Erik Estrada
Officier Francis Llewellyn 'Ponch' Poncherello in CHiPs
Birth name : Henry Enrique Estrada
Birth date : 1949/03/16 (76 years old)
Birth place : New-York (USA)
Height: 1.79 m
Biography for Erik Estrada
Erik Estrada (born March 16, 1949) is a Puerto Rican actor who reached considerable fame as Francis "Ponch" Poncherello, a California Highway Patrol cop, on the 1977-1983 US television series CHiPs.
Estrada became a teen idol during the era, appearing on the cover of Tiger Beat and other publications. This allegedly caused the jealousy of one of his CHiPs co-workers, and the series was cancelled after six seasons.
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 the 1980s, Estrada had little luck trying to get back into television or movies, but in the 1990s he made a comeback: He played Johnny, a Tijuana trucker, in the Televisa telenovela Dos Mujeres, un Camino. He earned one million dollars for that work and became famous again.
In 2001 he made a brief comeback, playing a principal in Hilary Duff's tv show, Lizzie McGuire. He has also had a regular role doing voice work 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-man. Estrada also appears in a long-running series of infomercials, selling property in Siskiyou County, California.
He has also often been seen in music videos and most recently appeared 2004 in Eminem's music video Just Lose it
Having become famous thanks to his role in Chips, Erik Estrada appeared in many series under his real name or that of Ponch. When we offer fictitious roles, it is to play a police officer. This is the case in Rick Hunter or Malibu alert. His career crashed on the planet of the Z series. We even saw Erik Estrada playing a recurring character in a Mexican telenovela. The renewed interest in the series allowed him to resurface.
Erik Estrada is an American actor known for his role as police officer Francis "Ponch" Poncherello in the 1970s television series "Chips". Estrada began her acting career in the 1960s and has played in many films and television series over the decades. In addition to his emblematic role in "Chips", he was also seen in productions such as "Airwolf", "Fantasy Island" and "The King of Queens".
Photos
Filmography
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Code Black (2005) (announced) | |
| Taylor Made (2005) (TV) | William Santos |
| Maya & Miguel (2004) TV Series (voice) | Senor Felipe |
| Destroying America (2001) (V) | |
| UP, Michigan! (2001) | Edward Manchester |
| Sealab 2021 (2000) TV Series (voice) | Marco Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar Diego Garcia Marquez |
| Oliver Twisted (2000) | Dr. Castaneda |
| King Cobra (1999) | Bernie Alvarez |
| CHiPs '99 (1998) (TV) | Officer Frank 'Ponch' Poncherello |
| Lost In Hollywood (1998) (V) | |
| The Modern Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1998) | Joe |
| Shattered Dreams (1998) | Fredrick |
| Noi siamo angeli (1997) (mini) TV Series | Graciano |
| Panic in the Skies! (1996) (TV) | Ethan Walker |
| Visions (1996) | Detctive Francisco Moreno |
| The Final Goal (1995) | Rameriez |
| The Misery Brothers (1995) | Erik Estrada |
| American Adventure (1994) TV Series | Host |
| Juana la Cubana (1994) | |
| Dos mujeres, un camino (1993) TV Series | Juan Daniel Villegas 'Johnny' |
| Angel Eyes (1993) | Johnny Ventura |
| Extralarge: Gonzales' Revenge (1993) (TV) | Gonzales |
| Tuesday Never Comes (1993) | Mecelli |
| Spirits (1992) | Father Anthony Vicci |
| The Naked Truth (1992) | Gonzales |
| The Sounds of Silence (1992) | |
| Noleul bola america (1991) | Billy's Father |
| Earth Angel (1991) (TV) | Duke |
| The Divine Enforcer (1991) | |
| Do or Die (1991) | Richard Estaban |
| Extralarge: Cannonball (1991) (TV) | Gonzales |
| The Image Workshop (1991) TV Series | Host |
| The Last Riders (1991) | Johnny |
| Night of the Wilding (1990) | Joseph |
| Twisted Justice (1990) | Commander Gage |
| A Show of Force (1990) | Machado |
| Guns (1990) | Juan Degas/Jack of Diamonds |
| The Lost Idol (1990) | |
| She Knows Too Much (1989) (TV) | Jimmy Alvarez |
| Alien Seed (1989) | Dr. Stone |
| Caged Fury (1989) | Victor |
| The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission (1988) (TV) | Carmine D'Agostino |
| Andy Colby's Incredible Adventure (1988) | |
| Hour of the Assassin (1987) | Martin Fierro |
| Rosa salvaje (1987) TV Series | |
| Pentito, Il (1985) | Lercara |
| Colpi di luce (1985) | |
| Grandpa, Will You Run with Me? (1983) (TV) | |
| Solo corazón, Un (1983) TV Series | Luis |
| Where Is Parsifal? (1983) | Henry Board II |
| Honeyboy (1982) (TV) | Rico 'Honeyboy' Ramirez |
| The Line (1980) | Chico |
| CHiPs (1977) TV Series | Officer Francis Llewellyn 'Ponch' Poncherello |
| Fire! (1977) (TV) | Frank |
| Midway (1976) (uncredited) | Pilot Ramos |
| Trackdown (1976) | Chucho |
| The Demon and the Mummy (1976) | Pepe Torres |
| The Quest: The Longest Drive (1976) (TV) | Santos |
| Airport 1975 (1974) | Julio |
| The New Centurions (1972) | Sergio |
| Parades (1972) | Chicano |
| The Ballad of Billie Blue (1972) | Justin |
| The Cross and the Switchblade (1970) | Nicky Cruz |
Trivia
- Played in a Mexican "telenovela" (soap opera) in the early '90's. Unlike many characters he's played, Estrada doesn't speak Spanish, so his lines were fed to him over an earphone during production.
- Has his own Official Website that he and his wife answer all their fans emails and talk with them on the forum.
- Is the face of D.A.R.E. an organization for a drug-free america.
- Is a spokesperson for Smoke Signals Communications.
- Left "CHiPs" in the fall of 1981 over a contract salary dispute with NBC & was briefly replaced by 1976 Olympic Decathalon Gold Medalist Bruce Jenner.
- appears as a motorist stopped by 2 chimpanzee motorcycle highway cops in "CHimPs", a Diet Dr. Pepper ad which is a send-up of his signature TV show "CHiPs" (NBC 1977-1983). [March 2002]
- Once went to Thailand to attempt to circumvent the Screen Actors Guild and secure a sub-union job, the only work he could find.
- Puerto Rican by ethnicity.
- When he landed Johnny in "Dos Mujertes, Un Camino," he had to take 30 straight 8-hour days of Berlitz Spanish lessons before he could begin. Originally slated for 100 episodes, the show went to 400-plus episodes, became the biggest telenovela in Latin American history and revived Estrada's nowhere career.
Quotes
In 1994 interview about CHiPS: "We never drew out guns on our show. Ours was a more informational type of show with a lot of kids in it. It was a totally different show than what they do today."
Family
- Spouse : Nanette Mirkovich (20 September 1997 - present), Peggy Rowe (1985 - 1990) (divorced) 2 sons, Joyce Miller (1979 - 1980) (divorced) 1 stepson.
- Daughter, Francesca Natalia, born 5 January 2000 in Burbank, CA
Author of the card
- Creation date: 01/07/2003 by abdest