Erik Estrada

His first marriage was to Joyce Miller in 1979. It was however very short-lived and ended in divorce after a few months in 1980.

He tied the knot with Peggy Lynn Rowe, an entertainment executive, songwriter, and producer, in 1985. The couple had two sons before divorcing in 1990.

Erik Estrada is currently married to sound technician Nanette Mirkovich whom he wed in 1997. They have one daughter.

Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada was born on March 16, 1949, to Carmen, a seamstress, and Renildo Estrada, in East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. He is of Puerto Rican descent.

He parents separated when he was just two and he went to live with his mother, siblings and grandfather. He rarely saw his father after his parents’ breakup though his grandfather tried his best to provide the boy with fatherly guidance.

He had a tough childhood growing up in a neighborhood that was notorious for its gang activities and violence. As a teenager he aspired to become a police officer.

While in high school he enrolled in the Drama Club and it did not take him long to realize that he was naturally gifted with acting skills. He easily landed the lead roles in the school plays and decided to pursue a career as an actor.

He studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy following his high school graduation.

Erik Estrada received his first big break when actor cum director Don Murray selected him to play Nicky, a gang leader, in the film adaptation of the book ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’ in 1970. The film garnered much attention because of its powerful anti-drug and life-changing message, and earned Estrada positive reviews from critics.

In 1972, he got the chance to play a rookie officer in the film ‘The New Centurions’. The film marked his first role as a cop, one that he would reprise in several of his future films and television shows. Over the next few years he appeared in films such as ‘Airport’ (1975), ‘Trackdown’ (1976), and ‘Midway’ (1976).

Handsome and talented, he soon won the hearts of his audience and garnered a huge fan following. During the 1970s he also made many guest appearances in television shows such as ‘Medical Center’, ‘Hawaii Five-O’, and ‘Baretta’.

The year 1977 was a very eventful year for him as he grabbed the role of the macho police officer Frank Llewellyn "Ponch" Poncherello in the television drama ‘CHiPs’, which followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol. Actor Larry Wilcox portrayed his straitlaced partner, Officer Jonathan "Jon" Baker.

The show became an immediate success with the audiences and soon Estrada was catapulted to international stardom, winning admiration for his brooding good looks, muscular body, and on-screen exploits. The much loved series ran for 139 episodes over six seasons, ending in May 1983.

Erik Estrada is best known for his role as Frank Llewellyn "Ponch" Poncherello in the television drama series ‘CHiPs’ in which he played a motorcycle police officer of the California Highway Patrol. The show became highly popular and ran for six seasons, establishing Estrada as a highly marketable and famous television star.