Biographie
Erica Gimpel gained international recognition with her debut role as "Coco Hernandez" on the groundbreaking series FAME. Born in Manhattan, New York, to Phyllis Bash, a concert singer, and Joseph Gimpel, an actor, singer, and writer, her parents met at their singing teacher’s studio and married in 1963, a bold act of interracial marriage at the time. Music and singing were integral to Erica's family life, and in later years, she and her parents often performed their signature song, Gershwin’s "Our Love is Here to Stay," celebrating their bond and sharing joy with audiences.
As a child, Erica toured with her mother, who performed the role of Bess in the opera Porgy and Bess. Erica’s first acting experience came as a chorus member, and at eight years old, she decided to pursue acting. She was later accepted into the Drama Department of the High School of the Performing Arts, and in her junior year, she landed the role of "Coco Hernandez" on the TV series FAME.
Since then, Erica has appeared in numerous prime-time and streaming series including 9-1-1, NCIS: New Orleans, Chicago Med, Grey’s Anatomy, Shut Eye, True Blood, Criminal Minds, Nikita, Rizzoli & Isles, House, ER, Profiler, and Veronica Mars. Among her favorite roles was playing "Trish" on the CBS drama God Friended Me for two seasons. Recently, she portrayed "Ellie Fielding" in AMC’s Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches and "Brittany Arrington" on Netflix’s The Night Agent.
Her film credits include Tuesday Morning Ride with Ruby Dee; Wayne Wang’s Smoke opposite Forest Whitaker; Abel Ferrara’s cult classic The King of New York with Christopher Walken; Hal Hartley’s No Such Thing with Helen Mirren; Freaky Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis; Romeo and Juliet in Harlem with Harry Lennix and Aunjanue Ellis; and the critically acclaimed Sylvie’s Love opposite Tessa Thompson. She will next appear in the independent feature Bang Bang alongside Tim Blake Nelson.
On stage, Erica originated roles such as "Mayme" in Lynn Nottage’s award-winning Intimate Apparel; "Glory Bee" in Sam Shepard’s States of Shock opposite John Malkovich; and "Nelly" in Jose Rivera’s Each Day Dies with Sleep. She earned the Los Angeles Stage Raw Award for Best Solo Performance for her dynamic portrayal of multiple characters in the one-woman play Sister by Michael Phillip Edwards.
Having earned gold and platinum records for her singing on FAME, Erica began producing her own music as a singer-songwriter. The title track from her debut album, Spread Your Wings and Fly, was featured in the indie film Hill and Gully, an Official Selection at Pan African de Cannes.
As a filmmaker, Erica is developing several projects through her company, Womans Paradise Productions. Her directorial debut short film, Have a Heart, was developed through the Sundance Collab Directing: Core Elements Course. She is preparing to direct and star in her screenplay Rise, which will be filmed in New York and Martha’s Vineyard.
Erica is a recipient of the LA Femme Film Festival’s Innovative Award and is an active member of SGI-USA, a world peace organization dedicated to peace, culture, and education.
Throughout her career, Erica has used her talents to support causes close to her heart by creating and producing benefit concerts focused on women’s rights, unhoused families, and combating racially motivated violence against people of color. Understanding the transformative power of the performing arts, she teaches and mentors young artists whenever her schedule allows.
