Of German, Spanish and Mexican ancestry, Collins and his sister,
Veronica Collins Rooney, are extremely proud of their grandfather, actor
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, often a victim of Latino stereotyping in 1950s/1960s
John Wayne westerns and sitcoms. In tribute, Clifton changed his professional name to Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez in 1990, claiming that he was tired of people not knowing his grandfather or appreciating the significance of his ordeal. He reverted back to the name of Collins in 2000 after the death of his father.