Legendary TV star Erik Estrada was born Henry Enrique Estrada in New York City on March 16, 1949. Having spent his childhood in the tough environment of the Spanish Harlem, Puerto-Rican blooded Erik first decided to pursue a career in law enforcement and become a police officer in the city. But his plans changed during high school when he got involved in a school play, primarily because a girl he was interested was in it. He ended up snagging the lead role, and his life changed ever since. His thirty-year career boasted of numerous stints in television shows and feature films, but his status in pop culture was cemented by his role in the hit NBC series CHIPs, where he played the role of the charming and highly-amusing police officer Francis Llewellyn "Ponch" Poncherello.
Erik is now among the celebrities featured in the CBS reality TV show Armed and Famous, along with professional skateboarder
Jason Acuna , singer
La Toya Jackson , fitness model
Trish Stratus and
Jack Osbourne , son of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne. The show features the five stars being trained as police officers in Muncie, Indiana.