Erik Estrada

Erik Estrada skyrocketed to global fame as the motorcycle-riding Officer Frank “Ponch” Poncherello on the iconic NBC series CHiPs (1977–1983), appearing in all 139 episodes and becoming a pop-culture phenomenon with his megawatt smile and trademark mirrored sunglasses.

The role earned him Teen Idol status, Top 10 rankings on TV Guide’s most popular stars list, and People magazine’s “10 Sexiest Bachelors in the World.” Estrada later reprised Ponch in the 1998 reunion movie CHiPs ’99.

Beyond CHiPs, Estrada starred in numerous films including Don Murray’s Action/Crime movie The Cross and the Switchblade (1970) with Pat Boone, the disaster epic Midway (1976), Airport (1975), Trackdown (1976), Hour of the Assassin (1987), and the cult sci-fi Lightblast (1985). He headlined the 1993–1994 telenovela-style action series Dos Mujeres, Un Camino in Mexico, winning TVyNovelas Awards and massive Latin American popularity. In the U.S., he starred in the syndicated drama Hunter (1990), the sci-fi mini-series Vanishing Son (1995), and guest-starred on The Nanny, Family Guy, Drake & Josh, According to Jim, and My Name Is Earl.

From 1998 onward, Estrada portrayed real-life law enforcement in reality television: World’s Wildest Police Videos, Armed & Famous, and as a reserve police officer in series such as Real Stories of the Highway Patrol and multiple departments’ actual patrol duties. He voiced characters in Sealab 2021 (2000–2005) as Marco. He appeared in animated shows like King of the Hill and Maya & Miguel.