Henry Enrique “Erik” Estrada was born on 16th March 1949, in East Harlem, New York, of Puerto Rican descent. He is a reserve police officer, an actor and a voice actor and became known after playing the role of the officer Francis (Frank) Llewelyn “Ponch” Poncherello in the television series “ChiPs”. The actor then became a real cop and worked as a deputy sheriff in Bedford County, Virginia.
So just how rich is Erik Estrada? Sources estimate his net worth is $2 million. He has made almost all his money in the television industry, as an actor and a voice actor, during a career in the entertainment industry spanning more than 40 years. Significantly, he started making serious money with his role in “ChiPs”, a television drama series aired on NBC between 1977 and 1983, beginning with $5,000 an episode in 1977, raised to $9,000 for each episode in the following season, $25,000 an episode in 1980, and in the last season he made $45,000 for each episode of “ChiPs”.
Erik Estrada Net Worth $2 Million
Erik Estrada grew up in the Spanish Harlem. As a child, he wanted to become a police officer, but at the age of 18 he started going to auditions and soon after he began a career as an actor. He became known in 1970, after being a member of the cast in “The Cross and the Switchblade” and he had his first role as a policeman in 1972, in “The New Centurions”. In 1977, he obtained the role of Frank Llewelyn “Ponch” Poncherello in “ChiPs” and he became the most popular actor of the series, plus during which he was voted one of the “Ten Sexiest Men in the World’ by People magazine. The police television drama not only oughting Erik Estrada wealth, but also made him popular. He was also part of the cast for a reunion television movie of the series, in 1998.
After the “ChiPs” success, Erik Estrada had numerous roles in films and television series, including “Hunter” (1987), “She Knows Too Much” (1989), “Spirits” (1990), “The Naked Truth” (1992), and “High Society” (1996). As a voice actor, he performed in “Sealab 2021”, “Higglytown Heroes”, “Phineas and Ferb”, “Maya & Miguel”, “Adventure Time”, and “Planes: Fire & Rescue”. Erik Estrada also made money as a producer for “CHiPs ’99” in 1998. He was also an associate producer for “Alien Seed” in 1989 and “Caged Fury” in 1990.
He added money to his net worth as actor in several telenovelas. His biggest role was Johnny, in the television series “Two Women, One Road” (“Dos mujeres, un camino”), for which the media have written that Erik Estrada made more than $1 million in about 400 episodes. Another source of money and popularity is his appearance in reality shows. He was a cast member for “The Surreal Life”, “Armed & Famous”, and “Discovery Health Body Challenge”.
Erik Estrada also builds his earnings from appearances in TV commercials for big brands, such as Burger King and National Recreational Properties.
Erik is also a writer; his autobiography, “Erik Estrada: My Road from Harlem to Hollywood” was published in 1997.
In his personal life, Erik Estrada has married three times. He was married to Joyce Miller(1979-80), and to Peggy Rowe(1985-90) with whom he has two sons. Erik has a daughter with Nanette Mirkovich, to whom he has been married since 1997. The actor is an activist, speaking for the American Heart Association and promoting traffic safety for children.
