Henry Enrique Estrada[1] (born March 16, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known for his co-starring lead role as California Highway Patrol officer Francis (Frank) Llewelyn "Ponch" Poncherello in the police drama television series CHiPs, which aired from 1977 to 1983. He later became known for his work in Spanish-language telenovelas, his appearances in reality television shows and infomercials, and as a regular voice on the Adult Swim series Sealab 2021.
Estrada was born on March 16, 1949, in East Harlem, Manhattan, New York, the son of Carmen Moreno, a seamstress, and Renildo Estrada.[1] He is of Puerto Rican descent.[2] Growing up, he thought about becoming a police officer but turned to acting after joining the drama club at Louis D. Brandeis High School.[3]
Beginning in 1977, Estrada co-starred as Frank "Ponch" Poncharello in the TV series CHiPs. In 1978, he began training in martial arts with SeishinDo Kenpo instructor Frank Argelander (Frank Landers), to prepare for a two-part episode of the series. The two appeared on the cover of Fighting Stars Magazine that same year, discussing Estrada's training regimen. On August 6, 1979, Estrada was seriously injured while filming a scene on the set of CHiPs, fracturing several ribs and breaking both wrists after he was thrown from his 600-pound (270kg) motorcycle.[2]
Later in 1979, Estrada was voted one of "The 10 Sexiest Bachelors in the World" by People magazine and was featured on the cover of the November issue.[2] Following a salary dispute with NBC in the fall of 1981, Estrada was briefly replaced by Olympic gold medalist and actor Bruce Jenner. Following co-star Larry Wilcox's 1982 departure from the series amid behind-the-scenes friction, Estrada carried the remaining season of CHiPs without most of the supporting cast from the previous four seasons (who were fired due to budget costs), and the show was eventually canceled in 1983. In the 1980s, Estrada appeared in a string of low-budget films. He made a return to series television in a 1987 three-part episode of the police drama Hunter.
In the 1990s, Estrada played the role of Johnny, a Tijuana trucker, in the TelevisatelenovelaDos mujeres, un camino ("Two women, one path"). He shared the main credits with Mexican actresses/singers Laura Leon and Bibi Gaytán. Originally slated for 100 episodes, the show went to 200-plus episodes and became the biggest telenovela in Latin American history.[2] He was reportedly paid one million pesos for that role.[4]
In 1994, Estrada began co-hosting the syndicated outdoor adventure show American Adventurer, which ran until 2004.[5] In 1995, he made a special guest appearance as Ponch in punk rock band Bad Religion's music video "Infected", as well as in the video for the Butthole Surfers's video for "Pepper". He has also been seen on a few episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as himself, seen in a daydream cloud in Hilda's mind and driving a car as Hilda zapped herself in his car.
In 1997, Estrada wrote his autobiography, Erik Estrada: My Road from Harlem to Hollywood.[6] In 1998, he returned as the character Francis "Ponch" Poncherello in the TNT made-for-TV movie CHiPs '99, along with the rest of the original cast.
In 2001, Estrada landed a role on the daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful as Eduardo Dominguez.[7] In 2002, he played a game-show host on the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire with Hilary Duff. He also made a guest appearance on an episode of Spy TV in 2002. He has also had a regular role doing voiceovers for the Cartoon Network show Sealab 2021, where he would parody himself. He also appeared in an episode of another Cartoon Network show, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, which features a character named Moltar who has an obsession with Estrada and CHiPS, as a guest. Estrada has also guest-starred on the children's cartoon Maya & Miguel.
Estrada began appearing in Burger King TV commercials in September 2009. In the ads, he (playing himself) attended a class on endorsing products led by race car driver Tony Stewart. During the spoof, Estrada seeks to understand why American consumers were not interested in purchasing his "Estrada" sunglasses that noticeably had his last name written boldly across the lens.[citation needed]
In 2011, Estrada was a contestant on the second season of the Spanish Univision reality show Mira Quien Baila, a weekly dance competition similar to Dancing with the Stars, in which he finished in third place out of ten contestants. In 2013, he starred in Finding Faith, a film about a young teenager who is kidnapped from a meeting planned online. The story of sexual predation is based on true incidents investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Estrada toured with the film, aiming to educate parents and young people about the dangers of online grooming.[8] Eric played a minor role as a paramedic at the end of the movie in the 2017 movie "Chips"
Activism
In 2000, Estrada was named the international "Face" of D.A.R.E. which is a campaign against drugs.[9][10] He also speaks out for the American Heart Association, the United Way, and the C.H.P. 11-99 Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides benefits and scholarships to California Highway Patrol family members, as well as funeral expenses for fallen officers.[10] Estrada's experience in CHiPs led him to become a reserve officer for the Muncie Police Department in Muncie, Indiana.[11] Estrada became spokesperson for the C.H.P.'s "car seat inspection and installation" program. He has made numerous appearances supporting automobile child-seat safety checks across the country.[12] He appeared in Española, New Mexico, on May 28, 2009, to promote the "100 Days and Nights of Summer" traffic safety and anti-DWI campaign that involves the New Mexico State Police.[13]
Law enforcement
Estrada became a reserve police officer for the Muncie, Indiana, Police Department, depicted on Armed & Famous. From there, Estrada moved to Virginia, where he was an I.C.A.C. (Internet Crimes Against Children) investigator for eight years in Bedford County, Virginia.[14][15] As of July 1, 2016, he was a reserve police officer in St. Anthony, Idaho. In the course of his duties, Estrada has been filmed patrolling on a police motorcycle.[16]
Personal life
Estrada was married to Joyce Miller in November 1979; the couple divorced in 1980 and had no children.[1] Estrada was married to Peggy Lynn Rowe, an entertainment executive, songwriter, and producer[1] from 1985 until 1990, when they divorced. The couple had two sons, Anthony Erik (born 1986) and pole vaulter Brandon Michael-Paul (born 1987). In 1997, Estrada married film sound technician[1] Nanette Mirkovich. They have one daughter, Francesca Natalia (born 2000).[17] He lives in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California[15][18]
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