His first marriage was to a woman named Joyce Miller. Their marriage only lasted one year. They got divorced quickly while Erik was starring on his hit TV show. In 1985, Erik made a second attempt at marriage and companionship. Is second marriage was to a woman named Peggy Rowe. Peggy was a talented producer and actress. Erik's second marriage was much more successful than his first. Their marriage lasted a few years, and they gave birth to two sons before agreeing to a divorce in 1990.

Erik started his acting career in 1970 when he was only 21 years old. He got his big break when he played the role of Nicky Cruz' in the movie The Cross and The Switchable. He was with Pat Boone in the film. In 1971, he was in a film called Chrome and Hot Leather. After one year of acting, he appeared in many movies like The New Centurions, Parade, and The Ballad of Billie Blue. The minor movie roles were good for his start, but he still was relatively unknown until he got his ample TV opportunity.

Erik reached the height of his fame in the 1970s with the American television audience when he appeared in CHiPs. Erik has a net worth of 2 million dollars. Erik would have a much larger net worth if CHiPs came out in modern times instead of the 1970s.

Erik had to spend some years alone after divorcing his second wife. He had created a long relationship with her, so splitting up was hard for both of them. Even though he was sad that they divorced, he realized that he had to move on and find love again. Erik would find his true love when he met Nanette while she was working as a sound technician. It was his third try, but Erik knew that Nanette would be the last woman in his search for love. As a semi-retired actor who mostly did small projects like voice-over work for channels like the Cartoon Network, Erik is ready to unwind and live a comfortable life with his wife and family.