Jaleel White

Birth Name:

Jaleel Ahmad White

Birth Place:

Pasadena, California, United States

Profession

Actor, Producer, Soundtrack, Writer

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 voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in three of the franchise's animated series in the 1990s
Was the writer, executive producer, and star of the TV series "Fake It Til You Make It" in 2010
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

1985Young Artist Award - Best Young Actor - Guest in a Television Series:Nominated
1986Young Artist Award - Best Young Supporting Actor in a New Television Series:Nominated
1990Image Award - Outstanding Performance in an Educational/Informational Youth or Children's Series/Special:Winner
1991Image Award - Outstanding Performance in an Educational/Informational Youth or Children's Series/Special:Winner
1991Young Artist Award - Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series:Winner
1992Image Award - Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program - (Series or Special):Nominated
1993Image Award - Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program (Series or Special):Winner
1994Image Award - Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program (Series or Special):Winner
1995Image Award - Outstanding Performance in a Youth or Children's Series/Special:Winner
1996Image Award - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:Nominated
1996Blimp Award - Favorite Television Actor:Nominated
1997Image Award - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:Winner
1998Image Award - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:Nominated
2004TV Land Award - Character You'd Pay to Do Your Homework for You:Nominated

Fast Facts