Born Henry Enrique Estrada on March 16, 1949, in New York City, New York, Erik Estrada is of Puerto Rican decent. Through his various television roles, Estrada would seemingly speak Spanish, but in fact is not fluent and has had to have his lines fed to him through a microphone ear piece. His role as Officer Francis Poncherello on the series ChiPs from 1977 to 1983 created teen-idol status for the young Estrada. He starred in thw show along with Larry Wilcox, however, after four years and a reported conflict over his contract, he left the show two years before it was cancelled.

In the years following his departure from ChiPs, Estrada took roles in television movies and made guest appearances on various television shows. In the early 90s he landed a permanent role on a Spanish soap opera, temporarily reviving his acting career. He has appeared alongside more famous actors and actresses from television on shows like Family Guy, Bay Watch, Martin Lawrence’s brief sitcom Martin, and Walker Texas Ranger. Estrada also briefly played the role of Eduardo Dominguez on the daytime soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful in 2001.

In addition to periodic television appearances, Estrada has made appearances for celebrity charity events and appeared in one particularly popular Diet Dr. Pepper ad, with the working title "ChiMPs" that parodies his ChiPs role. He has also become a spokesman for Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.). Erik Estrada is the voice of Marco Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar Diego Garcia Marquez on the recently ended Cartoon Network series Sealab 2021.

Erik Estrada has been married three times and has three children. He and his first wife, Joyce Miller, were married for roughly one year and had one child together before their divorce in 1980. His second marriage to Peggy Rowe lasted slightly longer at five years and together they had two children. He married Nanette Mirkovich in 1997.

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