Jaleel White started his career as a child actor and is still largely remembered for his role a Steven “Steve” Urkel, in the 1990s American TV series Family Matters.
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Jaleel White’s Age
He was born on November 27th, 1976. He was born in Culver City, California, the United States of America. He birth name is Jaleel Ahmad White.
Jaleel White’s Bio
White was the son of Gail and Michael White. He has no siblings. His father was a dentist and his mother was initially a homemaker, but later became the manager for White. The actor went to Henry E. Huntington Middle School, San Marino, California, and John Marshall Fundamental High School but later graduated from South Pasadena High School. He is also an alumnus, class of 2001, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from where he got a degree in Film and Television.
Jaleel White’s Career
White’s career started at the young age of three, on the suggestion of his pre-nursery teacher. He did many television commercials including one with Bill Cosby for Jell-O pudding pops. White’s television career started in 1984 with a guest appearance on the show The Jeffersons. He was also cast in The Cosby Show for the role of Rudy Huxtable, which was supposed to be male until Bill Cosby decided to change the character’s gender and the role went to Keisha Knight Pulliam. He moved on to the role of Robert Richmond on the CBS series Charlie and the Company in 1985-86. He also starred in television movies Silence of the Heart in the role of Henry in 1984, Kids Don’t Tell as Christofer in 1985 Cadets and Camp Cucamonga in the roles of Cadet Nicholas and Dennis Brooks in 1988 and 1990 respectively.
When Jaleel was 12 years old, he got the role he is still remembered for. He auditioned for the role of a neighbor on the show Family Matters and still remembers using his father’s glasses for the audition. It was supposed to be a one-time guest appearance on the show, but his character Steve Urkel was received much love from the audience, that it was made a recurring role. He also played additional roles on Family Matters of Stefan Urquelle and Myrtle Urkel. He was a part of more than 200 episodes of the show between 1989 and 1998. After the show ended, White continued to be on TV with the role of J. Calvin Frazier on the sitcom Grown Ups which aired between 1999-2000 for only one season. White is also remembered for his voice-role for the character Sonic, and additionally Sonia and Manic, in the animated series of Adventure of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Sonic the Hedgehog (1993-1994), Sonic Christmas Blast (1996 Christmas television movie) and Sonic Underground (1999). The actor has, in his career spanning over four decades, worked in many tv series, tv movies, web series, and big budget movies such as Big Fat Liar and Dreamgirls. White won Young Artist Award in 1986 for Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series and three NAACP Image Awards, two for Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress in 1994 and 1995 and one for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1997.
Jaleel's Net Worth
White has an estimated net worth of $10 million. His primary sources of income are screenwriting, producing and acting. He is fond of new as well as vintage cars. He owns an Audi R-7 and also a 1957’s BMW Isetta 300. The cars are worth $261,800 and $35,000 respectively.
Jaleel White’s Wife
White keeps his relationships, if any, out of the spotlight. White was in a relationship with actress, Bridget Hardy for a few years. Their relationship started in 2006 but had a rocky end in 2010 with Hardy filing a report of domestic violence and infidelity at LAPD on 6th July 2010. White was not charged with domestic battery as there was insufficient evidence. The couple has a daughter Samaya White, born in 2009. White and Hardy have share custody for their daughter.
What Is Jaleel Doing Now?
Other than guest appearing on various shows, White was last seen in the TV series Me, Myself and I in 2017-2018. He was also a contestant on the show Dancing with the Stars in 2012, when he finished seventh. White also worked in the film 5th of July which premiered in 2018 Cannes Festival. Currently, he is filming Faithfully, which is slated to release in 2019.
Facts About Jaleel
White played basketball regularly against George Clooney when they used to shoot their respective TV series in nearby sets. White was also ranked number 1 in 1991’s Q-Ratings. He played his character of Steve Urkel on various television series other than Family Matters, which were Full House in 1987, Step by Step in 1991 and Meego in 1997.
Last Modified: Mar 5, 2020
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