Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada (born March 16, 1949) is an American
actor, voice actor, and police officer. He is 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 ran 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. His parents are of Puerto Rican descent.In the
1970 film version of The Cross and the Switchblade, Estrada made his
film debut in the role of Nicky Cruz alongside Pat Boone, who played
the role of David Wilkerson. In 1972, Estrada co-starred with George
C. Scott and Stacy Keach as LAPD Officer Sergio Duran in the movie The
New Centurions. In 1973, Estrada co-starred in season 5, episode 22,
of the CBS TV series Hawaii Five-O: "Engaged to be Buried". In 1974,
Estrada took part in the disaster film, Airport 1975, where he played
a role as the flight engineer on a Boeing 747. His character was
killed in a midair collision. Two years later, he was a player in the
military historical epic Midway, as a fictional airman Ens. "Chili
Bean" Ramos.Starting 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 Monday, 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 (270 kg) motorcycle.
actor, voice actor, and police officer. He is 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 ran 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. His parents are of Puerto Rican descent.In the
1970 film version of The Cross and the Switchblade, Estrada made his
film debut in the role of Nicky Cruz alongside Pat Boone, who played
the role of David Wilkerson. In 1972, Estrada co-starred with George
C. Scott and Stacy Keach as LAPD Officer Sergio Duran in the movie The
New Centurions. In 1973, Estrada co-starred in season 5, episode 22,
of the CBS TV series Hawaii Five-O: "Engaged to be Buried". In 1974,
Estrada took part in the disaster film, Airport 1975, where he played
a role as the flight engineer on a Boeing 747. His character was
killed in a midair collision. Two years later, he was a player in the
military historical epic Midway, as a fictional airman Ens. "Chili
Bean" Ramos.Starting 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 Monday, 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 (270 kg) motorcycle.
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