Jaleel Ahmad White is an American actor. He is best recognized for his portrayal as Steve Urkel in the sitcom Family Matters. The role was supposed to be a one-time guest appearance on the show, but he was a huge hit with the audience, and White became a regular cast member.
The series ran for nine seasons, from 1989 to 1998. White subsequently returned to his role as Urkel for the first time in 21 years in the 2019 series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?
White was also the first actor to voice the popular Sega video game character Sonic the Hedgehog in animated media, appearing in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog (also known as Sonic SatAM), and Sonic Underground (in which he also voiced Sonic’s siblings Sonia and Manic), all of which were produced by the now-defunct DIC Entertainment studio. He then repeated his role as Sonic in the 2013 Sonic fan film.
What is the Salary and Net Worth of Jaleel White?
American actor and screenwriter Jaleel White has an estimated net worth of $8 million. The 1989–1998 popular sitcom “Family Matters,” in which Jaleel White portrayed Steve Urkel, is the role for which she is best known. Steve Urkel, who was initially conceived as a one-time appearance, rose to prominence as a cultural phenomenon and popularized the expression “Did I do that?”
He subsequently appeared in 204 of the 215 episodes of the program. Jaleel earned $180,000 per episode, or approximately $4 million per season, during his prime on the program. That is equivalent to earning $300,000 per episode or approximately $7 million per season after accounting for inflation.
Jaleel appeared in commercials and minor roles on 1980s television programs “The Jeffersons,” “Mr. Belvedere,” and “Good Morning, Miss Bliss,” the predecessor to “Saved by the Bell.” In addition to starring in “Grown Ups” (2001-2000) on UPN, White hosted “Total Blackout” (2012-2013) on Syfy. At number 37 on VH1’s 2005 “100 Greatest Kid Stars” list was Jaleel.
Awards and Honors Received by Jaleel White
White was nominated for a Young Artist Award for his guest performance on “The Jeffersons” in 1985 and his supporting part on “Charlie & Co.” the next year. In 1991, he received the Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series for “Family Matters.”
Jaleel was nominated for four NAACP Image Awards for his role on “Family Matters,” winning in 1994, 1995, and 1997. He was also nominated for Favorite Television Actor at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 1996. At the 2017 Disney Motif Awards, White received the Global Humanitarian Medal of Honor in Memory of Theodor Seuss Geisel.
Personal Life of Jaleel White
Jaleel and his then-girlfriend Bridget Hardy brought their daughter Samaya into the world in 2009. In 2010, Hardy claimed that White punched and shoved her when she confronted him about her concerns that he was unfaithful, but he has rejected the charges, claiming that they were fueled by the former couple’s custody struggle.
