Jaleel White (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Jaleel Ahmad White (born November 27, 1976) is an American television and film actor and screenwriter. White began his career as a child actor at the age of three.

In 1989, he won the role of Steve Urkel on the sitcom Family Matters. The character, which was originally intended to be a one-time guest appearance, was an instant hit with audiences and White became a regular cast member. The series aired for a total of nine seasons, from 1989 to 1997 on ABC, and from 1996 to 1997 on CBS.

After Family Matters ended, White starred in the UPN series Grown Ups from 1999 to 2000. He later attended UCLA where he graduated with a degree in film and television in 2001. He has continued his acting career with roles in Dreamgirls (2006), and guest stints on Boston Legal, House, and Psych. In March 2012, White appeared as a contestant in season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. He was voted off the series in May 2012.

Since April 2012, White has hosted the game show Total Blackout, which airs on the Syfy channel.

Early life

White was born in Pasadena, California, the only child of Dr. Michael White, a dentist, and Gail, a homemaker who later became his manager. On the advice of his preschool teacher, White began acting as a child. He got his start on TV commercials at age three. One of White's notable commercial appearances was for Jell-O pudding pops alongside Bill Cosby.

Career

White's first television role was a guest stint on The Jeffersons, in 1984. He later auditioned for the role of Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show. According to White, he was cast in the role (the character was originally intended to be male) but was replaced by Keshia Knight Pulliam when Bill Cosby decided to mirror his television family after his real life family. The following year, he was cast as the son of Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight on the CBS sitcom Charlie and Company. The series was intended to be CBS' answer to the highly rating Cosby Show which debuted on NBC in 1984. Unlike The Cosby Show, Charlie and Company did not catch on with audiences and was canceled in May 1986. In 1987, he appeared in the pilot episode for Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and had a guest role on Mr. Belvedere. In 1988, White had a supporting role in Cadets, a sitcom starring Soleil Moon Frye. The pilot episode aired during a preview special on September 25, 1988 on ABC. The series, however, was not picked up by the network.

In September 1990, White had a role in the NBC television movie Camp Cucamonga. The film features an ensemble cast including Sherman Hemsley, Jennifer Aniston, and Brian Robbins. Several other child actor of the era including Chad Allen, Candace Cameron, Danica McKellar, Josh Saviano, and Breckin Meyer also appear.

Family Matters

At the age of 12, White originated his most famous role, Steve Urkel, on Family Matters. The role was initially conceived as a one-time guest appearance, but the character proved to be popular and White was given a full-time starring role. He also played several other members of the Urkel family, including his alter ego Stefan Urquelle and Myrtle Urkel. During the height of Family Matters' popularity, the character of Urkel was marketed with breakfast cereal (Urkel-Os) and a doll. In addition to starring in the series, White also wrote several episodes, including one, at age 19, that was the series' highest rated for that year. The series was a staple of ABC's TGIF lineup and would go to become one of the longest-running sitcoms with a predominately African American cast in television history.

By the time the series was cancelled in 1998, White, who was then 22 years old, had grown tired of the role. Shortly after the series' cancellation, he stated in a 1999 interview, "If you ever see me do that character again, take me out and put a bullet in my head and put me out of my misery." Due to the character's popularity, White was so tightly defined by his Urkel character that he encountered difficulty finding other roles.

In later years, White came to terms with the character. In a 2011 interview with Vanity Fair, he addressed the 1999 "bullet" quote stating, "It's one of those things that it's very unfortunate how quotes are taken out of context. I remember that interview very vividly. I loved playing those characters [...] But the fact is that I was maturing. [...] To be honest, I was retarding my own growth as a man in order to maintain the authenticity to what I thought that character should be." When asked if he would ever reprise the Steve Urkel role, White said, "I'll always say never say never; I'm a pretty creative person. I can't envision how I could do it in a way that would be irreverent and fun for both me and the viewing audience..."

Post-Family Matters career

In 1999, White returned to television in the UPN sitcom Grown Ups. The series was based around White as a young man striking out into adulthood. He also co-produced and wrote some episodes for the show, in which he starred as "J", a college graduate struggling to establish his role in life as an adult. The pilot episode featured another former child actor, Soleil Moon Frye, known for her role as Punky Brewster, as the girl whom he chose as a roommate. The show received poor reviews from critics but debuted in second place in the ratings upon its premiere. However, ratings soon dropped and UPN canceled the series after one season.

White's acting roles have not been restricted to sitcoms, however; he has done voice work for several animated projects including the 1998 film Quest for Camelot. In 1999, he provided the voice for a teenaged Martin Luther King, Jr., in Our Friend, Martin.

He was also the voice of the famed video game character Sonic the Hedgehog in all of the American produced TV shows: Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic Underground (he also voiced Sonic's brother and sister, Manic and Sonia, respectively), as well as a Christmas special called "Sonic Christmas Blast". White reprised the role again in the 2013 fan made film called, simply, "Sonic." The film garnered over one million views on YouTube only a week after its online debut.

In 2001, White graduated from UCLA with a degree in film and television. He has continued acting and has had small parts in the films Big Fat Liar and Dreamgirls, and was featured as the lead role in the comedy Who Made the Potatoe Salad? in 2006. In 2007, he guest-starred on the CW series The Game, followed by a role as a law school graduate interviewing for a job at Crane, Poole and Schmidt in the ABC legal drama Boston Legal.

In June 2009, White began appearing in the web series Road to the Altar. In the series, White stars as Simon, a 30-something black man marrying a young Jewish girl named Rochelle. In September 2009, White guest starred on the USA Network series Psych, as an estranged college singing buddy of the character Gus.

In June 2010, White starred in the web series Fake It Till You Make It. He also serves as writer and producer of the series. The series follows the exploits of a former child star (White) turned image consultant and his three protégés as they hustle to navigate Hollywood.

In March 2011, White guest starred on the TBS sitcom Are We There Yet?, which reunited him with fellow Family Matters cast member Telma Hopkins. Later that same year, White appeared as the star in Cee-Lo Green's music video for his song "Cry Baby".

In October 2011, White appeared in the season 8 premiere of House, titled "Twenty Vicodin", where he appears as a well-connected inmate, occasionally helping Hugh Laurie's character Gregory House to sneak contraband into the prison. In April 2012, White began hosting the Syfy game show Total Blackout.

Dancing with the Stars

In March 2012, White began competing on the season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with two-time dance champion Kym Johnson.

In the opening night's performance, White and Johnson danced the Foxtrot to "The Way You Look Tonight". They earned a total of 26 points out of 30. White was voted off the series in May 2012.

Personal life

White has one daughter, Samaya (born in 2009), from a previous relationship.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Quest for Camelot	Bladebeak	Voice role
1999	Our Friend, Martin	Martin at age 15	Direct-to-video release
2002	Big Fat Liar	Himself	Uncredited
2006	Miracle Dogs Too	Leo	Direct-to-video release
2006	Puff, Puff, Pass	Tenant #2
2006	Who Made the Potatoe Salad?	Michael
2006	Dreamgirls	Talent Booker
2008	Kissing Cousins	Antwone
2008	Green Flash	Jason Bootie	Direct-to-DVD release Alternative title: Beach Kings
2009	Call of the Wild	Dr. Spencer
2009	Road to the Altar	Simon Fox
2010	Mega Shark Versus Crocosaurus	Dr. McCormick	Direct-to-DVD release
2011	Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer	Mr. Todd
2012	Rhymes with Banana	J
2012	Dumbbells	The Leader
2013	Guardians of Luna	Kahn	Voice role
2013	Sonic	Sonic	Voice role

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	The Jeffersons	Van Van Morris	Episode: "Ebony and Ivory"
1984	Silence of the Heart	Hanry	Television movie Uncredited
1985	Kids Don't Tell	Christofer	Television movie
1985	Charlie & Co.	Robert Richmond	18 episodes
1986	The Disney Sunday Movie	Jake	Episode: "The Leftovers"
1987	Mr. Belvedere	Ernie Masters	Episode: "Jobless"
1987	Good Morning, Miss Bliss	Bobby Wilson	Episode: Pilot
1987	Jay Leno's Family Comedy Hour		Television special
1988	Cadets	Cadet Nicholls	Unsold pilot
1989"1998	Family Matters	Steve Urkel Stefan Urquelle Various Urkel family members	204 episodes
1990	Camp Cucamonga	Dennis Brooks	Television movie
1991	Full House	Steve Urkel	Episode: "Stephanie Gets Framed"
1991	Step by Step	Steve Urkel	Episode: "The Dance"
1993	Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog	Sonic the Hedgehog (voice)	65 episodes
1993"1994	Sonic the Hedgehog	Sonic the Hedgehog (voice)	26 episodes
1995	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air	Derek	Episode: "Not with My Cousin You Don't"
1996	Sonic Christmas Blast!	Sonic the Hedgehog (Voice)	Television special
1991	Step by Step	Crew Member/Steve Urkel	Episode: "A Star is Born" Uncredited
1997	Meego	Steve Urkel	2 episodes
1999-2000	Grown Ups	J. Calvin Frazier	22 episodes
1999-2000	Sonic Underground	Sonic, Manic, & Sonia (voices)	40 episodes
2003	111 Gramercy Park	BJ Brown	Unsold pilot
2005	Half & Half	Hershel	Episode: "The Big State of the Reunion Episode"
2007	The Game	Chris	Episode: "The Big Chill"
2007	Boston Legal	Kevin Givens	Episode: "Guise 'n Dolls"
2009-2012	Psych	Tony	2 episodes
2010	Fake It Till You Make It	Reggie Culkin	8 episodes Executive producer
2011	The Problem Solverz	K-999 (voice)	2 episodes
2011	Are We There Yet?	Ray Savage	Episode: "The Nick Gets Jealous Episode"
2011	House	Portland	Episode: "Twenty Vicodin"
2011	Love That Girl!	Director	Episode: "Director's Cut"
2012	NCIS	Martin	Episode: "A Desperate Man"
2012	SuperF*ckers	Percy (Voice)
2013	Guardians of Luna	Kahn (Voice)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Title of work	Result
1985	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actor - Guest in a Television Series	The Jeffersons	Nominated
1986	Young Artist Award	Best Young Supporting Actor in a New Television Series	Charlie & Co.	Nominated
1991	Young Artist Award	Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series	Family Matters	Won
1994	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress	Family Matters	Won
1995	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress	Family Matters	Won
1996	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	Family Matters	Nominated
1997	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	Family Matters	Won
1996	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Television Actor	Family Matters	Nominated

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