Growing Up Urkel

September 30, 2024
Actor White discusses the “double-edged sword” of his breakout role on the 1990s sitcom Family Matters in this intriguing if tight-lipped debut. The focus is squarely on White’s career: he booked his first commercial at four years old (for Toys R Us), then stepped back from auditioning in middle school. His parents, however, encouraged him to continue acting, hoping the money could help pay for college. That nudge led White to audition for a single-episode guest spot as nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel on Family Matters when he was 12 years old. He got the part, and the crew liked his performance so much that he became a series regular. White balances boilerplate behind-the-scenes reminiscences with frank, sometimes funny discussions of the role’s repercussions, including the trouble he continues to have being recognized for other performances (including in Big Fat Liar and Fake It Til You Make It) and the discomfort he feels that Urkel has become a “punching bag” for critics discussing Black representation on TV (“Friends doesn’t speak for all white people. But no one ever thinks should or did. not examined with the same lens”). What’s missing, save for a few humorous anecdotes about dating in his 20s and a brief ode to his daughter, is insight into White’s personal life. While plenty charming, this doesn’t offer much that fans don’t already know. Agent: Kristen Neuhaus, Ultra Literary.