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Erik Estrada

Erik Estrada was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent. He reached considerable fame as Francis Ponch Poncherello, a California Highway Patrol officer, on the 1977-1983 hit series ChiPs. The role made him a teen idol during the era, and he appeared on the cover of Tiger Beat and other popular publications of the time.

In the 1990s, Estrada made a big comeback portraying a Tijuana trucker in the telenovela, Dos Mujeres, Un Camino (Two Women, One Road), and in 1995, he made a special guest appearance as CHiPS in the punk rock band Bad Religion's music video Infected.

In 2002 Estrada enjoyed portraying the role of a Spanish game show host on the Disney Channel's hit series Lizzie McGuire with Hilary Duff. 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.

Appearing in a series of long-running infomercials, Estrada is a familiar face, selling property in Siskiyou County, California, Lake Shastina, California, Ocean Shores, Waschington, Tellico Village, Tennessee, and various places in Colorado, Arizona, Arkansas and Florida.

Estrada has also often been seen in music videos, most recently in Eminem's Just Lose It. He has a band named after him Estradasphere, based in Santa Cruz, California, and he has also starred in VH1's Surreal Life, the celebrity reality series, and made guest appearances on The Wayan Bros., Unhappily Ever After and the Nickelodeon comedy Drake & Josh, as well as the popular series Scrubs.

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.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2007.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Erik Estrada Facts

OccupationActor
BirthdayMarch 16, 1949 (75)
SignPisces
BirthplaceNew York, New York, USA
Height5' 10½" (1m79)  How tall is Erik Estrada compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Planes: Fire & Rescue
Midway
Templar Nation
CHiPs: The Complete Fifth Season
2 Survive
Twisted Justice
CHiPs: Season 4
Trackdown
Chips: Season 3
Airport: The Complete Collection
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