| Real Name: | Jaleel Ahmad White a.k.a Steve Urkel |
| Birthday: | November 27, 1976 |
| Net Worth: | $8 million |
| Height: | 179 cm |
| Occupation: | American Actor, Comedian, Producer, Writer |
Steve Urkel debuted on the 4th episode of Rachel’s First Date. He then appeared in Family Matters, where he was originally cast as a guest character. Steve instantly captured the scene and got promoted to the main cast. He is a fictional character, but many people still recognize him as a real name. Even the actor portraying him gets more Google searches for Steve.
We have to talk about the actor portraying Steve. Jaleel White portrays the fictional character. He portrayed him from his debut in Rachel’s First Date, up until his last appearance in Scooby-Doo. Steve quickly rose to the status of the most popular character of the show. Nowadays, Steve Urkel has his own fan-following. And who can forget the Urkel dance?
Story Stages
Career Ups and Downs
Born as Jaleel Ahmad White in 1976 in Culver City, Jaleel will always have connections with Steve Urkel. Jaleel got involved in acting early in his life. His mother, Gail, worked as his manager. White studied at John Marshal Fundamental High School and then South Pasadena High School. He graduated from UCLA in 2001 with a film and television degree.
Jaleel started his career at the age of three. His mother instantly started working as his manager and quit her regular job. Jaleel’s preschool teacher suggested to try acting. And he starred in commercials at the age of 3. Some of his early work includes the Jello-O pudding pops commercial featuring Bill Cosby.
In 1984, White got a guest role on The Jeffersons and then got cast as Ruby on The Cosby Show. Yet the latter role went to Keshia Knight Pulliam. Bill Cosby decided to make the character a girl.
In 1985, he appeared in the movie Kids Don’t Tell and then appeared in all 18 episodes of Charlie & Co. In the middle to late 1980s, he appeared in The Disney Sunday Movie, Mr. Belvedere, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and more. And then in 1989, he landed his iconic role of Steve Urkel in Family Matters. Originally, the character had a guest role.
But the audience loved his portrayal of the nerdy neighbor. He appeared in 204 episodes in total, and sometimes even played Stefan Urquelle, Steve’s alter ego, and Myrtle Urkel, his cousin. Steve’s popularity led to a doll and Urkel-Os cereal. Then, White reprised his role on Full House and Step by Step in 1991. He even portrayed Steve in the 2019 animated movie Scooby-Doo and Guess Who.
Following the end of Family Matters, he starred in the series Grown Ups from 1999 to 2000. In 2001, he got a degree in film and television from UCLA. Jaleel continued his acting career. In the 2000s, he got supporting roles and cameo appearances in Dreamgirls, Boston Legal, Castle, Psych, and House.
In March 2012, he appeared in season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. He finished the contest in the 7th place overall.
In total, he appeared in more than 20 movies. In 2020, he joined the cast of The Big Show Show, portraying the role of Terry.
Jaleel has more than one iconic character on his resume. He also served as the original English voice of the popular video game character Sonic the Hedgehog. White voiced the character in all of the DiC-produced animated series. He also portrayed the character in the Christmas special, Sonic Christmas Blast. Once Sonic X got released in 2003, White left the character.
His other voicing roles include animated projects like Quest for Camelot and Our Friend, Martin.
In June 2010, he starred in the web series Fake it Till You Make It. Jaleel served as the writer and producer of the series. Premiering on Hulu, the series follows the exploits of former child star Reggie Cullen turned image consultant and his associates as the hustle to navigate Hollywood.
In 2017, CBS picked up his single-camera comedy series Me, Myself, & I with Bobby Moynihan. It premiered in September 2017 but got canceled after only six episodes.
Awards and Achievements
Jaleel White portrayed or voiced two iconic characters, Steve Urkel and Sonic the Hedgehog. You can expect he turned those roles into some awards, right? Well, of course.
He earned a nomination by Young Artist Awards for his guest appearance on The Jeffersons in 1985. And then he won Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Comedian for Family matters.
In 2017, he got the Global Humanitarian Medal of Honor in Memoriam of Theodor Seuss Geisel at the Disney Motif Awards.
Net Worth
How much is Steve Urkel’s cash flow? Well, the question is how much is Jaleel White fortune. As an American actor and screenwriter, he earned quite some money during his career. As of October 2020, Jaleel White’s fortune is more than $8 million.
Recognized for his role as Steve Urkel, White portrayed the character in 204 of the show’s 215 episodes. At the peak of the show, he earned $180,000 per episode or roughly $4 million per season. Adjust it for inflation, and that is more than $300,000 per episode today.
Most of his earnings come from Family Matters. But the popularity of Steve Urkel helped him land other roles as well. And he appeared in commercials starting from the age of 3. He is now in his 40s. That means he earns money for four decades now.
