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Erica Gimpel
When Erica Gimpel was in the womb, her mother was on stage singing in a production of "Porgy & Bess" and the lithe Gimpel, with translucent tan skin and ready a smile, took to show business. She went on to study at New York's High School for the Performing Arts which prepped her for her first major role as Coco, the ambitious singer-dancer-actor, in the TV series version of "Fame," for which she also sang the title song. She stayed with the series for the full 1982-1983 season on NBC, then made occasional appearances, while she returned to New York to appear Off-Broadway.