Jaleel White – Bio, Net Worth, Wife and Children, Is He Dead, Where is He Now?

Quick Facts

Even though it is debatable, you can claim that Jaleel White was one of the finest sitcom characters of the 1990s thanks to his portrayal of Steve Urkel in the American sitcom series, Family Matters. Many years after the show which brought him to limelight ended, White still remains  an actor but his star has not shone as bright as it did many years before now, to a point that there are some who believe he may even be dead. Is he really dead? Find out below and if not, know where he is now.

Jaleel White Bio

The actor was born Jaleel Ahmad White on November 27, 1976, in Culver City, California. He was raised as an only child by his parents, Michael White who was a dentist and Gail White who was at first a homemaker before later deciding to work as her son’s manager.

Jaleel was just a child when his preschool teacher saw the talent in him and adviced that he began acting. When he was three years old, the boy who would come to be America’s favorite nerd at a time, started appearing on TV commercials. By 1999, he had already appeared in more than 30 commercials across the United States including for big names such as Pepsi, McDonald’s, and Jello Pudding Pops which he appeared in alongside .

For his education, White went to ohn Marshall Fundamental High School before moving to South Pasadena High School. He would then go on to graduate from the University of California in 2001.

His journey into acting in television series began in 1984 when he got a role in The Jeffersons and after that, he got another role in Silence of the Heart. From then on, he went on to appear in other series such as Kids Don’t Tell and Charlie & Co. both in 1985, The Disney Sunday Movie in 1986, and a few others before he was given a guest appearance role in Family Matters in 1989. The role he played soon caught on with viewers and he earned his place in the sitcom which ran until 1998.

Jaleel White continued appearing in many other TV shows while he also became popular as a voice actor having played roles in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993) as Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Underground (1999) as Sonic, Sonia, and Manic Hedgehog, as well as Quest for Camelot as Bladebeak in 1998. He has also appeared in a good number of movies in the past such as Our Friend, Martin (1999), Kissing Cousins (2008), Mega Shark Versus Crocosaurus (2010), and many others.

Net Worth

Looking at what he has been able to accumulate over the years, Jaleel White is said to have an estimated net worth of $10 million. He has come by most of his fortune from his career as an actor.

Wife and Children

One thing that is no secret about Jaleel White is how much he has kept his private life very secretive. That said, the actor does not have a wife as he has never been married. However, he was in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Bridget Hardy whom he was said to have dated from 2006 to 2010 when it

Although the relationship produced Jaleel’s daughter, Samaya White who was born in 2009, it was not without problems as the actor was accused by Bridget Hardy of cheating and abusing her. According to Hardy, White abused her because she was not working, had no money and he went as far as hitting her on her chest.

At first, Jaleel denied the accusations against him, but he later admitted to abusing her under oath in 2012.

Is He Dead, Where is He Now?

Even though for some time now, Jaleel White has not gotten a very big role that would push him to the highest of heights again, he is not dead and is still very much alive in Hollywood. In fact, in 2012, he appeared in the season 14 of Dancing with the Stars but was soon booted out.

In the past years, White has been a part of some web series such as Road to the Altar (2009), Fake It Till You Make It (2010), and he voiced for Percy / Omnizod in SuperF*ckers (2012). In 2017, he appeared on TV in Me, Myself & I while in 2018, he appeared in Trial & Error and Fresh Off the Boat. More than just that, he has also been part of some movies in the recent past like The Preachers Son (2017) and The 15:17 to Paris (2018).

Throughout his acting career, Jaleel has had some nominations and also some awards such as the NAACP Image Awards and NAACP Image Awards both of which he won for Family Matters.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.