Biography of Erik Estrada :: History

Biography of Erik Estrada (Frank Poncherello) Erik was born on March 16, 1949 as Henry Enrique Estrada in NY City. Back around 1968, he was in a dance troupe and earned $38 a week with free lunches and all the acting lessons he could take. In return, he had to perform daily in downtown Los Angeles. He had a 10-day hospital stay in August 1979 caused by on-set accident when he was thrown from his motorcycle and the 900-pound bike landed on him. At 5'10'', 160 pounds, he was an inch shorter and 15 pounds lighter than Wilcox. But his physical fitness routine helped him rebound from his injury: 240 situps and 120 push ups on a daily basis. He is going through custody disputes about his two boys and he has "a steady girl". Erik was voted as one of "The 10 Sexiest Bachelors in the World" in People Magazine on November 19, 1979. The cover features Erik towering above the other men (Willie Ames included) at the top of the page, cutting into the People sign, with nothing but a big smile and a towel lying across his shoulder. The magazine says, For all his raw physical appearance, Estrada regards himself as "gentle, kind and considerate." He buys his dates jewelry and treats them to champagne and sushi evenings. But Estrada has grown cunning. "In the past, women I've dated always decided to be actresses. I was just a means to an end for them." So what does he really look for in a woman? The actor flashes a huge smile. "T&A" Erik lives out in the San Fernando Valley. He's up in the hills behind the Burbank airport and south of Universal Studios. His house is way at the top of this hill and it's easy to spot. He did an interview on the Mexican Channel from some show called CONTROL and it shows you where Erik lives and the inside of his house. He has two "CHiPs" motorcycles (sans the engines) sitting in the middle of the house and old magazines with his picture on the cover (TV Guide, People) plastered all over the walls. He has really unusual wall paper (stripes & polka dots) and a bunch of trinkets sitting around. He has all sorts of little gumball machines and slot machines sprinkled throughout his residence. The house wasn't too big, seemed like your average 4-5 bedroom track home actually.