5 Things You Don’t Know About ‘CHiPs’ Star Larry Wilcox
Larry Wilcox turns 78 on August 8, 2025, and for fans of classic TV, he’ll always be remembered as Officer Jon Baker on CHiPs. The show, which ran from 1977 to 1983, made Wilcox a household name, but there’s so much more to his story than just his time in uniform.
From heartbreaking loss to tech startups, he’s done a little bit of everything, and he’s still going strong in the industry with his most recent project, America, We Salute the Military with Preview of Beauties, with former co-star Erik Estrada.
In honor of his birthday, here are five things you might not know about him:
1 He’s a decorated Marine who served in Vietnam
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He joined the Marines in 1967 and served 13 months in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, one of the most intense periods of the war. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant and earned several medals, including the Bronze Star and the Navy Commendation Medal. Even while overseas, he was focused on the future. He studied French and took general education classes while stationed in California toward the end of his service.
2 He suffered a horrible family tragedy
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His older sister was murdered in front of her three children and mother in Wyoming according to Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Her husband was accused of the crime but was acquitted, and years later, he died in a bar fight. The event stayed with Wilcox and influenced his work, including a television movie he produced about the life and death of Dorothy Stratten.
3 His relationship with Erik Estrada was more complicated than it looked
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Jon and Ponch were the perfect team on CHiPs, but behind the scenes, Wilcox and co-star Erik Estrada didn’t always see eye to eye. There were rumors of tension starting in the late ’70s, and things reportedly got awkward when Estrada didn’t invite Wilcox to his wedding. Wilcox returned the favor when he got married a few months later. Still, time has a way of fixing things. The two appeared together in Indianapolis in 2023 to mark the show’s 45th anniversary and raise money for charity.
4 He’s been a cowboy, a producer, and a tech entrepreneur
Gene Trindl/TV Guide/Everett Collection
After CHiPs, Wilcox formed Wilcox Productions and produced The Ray Bradbury Theater for HBO. He sold scripts to big-name studios and even executive produced the Flipper movie. He also stepped into the tech world, founding UC HUB Group, a digital services company focused on everything from educational software to stadium security. However, he got busted for fraud with the company and was sentenced to probation.
5 He still flies planes and lives on a ranch
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He’s a licensed pilot and enjoys racing cars, and he spends most of his time on a ranch in California’s San Fernando Valley. He’s also a father of five and has been married to former Olympic pentathlete Marlene Harmon since 1986. In 1995, he even wrote, directed, and starred in a children’s video called The Little CHP, which followed two boys dreaming of becoming officers like Jon Baker.
Remind 
1970s Fall TV
September 2023
Take a trip back to the ’70s by looking at the TV Guide Magazine Fall Preview primetime lineups.
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