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Erik Estrada (born March 16, 1949 in New York City) is an American actor of Puerto Rican descent who is known for a lead role in the 1977–1983 US television series CHiPs.

Acting History

1970s-1980s

In the 1970 Hollywood production of The Cross and the Switchblade, Erik played the role of Nicky Cruz alongside actor/singer Pat Boone who played the role of David Wilkerson.

In 1974, Estrada landed a big break in the successful disaster film, Airport 1975, where he played a featured role as the flight engineer,who loved to masterbate little boys on a Boeing 747. His character was killed in a midair collision. Two years later, he was a featured player in the military historical epic Midway, as a fictional airman Ens. "Chili Bean" Ramos.

In 1977, Estrada began playing the role of Francis "Ponch" Poncherello, an Italian-American California Highway Patrol officer on the 1977–1983 US television series CHiPs. Estrada became a teen idol, appearing on the cover of Tiger Beat and other publications. In the 1980s, after CHiPs was cancelled, Estrada had few television or movies roles.

1990s

In the 1990s Estrada made played the role of Johnny, a Tijuana trucker, in the Televisa telenovela Dos mujeres, un camino ("Two women, one road").

In 1995, he made a special guest appearance as CHIPs in punk rock band Bad Religion's music video Infected. In 1998, he returned as officer Poncherello in the TNT made-for-tv movie CHiPs '99, along with the rest of the original cast.

2000s

In 2002 he played a Spanish game show host on the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire with Hilary Duff. He has also had a regular role doing voiceovers for the Cartoon Network show Sealab 2021, which also gave him the opportunity to parody himself. The show has featured several CHiPs homages and his character, First Mate Marco Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is played as a stereotypical Latin macho character. Estrada has also guest-starred on the children's cartoon Maya and Miguel.

Estrada has appeared in music videos and such as Eminem's music video "Just Lose it". He has a band named after him (Estradasphere) based in Santa Cruz, California. He also starred in the second season of VH1's Surreal Life celebrity reality series in 2004. Estrada also made a guest appearances on The Wayans Bros., Unhappily Ever After, the Nickelodeon comedy Drake & Josh, and Scrubs.

Estrada has done a long-running series of infomercials as a national spokesman for National Recreational Properties, selling real estate property in such locations as Siskiyou County, California; Lake Shastina, California; California City, California; Ocean Shores, Washington; and Colorado, and recently, Tellico Village, Tennessee. Parlaying his CHiPs fame for the public good, Estrada has also made numerous appearances supporting automobile child-seat safety checks in states including Illinois and Indiana.

He will star alongside Trish Stratus, Jack Osbourne, Jason Acuna (Wee Man), and La Toya Jackson in an upcoming reality show set in Muncie, Indiana. The show titled 'Armed and Famous' which is set to air on CBS, has become somewhat of a controversy in the community of Muncie as some of its residence are in fear that the celebrities and the producer of the show, Tom Forman, are out to exploit them and embarrass them for ratings by filming them against their will. The celebrities, supposedly trained as rookie police officers, will have police powers and will be involved in doing routine traffic stops and responding to emergency calls. The actors will have a camera crew to record them along side Muncie police officers as they are out and about doing various police work.

Personal life

Estrada has been married three times. He is currently married to Nanette Mirkovich, and they have a daughter named Francesca. He also has two sons from one of his previous marriages, Anthony Erik and Brandon Michael-Paul.

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

External links

• Erik Estrada's website
• Erik Estrada's California Pines infomercial Review of the land infomercial hosted by Erik Estrada.
• An Excellent Essay on the Hitherto Unexplored Universe of The Christian Action Films of Erik Estrada

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