This actor created a sensation as the exquisitely nerdy Steve Urkel on "Family Matters" (ABC, 1989-1997; CBS, 1997-). Though he had thick eyeglasses secured by a long safety strap, sported a pocket protector, cardigan sweater, and regulation highwaters, White's character was not the stereotypical nerd. His Urkel with his long-legged gait, squeaky voice, and honking laugh became a lovable live-action cartoon, one that was hip to be square. The unexpected popularity of this highly-stylized character helped catapult a moderately successful sitcom into the top-ten.White has shown signs of becoming a comic actor of the first order; his broad physical interpretation of Urkel transcends the scripts and, at his best, he is reminiscent of the early Jerry Lewis and Pee-wee Herman. Urkel has already been transformed into a doll and has adorned boxes of breakfast cereal. The evidence of White's extensive pre-Urkel roles in commercials, TV-movies, busted pilots, and other sitcoms suggests that there might be much more to him than Urkel. Like other TV stars, White also faces the double-edged sword of success: he faces the possibility of becoming so associated with the role (like Henry Winkler did with Fonzie) that he may not be able to find future success before the cameras. To that end, White authorized a 1997 calendar which revealed a very different persona from his TV alter ego.
Profession(s):
Actor, producer, screenwriter
Sometimes Credited As:
Jaleel A White
NAACP Image Award Best Actor in a Comedy Series "Family Matters" 1997
NAACP Image Award Best Actor under Age 18 "Family Matters" 1992
2006 Starred in "Who Made the Potatoe Salad?", a direct-to-DVD urban romantic comedy
2006 Cast in a small role as a booking agent in "Dreamgirls"
1999 Returned to series TV as star of the UPN sitcom "Grown-Ups"; also wrote scripts and served as a producer
1993 Voiced the title character in the animated series, "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog"
1993 Once again voiced the video game character in the animated series, "Sonic the Hedgehog"
1992 Hosted and starred in "The Jaleel White Special", an ABC TV comedy variety special
1991 Appeared as a presenter and entertainer on "The 5th Annual American Comedy Awards" where he joined Bea Arthur in a dance number
1990 - 1998 Became an immediate sensation when he joined the cast of "Family Matters" for an initial nine episodes in the series' first season as Steve Urkel; hired as a regular cast member
1985 - 1986 First assignment as a series regular as Robert on "Charlie & Company", with Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight
1980 First appearance in a TV commercial for Goodyear Tires at age 3 (date approximate)
Starred in more than 30 TV commercials for clients such as Kellogg's, Toys-R-Us, Atari, General Electric, McDonald's, Nabisco, Pepsi, Kraft Foods, and Jello Pudding Pops (with Bill Cosby)
TV acting debut as a guest star on "The Jeffersons"
Worked as a writer for NBA.com
