Larry Wilcox

Larry Wilcox was born on August 8, 1947 in San Diego CA. While still an infant, his parents got a divorce. He moved to Rawlins, Wyoming and was raised on his grandfather's ranch, "The Flying Diamond". His father, a bartender, died shortly after and his mother worked as a secretary to support her four children.

After graduating from Rawlins High School, Larry drifted to L.A. and worked odd jobs while studying piano and acting. In 1967, about to be drafted, he joined the Marine Corp Reserve and spent 13 months in Vietnam as an artilleryman. He reached the rank of Sergeant before he was discharged in 1970. Returning to the states, he resumed his acting lessons in L.A.. A fling with predentistry courses at a local college convinced him he "didn't have the manual dexterity for it."

Before long, he was landing lucrative commercials for the likes of Old Spice. In 1972 he was cast as Dale Mitchell in another reincarnation of the popular series, Lassie. The show lasted until 1974. He went on to make several guest appearances on TV and in movies until, in 1977, he was cast as Officer Jon Baker in "CHiPs". Wilcox admits taking the role of Jon to ease his despair at losing a part in Rich Man, Poor Man to Nick Nolte.

As an accomplished motorcycle rider, horseman, race car driver, and jet skier, Wilcox did many of his own stunts on the show. Unlike his co-star, Erik Estrada, he never suffered any major injuries. By the 1979-80 season, he made $25,000 per episode, the same amount as Estrada.

In 1978, Wilcox divorced his first wife, Judy Vagner. Wilcox's second marriage was to Hannie Strasser, a one time "CHiPs" assistant sound technician and a native of Denmark. The wedding took place on April 11, 1980. Erik Estrada was married four months before and Wilcox was not invited. He decided not to send his co-star an invitation. Rumors of friction between the two had occurred late in the 1978-79 season, but it calmed down after Estrada's injury at the beginning of the 1979-80 season. Apparently the accident was not enough to bring them back together. Wilcox admits he and Estrada were never the best of friends, and that some of the rumors of on-set feuding were true. However, whatever friction may have existed between the two, it never showed in Jon and Ponch's on-screen relationship. Said Wilcox: "We're just two totally different people."