# Erica Gimpel
**Erica Gimpel** (born 1964 in Manhattan, New York) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter best known for originating the role of Coco Hernandez on the television series *Fame*, which debuted in 1982 and ran for six seasons[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10053/erica-gimpel) • [2](https://sites.google.com/site/fametvseriesfanfiction/erica-gimpel-beyond-race-magazine-interview-2010). She later held recurring roles on *Profiler* as Angel Brown and on *ER* as Adele Newman, and in the 2020s appeared in *God Friended Me*, *Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches*, and *The Night Agent*[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10053/erica-gimpel).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964, Manhattan, New York City[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10053/erica-gimpel) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/erica_gimpel) |
| Breakout role | Coco Hernandez on *Fame* (NBC, 1982), the ambitious singer-dancer-actor; she also sang the title song[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/erica_gimpel) |
| *Fame* tenure | Left the cast after the first season but made guest appearances through the show's six-season run; her vocals were heard in the opening theme[2](https://sites.google.com/site/fametvseriesfanfiction/erica-gimpel-beyond-race-magazine-interview-2010) |
| *Profiler* | Angel Brown, the sculptor friend and confidante of forensic psychologist Sam Waters (Ally Walker), from 1996; 45 episodes[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/erica-gimpel/) • [5](https://www.myfanbase.de/biographien/?peopleid=1778) |
| *ER* | Adele Newman, 19 episodes across seasons 3 to 9 (1996–2003)[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10053/erica-gimpel) • [6](https://www.bestlifeonline.com/news-erica-gimpel-fame-now/) |
| Stage work | Originated Mayme in Lynn Nottage's *Intimate Apparel*; Glory Bee in Sam Shepard's *States of Shock* opposite John Malkovich[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/) |
| Music | Debut album *Spread Your Wings and Fly*, a live recording from 2009; gold and platinum records for her singing on *Fame*[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/) • [2](https://sites.google.com/site/fametvseriesfanfiction/erica-gimpel-beyond-race-magazine-interview-2010) |
| Recent work | *Sylvie's Love* (2020) as Eunice; *Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches* (2023) as Ellie Fielding; *The Night Agent* (2023) as Brittany Arrington; *Bang Bang* (2024) as Sharon[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10053/erica-gimpel) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/) |
## Family and training
Gimpel was born to Phyllis Bash, a concert singer, and Joseph Gimpel, an actor, singer, and writer[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/). Her parents met at their singing teacher's studio and married in 1963[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/). As a child she toured with her mother, who sang the role of Bess in *Porgy and Bess*; singing in the chorus gave Gimpel her first acting experience, and at eight years old she decided to become an actor[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/). She was accepted into the Drama Department of New York's High School of the Performing Arts, graduating in 1982[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/) • [8](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2074321/).
## Fame
While still a junior at Performing Arts, Gimpel auditioned for the television version of *Fame* after her modeling agent told her about the casting call; she went to the audition on her rollerskates and was flown to Los Angeles for a screen test[2](https://sites.google.com/site/fametvseriesfanfiction/erica-gimpel-beyond-race-magazine-interview-2010). The role was Coco Hernandez, which [Irene Cara](https://www.edgepedia.org/irene-cara) had originated in the 1980 film[2](https://sites.google.com/site/fametvseriesfanfiction/erica-gimpel-beyond-race-magazine-interview-2010). She was 18 when she was cast[6](https://www.bestlifeonline.com/news-erica-gimpel-fame-now/).
She stayed with the series through its full 1982–1983 season on NBC, then returned to New York to appear [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) while making occasional guest appearances on the show[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/erica_gimpel). In an interview she explained the decision: she had signed on as a minor and asked to be let out, wanting to go back to New York to do theater and study piano[9](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9tav6q). She earned gold and platinum records for her singing on the series, and her vocals were heard in the show's opening theme[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/) • [2](https://sites.google.com/site/fametvseriesfanfiction/erica-gimpel-beyond-race-magazine-interview-2010).
## Television after Fame
During the 1990s Gimpel alternated between television, film, and theater, and landed recurring roles that made up much of her screen work[2](https://sites.google.com/site/fametvseriesfanfiction/erica-gimpel-beyond-race-magazine-interview-2010). From 1996 she was a regular on NBC's crime drama *Profiler*, playing Angel Brown, the sculptor friend of forensic psychologist Sam Waters[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/erica-gimpel/); the role ran 45 episodes[5](https://www.myfanbase.de/biographien/?peopleid=1778). Simultaneously she played Adele Newman on *ER*, appearing in 19 episodes between 1996 and 2003[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10053/erica-gimpel). Earlier, she had played the visionary [Semiramis](https://www.edgepedia.org/semiramis) in the 1985 ABC miniseries *[North and South](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-and-south-miniseries)* and its 1986 sequel *North and South: Book II*[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/erica-gimpel/).
Guest roles followed on a wide range of dramas: *Veronica Mars* (Alicia Fennel, 8 episodes), *Boston Legal* (Samantha Fried, 3 episodes), *[House](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-tv-series)*, *Roswell* (Agent Suzanne Duff), *Grey's Anatomy*, *Criminal Minds* (Sarah Morgan), *Nikita*, *True Blood*, *Chicago Med*, and *NCIS: New Orleans*[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10053/erica-gimpel). From 2018 to 2020 she played Trish on the CBS drama *God Friended Me*, appearing in 29 episodes[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/).
Her 2020s credits include Ellie Fielding in two episodes of AMC's *Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches* and Brittany Arrington in an episode of Netflix's *The Night Agent*, both 2023[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10053/erica-gimpel).
## Film
Gimpel's film work has consisted largely of supporting roles[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/erica-gimpel/). She appeared in [David Mamet](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-mamet)'s *Homicide* (1991), Hal Hartley's *Amateur* (1994) and *Flirt* (1995), Wayne Wang's ensemble film *Smoke* (1995) as Doreen Cole, and *Freaky Friday* (2003)[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/erica-gimpel/) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/). *Smoke* is her highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 89 percent[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/erica_gimpel). She played Eunice in the Amazon movie *Sylvie's Love* (2020) opposite [Tessa Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/tessa-thompson), and Sharon in the independent feature *Bang Bang* (2024) opposite [Tim Blake Nelson](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-blake-nelson)[6](https://www.bestlifeonline.com/news-erica-gimpel-fame-now/) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/).
## Theater
Gimpel's Off-Broadway credits include originating Mayme in Lynn Nottage's award-winning *Intimate Apparel*, Glory Bee in the 1991 world premiere of [Sam Shepard](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-shepard)'s *States of Shock* opposite [John Malkovich](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-malkovich), and Nelly in José Rivera's *Each Day Dies with Sleep*[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/) • [10](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Erica-Gimpel/). She received the Los Angeles Stage Raw Award for Best Solo Performance for portraying multiple characters in the one-woman play *Sister* by Michael Phillip Edwards[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/).
## Music and filmmaking
Gimpel writes and records her own music as a singer-songwriter. Her debut album, *Spread Your Wings and Fly*, is a live recording from a 2009 benefit concert honoring the Downtown Women's Center of Los Angeles, an organization helping women get off the streets[2](https://sites.google.com/site/fametvseriesfanfiction/erica-gimpel-beyond-race-magazine-interview-2010). The title track is featured in the independent film *Hill and Gully*, an Official Selection at Pan African de Cannes[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/). She is developing projects through her company Womans Paradise Productions; her directorial debut, the short film *Have a Heart*, was developed in the Sundance Collab Directing: Core Elements course, and she is preparing to direct and act in her screenplay *Rise*[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/).
She is an active member of the SGI-USA, a world peace organization focused on peace, culture, and education, and has produced benefit concerts on women's rights, unhoused families, and racially motivated violence against people of color[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/). A 1999 profile reported that she had become a Buddhist during the final years of *Fame* and practiced a daily chant as spiritual support[11](https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/305217/Profil_Erica_Gimpel_%253A_de_Fame_a_Profiler_en_passant_par_E.R..html).
## References
1. [Erica Gimpel, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10053/erica-gimpel)
2. [Erica Gimpel Beyond Race Magazine Interview 2010, Fame TV Series Fan Fiction site](https://sites.google.com/site/fametvseriesfanfiction/erica-gimpel-beyond-race-magazine-interview-2010)
3. [Erica Gimpel Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/erica_gimpel)
4. [Erica Gimpel: Actress, Singer, Dancer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/erica-gimpel/)
5. [Biographien: Erica Gimpel, myFanbase](https://www.myfanbase.de/biographien/?peopleid=1778)
6. [She Played Coco on "Fame." See Erica Gimpel Now at 57, Best Life](https://www.bestlifeonline.com/news-erica-gimpel-fame-now/)
7. [Erica Gimpel Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319826/bio/)
8. [Erica Gimpel, Actor Filmography, elCinema](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2074321/)
9. [Erica Gimpel Discussing Leaving Fame, Dailymotion](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9tav6q)
10. [Erica Gimpel: Broadway & Theatre Credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Erica-Gimpel/)
11. [Profil Erica Gimpel: de Fame à Profiler en passant par E.R., L'Orient-Le Jour (15 February 1999)](https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/305217/Profil_Erica_Gimpel_%253A_de_Fame_a_Profiler_en_passant_par_E.R..html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames G to Go*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license