In 1982, she graduated from New York's High School For The Performing Arts. She had toured the United States and Europe with her mother, singer Shirley Bash, in the play "Porgy and Bess". Her father is Joseph Gimpl, short story writer.

The old tradition of the showbiz professional being "born in a trunk" came as near as it possibly could to being true in the cases of Erica Gimpel. Born on June 25th, 1964, she comes from a family background of the theatre, and spent much of her early childood touring with her mother in Australia, Portugal and the States. Erica was one of the Fame TV series cast members who was a pupil at the School of the Arts when she was cast in the role of Coco. She loves drama, dance, music and sea, and in her free time is a keen rollerskater.

Credit: imdb.com