For this edition of the Top Ten, the Shockuation Room is celebrating actor Jaleel White with a retrospective of his career. To commemorate 30 years on screen, let’s look back at Jaleel’s ten most memorable characters.
10. Steve Urkel, “The Urkel Dance” (music video)
Jaleel warmed our hearts with this novelty dance that originated in the Family Matters episode “Life of the Party.” Jaleel plays Steve Urkel, a well-meaning nerd with thick glasses, high-water pants, and a signature squeaky voice. “The Urkel Dance,” which instructed listeners to “hitch up [their] pants” and “stick out [their] pelvis,” was originally released as a cassette single. Bea Arthur joined Jaleel in an on-stage performance of “The Urkel Dance” at the 5th Annual American Comedy Awards in 1991.
9. Sonic the Hedgehog, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
Since 1993, Jaleel has been the voice of the world’s fastest hedgehog, Sonic. When the popular video game became a Saturday morning cartoon, Jaleel took the role as the blue blur with a taste for chili dogs. In real life, Jaleel is allergic to the small, spiny mammals, but that hasn’t stopped him from portraying Sonic in three TV series, a Christmas special, a film, and a series of public service announcements.
8. Steve Urkel, Full House
Jaleel portrayed outgoing geek Steve Urkel in a memorable guest appearance on ABC’s Full House in the 1991 episode “Stephanie Gets Framed.” In the episode, Urkel helps series regular Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin) deal with the stigma of wearing glasses. Although it isn’t thoroughly explained in the episode, it is assumed that Urkel made his way to San Francisco in search of factory replacement parts for his BMW Isetta.
7. Smush Parker, Smush: The Smush Parker Story
In this BET original movie, Jaleel plays real-life NBA basketball player William “Smush” Parker in his struggle to succeed at the top of his game. The movie allowed Jaleel to showcase his natural basketball abilities, including several high energy game scenes filmed at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
6. Steve Urkel, Step By Step
Who can forget Jaleel’s guest appearance on Step By Step as misguided dweeb Steve Urkel? In the episode “The Dance,” Urkel finds himself in the Lambert’s back yard after launching himself on a homemade rocket pack. Urkel helps Cody (Sasha Mitchell) find his lost football and encourages Al (Christine Lakin) when she’s bullied at school about her new glasses. Urkel introduces the “Urkel Dance” at the middle school dance before launching himself back into space.
5. will.i.am, Let’s Get It Started
Jaleel stole the show as singer/producer will.i.am in the VH1 made-for-TV biopic about hip hop megastars the Black-Eyed Peas. The film showcased Jaleel’s own singing voice on hits like “Don’t Phunk with My Heart” and “My Humps.” The soundtrack from the film features Jaleel and costar Laura Prepon on vocals and reached the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006.
4. Rudy Huxtable, The Cosby Show
From 1984 to 1992, Jaleel played Rudy, the youngest of the Huxtable children on The Cosby Show. Although only five years old at the beginning of the series, the precocious Rudy comes of age during the course of the show. Jaleel was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in season two, becoming the youngest actor to earn an Emmy nomination. The character is loosely based upon Cosby’s youngest daughter, Evin, who was approximately the same age as Rudy.
3. Caliban, The Tempest
In 1997, Jaleel made his Shakespearean debut in the PBS televised production of The Tempest. As Caliban, the wild mooncalf son of the malevolent witch Sycorax, Jaleel delivered a riveting performance, including the famous “be not afeard” speech from Act 3. Although some critics decried his decision to wear his anachronistic red glasses, we were nonetheless impressed by Jaleel’s dramatic turn in one of the Bard’s greatest plays.
2. Stefan Urquelle, Family Matters
In the Family Matters episode “Dr. Urkel and Mr. Cool,” Jaleel pays homage to The Nutty Professor by becoming Steve Urkel’s suave alter-ego Stefan Urquelle. By using a serum called “Cool Juice” (later known as “Boss Sauce”), Urkel transforms into the charming yet self-centered Stefan. The role required Jaleel to abandon his glasses, a challenge that reportedly limited the Stefan character to sporadic appearances in just five episodes.
1. Steve Urkel, Family Matters
Perhaps one of Jaleel’s most notable roles is Steve Urkel, a hapless dweeb who lives next to the Winslow family and pines for the love of eldest daughter Laura (Kellie Shanygne Williams). Though his love is unrequited, Urkel is relentless in his desire, endlessly searching for a new gimmick or experiment that will win Laura’s heart. The comparisons to classical tropes are obvious; Urkel is equal parts Romeo, Cyrano, and Woody Allen. Surprisingly, the Urkel character was intended as a one-off. Family Matters, itself a spinoff of Perfect Strangers, played for half a season without Jaleel’s presence. But once audiences heard his signature catchphrase (“Look what you did!”), the rest was history.
