Jaleel Ahmad White (November 27, 1976, Culver City, California, USA) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, producer and writer.
In 1989, he was cast in 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 1997 to 1998 on CBS. White reprised his role as Urkel for the first time since 1998 in the upcoming 2019 series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?.
White is also the first actor to voice the character Sonic the Hedgehog, doing so in the animated shows: Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic SatAM and Sonic Underground, all of which were produced by the now-defunct DiC Entertainment. He reprised his role as Sonic in the 2013 Sonic fan film.
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 supporting roles in Dreamgirls (2006), and cameo appearances on Boston Legal, House, Castle, and Psych. In 2010 he portrayed Dr. McCormick in the cult classic Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus. In March 2012, White appeared as a contestant in season 14 of Dancing with the Stars and was voted off in May 2012, leaving him in 7th place overall. In April 2012, White hosted the game show Total Blackout, which aired on the Syfy channel. In January 2017 White appeared in Bones as Officer Adams.
fter starting his career at the age of three, 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 rated 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. Also during the 1980s, he appeared in a few segments of NBC's One to Grow On.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 
|
Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic Underground |
| 1999 | 
|
Sonia the Hedgehog | Sonic Underground |
| 1999 | 
|
Manic the Hedgehog | Sonic Underground |
| 1993-1996 | 
|
Sonic | Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog |
| 1993-1994 | 
|
Sonic | Sonic the Hedgehog |