguilaras, Texas, in 1925, to a Spanish dancer and a trumpet player, Pedro Gonzales Gonzales grew up in the entertainment business.
"My mother was a big star in the silent movies in Mexico. She was a Spanish dancer and she danced with her brother and sister. The three of them danced together for Poncho Villa," Gonzales said.
"My father was a trumpet player. He was playing in a theater in San Antonio, Texas, when my mother came from Mexico to dance in the same theater. They fell in love and got married there in that theater," Gonzales said, adding, "My wife and I also got married in that same theater."
Gonzales was one of nine children growing up during the depression. He was born by a midwife who did not register his birth and Gonzales said that when he was 17 he went to register for the draft but there was no record of his birth. He said it took him two years to get it, and he only obtained with the help of two witnesses who were there when he was born.
"One was 72-years-old and one was 80," he said. As soon as his birth was recorded, Gonzales said the military drafted him immediately. Though he had already started entertaining at a very young age, the military offered him more opportunities to entertain. He said he began performing comedy in Spanish, but it wasn't until he learned English that he began to be successful with entertaining.
"I never learned to speak English too good, but the audience liked it like that," he said. Gonzales also taught himself to play drums, guitar and piano, along with wide variety of non-traditional musical instruments, such as his famous pots and pans.
When television came along, Gonzales was one of the first Hispanic entertainers to break into the business.
"In 1953, I performed with Groucho Marx in his biggest television show ever,"
Gonzales said, adding that John Wayne saw him in that performance and signed him up after the show to perform with him in more movies than Gonzales can remember.
"I think I worked in more than 20 movies with John Wayne, but it may have been more like 30," he said. From then on, Gonzales performed in dozens of movies, including many Walt Disney movies, such as "The Love Bug," and "The Odd Couple."
He met Rex Allen in a studio one day while Allen was there to film "The Frontier Doctor." Allen asked Gonzales to work with them and the two hit it off. To this day, they remain good friends. Neither can remember how many times they have worked together.
In his book, "My life, Sunrise to Sunset," Rex Allen wrote, "Pedro Gonzales Gonzales traveled the country with me for so many years, he is like a brother to me. Every time I needed an act to work on stage with me, I chose Pedro because is a showman,' a hard act to follow. He has never missed a date."
Gonzales is still performing, and not just as an invited guest to the Rex Allen Days celebration in Willcox each year. He just recently finished working in "The Wonderful Ice Cream Man," a Disney film produced by Mel Gibson. His grandson, Clifton Gonzales Gonzales co-starred in the movie with him.
"My grandson's name was Clifton Craig Collins, but he was getting no work. He called me one day to tell me he was changing his last name to Gonzales Gonzales. Then he began to get work," Pedro said.
Clifton Gonzales Gonzales has performed in movies such as the Australian flick "Fortress," and "187," with Samual Jackson. And he's just getting started. "He is now working with Vanessa Williams and Forrest Whittaker in a movie called Light up,'" Gonzales said.
Though Pedro Gonzales Gonzales never went to school and never learned to read or write, he said he has an exceptional memory, and that he has always memorized the scripts his wife, Lee, has read to him.
He has entertained at 41 consecutive Rex Allen Days celebration, more than Rex Allen and Rex Allen Jr. have. This year the Rex Allen Days Museum paid for his trip back to Willcox. At the stage show on Saturday, he joked with the audience that he thought he better show up because he was afraid someone might take away the Willcox alley that is named after him.
Joking aside, Gonzales said he believes that every one of us, "are here in this world to serve. If you have no desire to serve, you have no business being here. I like to see kids laugh, enjoying life. To end a life with drugs is such a tragedy. I just want to say thanks to the world and help to make it a little happier."
By Karen Weston Gonzales / Arizona Range News / October 7, 1998
Mini-Biography
Born Ramiro Gonzalez-Gonzalez in Aguilares, Texas to a Mexican American father and a Spanish mother, Gonzalez-Gonzalez grew up in a talent-filled home. His father was a trumpet player, and his mother was a dancer. His brother was the also actor Jose Gonzales-Gonzales (1922-2000). He left school at the age of seven to join a family act called "Las Perlitas" that toured southwest Texas. As a result, he was functionally illiterate for all of his life. As a result of his illiteracy, he memorized scripts by having his wife read them to him. Gonzalez-Gonzalez married at the age of seventeen and served in World War II. After the war he performed stand-up comedy for Spanish-speaking audiences. [1]
In 1953, he appeared on the Groucho Marx quiz show You Bet Your Life under the name Ramiro G. Gonzalez, where his banter with Marx attracted notice. Marx asked him: "What does the 'G' stand for?" to which he replied "Gonzalez", and explained that both his parents had been surnamed "Gonzales" before being married. So Marx asked: "What does your wife call you: Ramiro or Gonzalez?" He replied "She calls me 'Pedro'", triggering audience laughter. After Gonzales performed a 15-second comic dance to strong applause, Marx complimented his guest's comedic skill, saying: "Pedro, we could do a great act together. We could make a fortune in vaudeville, you and I. What -- what would we call our act, you know, if we went out together? 'The Two Hot Tamales'?" After Pedro deadpanned "Gonzales-Gonzales and Marx", Groucho made an aside: "That's a nice billing. Two people in the act, and I get third place in the billing!" [2]
John Wayne saw his appearance on the program and cast him as comic relief in a number of movies including Rio Bravo, The High and the Mighty and Hellfighters. He also made guest appearances in shows such as Gunsmoke and Wanted: Dead or Alive, as well as the Jerry Lewis film, Hook, Line & Sinker. Wayne also had Burt Kennedy write a TV series for Gonzalez-Gonzales that was never made.[3]
As a result of playing comic relief roles, he was accused of perpetuating negative stereotypes about Hispanic men. However, Edward James Olmos said of Gonzalez-Gonzalez at the time of his death that he "inspired every Latino actor."[4]
He is the grandfather of actor Clifton Collins Jr.
Filmography
Actor
1. "Land's End"
- The Curse of Willis (1995) TV Episode
2. Dazzle (1995) (TV) .... Juan
... aka Judith Krantz's 'Dazzle' (USA: complete title)
3. Ruby Cairo (1993) .... Uncle Jorge
... aka Deception (USA: video title (recut version))
... aka The Missing Link: Ruby Cairo
4. Donor (1990) (TV) (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez) .... Hispanic Man
5. Down the Drain (1990) .... Amigo Rodriguez
6. Ghost Writer (1989) (TV) .... Mr. Carillo
7. Bates Motel (1987) (TV) .... Mexican Gardner
8. Y... se hizo justicia (1986) (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez)
9. Uphill All the Way (1986) .... Chicken Carlos
10. Lust in the Dust (1985) .... Mexican, Hard Case Gang
11. "The Fall Guy"
- The Meek Shall Inherit Rhonda (1981) TV Episode .... Taxi Driver
12. There Goes the Bride (1980) (as Gonzales Gonzales) .... Mr. Ramirez
13. "Disneyland"
... aka Disney's Wonderful World (USA: new title)
... aka The Disney Sunday Movie (USA: new title)
... aka The Magical World of Disney (USA: new title)
... aka The Wonderful World of Disney (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney Presents (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (USA: new title)
- The Love Bug (1979) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez) .... Mexican Driver
- The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin: Part 3 (1971) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzales) .... Bandido
- The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin: Part 2 (1971) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzales) .... Bandido
- The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin: Part 1 (1971) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzales) .... Bandido
14. Dreamer (1979) .... Too
15. Flush (1977) .... Miguelito
16. Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) .... Mexican projectionist
17. Sixpack Annie (1975) .... Carmello
18. Chase (1973) (TV)
19. "Adam-12"
- Anniversary (1971) TV Episode .... Rudlofo Diaz
20. Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) (as Pedro Gonzales Gonzales) .... Ortiz
21. "The Bill Cosby Show"
- The Sesame Street Rumble (1971) TV Episode .... Bob
22. Chisum (1970) (as Pedro Gonzales Gonzales) .... Mexican rancher
23. "The Flying Nun"
- Operation Population (1970) TV Episode .... Farmer
- The Moo Is Blue (1969) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzales Gonzales) .... Gonzalo
24. "The High Chaparral"
- Mi Casa, Su Casa (1970) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez) .... Pepe
- The Firing Wall (1967) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzales) .... Bartender
25. "The Mod Squad"
- Never Give the Fuzz an Even Break (1969) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez) .... Restaurant Owner
26. "I Dream of Jeannie"
- See You in C-U-B-A (1969) TV Episode .... Jose
27. "Mayberry R.F.D."
- Sister Cities (1969) TV Episode .... Santos
28. Hook, Line & Sinker (1969) (as Pedro Gonzales Gonzales) .... Perfecto
29. The Love Bug (1968) (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez) .... Mexican Driver
30. Hellfighters (1968) (uncredited) .... Hernando (houseboy)
31. "Tarzan"
- End of a Challenge (1968) TV Episode .... Sebastian
32. "Hondo"
- Hondo and the Death Drive (1967) TV Episode .... Sancho
33. "The Monkees"
- A Nice Place to Visit (1967) TV Episode .... Lupe
34. Hostile Guns (1967) (as Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez) .... Angel Dominguez
35. The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967) .... Bandido
36. "Laredo"
- Scourge of San Rusa (1967) TV Episode .... Liveryman
- The Treasure of San Diablo (1966) TV Episode .... Gonzales
37. A Taste of Catnip (1966) (voice) (as Gonzales Gonzales) .... Additional voices
38. Daffy Rents (1966) (voice) (as Gonzales Gonzales) .... Additional Voices
39. "I Spy"
- The Conquest of Maude Murdock (1966) TV Episode .... Jaime
40. Go Go Amigo (1965) .... Voice
41. "Branded"
- Fill No Glass for Me: Part 2 (1965) TV Episode .... Jose
- Fill No Glass for Me: Part 1 (1965) TV Episode .... Jose
42. Chili Corn Corny (1965) (voice) (as Gonzales Gonzales) .... Voices
43. "Burke's Law"
... aka Amos Burke, Secret Agent (USA: new title)
- Who Killed the Rest? (1965) TV Episode (as Gonzales-Gonzales) .... Pancho, First Policeman
44. Low Man on the Totem Pole (1964) (TV) .... Pepe Martinez
45. "Perry Mason"
- The Case of the Wednesday Woman (1964) TV Episode .... 'Rosie' Dell
46. "Gunsmoke"
... aka Gun Law (UK)
... aka Marshal Dillon (USA: rerun title)
- The Quest for Asa Janin (1963) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez) .... Bartender
47. McLintock! (1963) (uncredited) .... Carlos
48. "Alcoa Premiere"
- The Hat of Sergeant Martin (1963) TV Episode .... Private Sanchez
49. "Cheyenne"
- The Wedding Rings (1962) TV Episode .... Pepe
50. "The Dick Powell Show"
... aka The Dick Powell Theatre (new title)
- Open Season (1961) TV Episode .... Driver
51. "National Velvet"
- Grandpa Returns (1961) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez) .... Pedro
52. "Wanted: Dead or Alive"
- Baa-Baa (1961) TV Episode
- Triple Vise (1960) TV Episode .... Tomas
53. "The Texan"
- Lady Tenderfoot (1960) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzales) .... Pedro Vasquez
- Trouble on the Trail (1959) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez) .... Pedro Vasquez
- The Reluctant Bridegroom (1959) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzales) .... Pedro Vasquez
- Showdown at Abilene (1959) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez) .... Pedro Vasquez
- Stampede (1959) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzales) .... Pedro Vasquez
54. "The DuPont Show with June Allyson"
... aka The June Allyson Show
- Love Is a Headache (1959) TV Episode .... Firmino
55. The Young Land (1959) (as Pedro Gonzales Gonzales) .... Deputy Santiago
56. "Frontier Doctor"
... aka Man of the West (USA: syndication title)
... aka Unarmed (USA: syndication title)
- South of the Rio Grand (1959) TV Episode
57. Rio Bravo (1959) .... Carlos Robante
58. "Hudson's Bay"
- Black Barrier (????) TV Episode
59. The Sheepman (1958) .... Angelo
... aka Stranger with a Gun (USA: new title)
60. Man in the Vault (1956) (as Gonzales Gonzales) .... Pedro
61. "Sheriff of Cochise"
- The Great Train Robbery (1956) TV Episode (as Pedro Gonzales)
62. "Telephone Time"
- Felix the Fourth (1956) TV Episode (as Gonzales-Gonzales)
63. The Bottom of the Bottle (1956) (as Gonzales-Gonzales) .... Luis Romero
... aka Beyond the River (UK)
64. I Died a Thousand Times (1955) .... Chico
65. Bengazi (1955) (as Gonzales Gonzales) .... Kamal
66. "Willy"
- Willy and El Flamenco (1955) TV Episode (as Gonzales Gonzales) .... Luis Hernandez
67. Strange Lady in Town (1955) .... Trooper Martinez-Martinez
68. Ricochet Romance (1954) .... Manuel Gonzales
69. Ring of Fear (1954) (as Gonzalez-Gonzales) .... Pedro Gonzales
70. The High and the Mighty (1954) (as Gonzales Gonzales) .... Gonzales
71. Wings of the Hawk (1953) .... Tomas
Himself
1. "You Bet Your Life"
... aka The Groucho Show (USA: last season title)
- Episode #2.22 (1953) TV Episode .... Contestant
I think you are correct on the movie I saw him in. I can't believe that I could not remember that he was in Chisum. 
