A television icon was seen looking youthful in a rare outing in Los Angeles decades after having starred in one of the most important series towards the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the following decade.
The actor didn’t seem to have aged much since his heyday, where he was one of the two lead stars of an iconic crime drama franchise that has been spun into different shows and even movies.
The original series ultimately ran for 139 episodes over six seasons, plus a reunion TV movie in October 1998.
The talented actor has maintained a stable career in Hollywood with almost 60 credits to his name, in addition to racing cars and working as a private driver.
Can you guess who the actor is?
A television icon was seen looking youthful on a rare outing in Los Angeles decades after starring in one of the most important series towards the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the next.
The actor didn’t seem to have aged much since his heyday, where he was one of the two lead stars of an iconic crime drama franchise that has been spun off into different shows and even movies.
It’s CHiPs star Larry Wilcox!
The 77-year-old American actor was recently seen driving his Dodge Ram pickup truck around Los Angeles before heading to a mechanic.
He is best known for playing California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Andrew Baker, opposite Erik Estrada, who played his macho and mischievous partner, Officer Francis Llewellyn ‘Ponch’ Poncherello.
Ponch was the more trouble-prone of the pair, as Wilcox’s character was more level-headed and tried to keep them out of trouble with his supervisor, Sergeant Joseph Getraer (played by Robert Pine).
After CHiPs, Wilcox maintained a strong acting career playing Tommy Wells in the made-for-TV World War II epic The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission in 1985.
Most recently, he has had roles in 2021’s Forgiven This Gun4hire, a guest spot on the 2020 series Bromance, and the 2019 film Wish Man.
After leaving CHiPs in 1982, Wilcox demonstrated his ability to think ahead by forming his own production company, called Wilcox Productions, which produced the award-winning television series The Ray Bradbury Theater for HBO for five years.
The actor played several roles, as he was a Vietnam veteran who enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 1967 and served during the Tet Offensive.
It’s CHiPs star Larry Wilcox! as the talented actor is seen in the series from the late 1970s (right)
He is best known for playing California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Andrew Baker, opposite Erik Estrada, who played his macho and mischievous partner, Officer Francis Llewellyn ‘Ponch’ Poncherello; The two appear in the series from the late 1970s.
Ponch was the more trouble-prone of the pair, as Wilcox’s character was more level-headed and tried to keep them away from the problems of his supervisor, Sergeant Joseph Getraer (played by Robert Pine).
The 77-year-old American actor was recently seen in Los Angeles before going to a mechanic.
The talented star seemed in good spirits.
After leaving CHiPs in 1982, Wilcox demonstrated his ability to think ahead by forming his own production company, called Wilcox Productions, which produced the award-winning television series The Ray Bradbury Theater for HBO for five years.
The actor played several roles as he was a Vietnam veteran who enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 1967 and served during the Tet Offensive.
He was seen getting into his Dodge Ram pickup truck.
He was finally honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant Major in 1973.
As if that weren’t enough, the San Diego native also races cars and works as a private driver.
Despite playing a lawman in his biggest on-screen role, he found himself in legal trouble almost a decade and a half ago.
Wilcox was sentenced to three years of probation for a securities fraud conviction in January 2011.
At the time, a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale ordered him to complete 500 hours of community service.
As if this were not enough, the San Diego native also races cars and works as a private driver.
Despite playing a lawman in his biggest screen role, he found himself in legal trouble almost a decade and a half ago; He is photographed in Thousand Oaks in May.
The Securities and Exchange Commission had said Wilcox was involved in one of several bribery operations run by more than a dozen small-company stock promoters.
They were eventually caught in an FBI sting operation when they offered to compensate pension fund managers or stockbrokers for kickbacks for using client funds to buy penny stocks.
In November 2010, Wilcox pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Wilcox was sentenced to three years of probation for a securities fraud conviction in January 2011; is pictured in Laguna Beach in August 2019.