Jaleel White

“When one door closes, another one opens.” – Alexander Graham Bell.

It seems Jaleel White was one of the living proof of the great Alexander’s quote above. You see, Jaleel was supposed to play as Rudy Huxtable for the film The Cosby Show. But the management made a last-minute decision and gave the role to Keshia Knight Pulliam. We bet Jaleel must’ve felt discouraged and demotivated to hear this news. But, hey! Everything indeed happens for a reason!

Why? It’s because not long enough, he was given a big break when he cast the role of the annoying, nerdy Steve Urkel on Family Matters. And boy his career made a giant leap since then! In fact, his one-time guest role turned into one of White’s lifetime performance. No one could ever forget his notable line:

“Oops! Did I do that?”

He’d definitely caught the audience’s sympathy and hearts with his outstanding performance! Talk about a big, big, blessing in disguise!

However, his success on playing as Steve Urkel also turned out to become a bitter-sweet one. Despite his outstanding performance in acting and having a UCLA Film diploma, he had a hard time landing roles and contract in Hollywood. He’d only managed to get minor roles on tv shows like Boston Legal and House and Dreamgirls. But, who knows? He might get another breaking role again. Just hang in there, Jaleel! Don’t lose hope!