Jaleel White Biography

Fast Facts

• Earned his first Young Artist Award for "Family Matters" in 1991 after previously being nominated for both "Charlie and Company" and "The Jeffersons․"
• Won three NAACP Image Awards for "Family Matters," two for Outstanding Youth Actor in 1994 and 1995 and one for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1997
• Graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Film and Television in 2001
• After getting his start in commercials at the age of 3, he began appearing on popular TV series like "Charlie and Co․" and "The Jeffersons․"
• Quote: "(On typecasting after "Family Matters"): "I loved playing [that] character․․․But the fact is that I was maturing․․․I was retarding my own growth as a man in order to maintain the authenticity to what I thought that character should be․""
• Best known for his role of Steve Urkel on "Family Matters," which was initially intended to be a one-time guest appearance in 1989 until producers realized how popular the character was
• Was the writer, executive producer, and star of the TV series "Fake It Til You Make It" in 2010
• Was the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in three of the franchise's animated series in the 1990s
• His thick-framed glasses were borrowed from his father to help him get into the Steve Urkel character when the role was still just a one-off
• Was originally cast as Rudy Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" until showrunner and star Bill Cosby decided to change the character to a female