Who is Steve Urkel in Family Matters?

Show

Family Matters

Played by

Jaleel White

First episode

“Laura's First Date”Season 1, Episode 12, aired December 15, 1989

Role

Main cast

Network

ABC

Occupation

Teen inventor and the Winslows' neighbor

Show run

1989 to 1998Moved to CBS for its final season.

Also known as

Urkel, Stefan Urquelle

Steve Urkel is the clumsy boy genius who lives next door to the Winslow family and cannot stop breaking things, or falling for Laura. Played by Jaleel White, he was written as a minor character and became one of the most famous sitcom characters of the 1990s.

On Family Matters, Steve Urkel's story runs through Laura Winslow (Crush, then Fiancee), Carl Winslow (Neighbor), and Eddie Winslow (Friend).

Other ABC sitcom characters from around the same time include Al Borland (Home Improvement) and D.J. Tanner (Full House).

Who is Steve Urkel?

Steve is a brilliant, accident-prone teenager who lives near the Winslows in Chicago. He first shows up midway through season one with a crush on Laura Winslow, and he never stops trying to win her over. His own parents are cold and distant, so he attaches himself to the Winslow household, much to the dismay of its head, police officer Carl Winslow.

With his thick glasses, suspenders, hiked-up pants, and high-pitched voice, Steve is an instantly recognizable figure. He is also a true genius, and his inventions drive many plots, from shrinking machines to cloning devices, usually with spectacular side effects on the Winslows' house.

Personality and comedy

Steve's comedy is slapstick catastrophe followed by a sheepish "Did I do that?" He wrecks furniture, injures bystanders, and somehow never loses his cheerful confidence. His snorting laugh and his habit of calling Carl "Big Guy" became fixtures of the show.

What keeps him lovable is his sincerity. Steve is relentlessly kind, loyal, and optimistic, and over time the Winslows stop seeing him as a pest and start seeing him as family. By the end of the series, he thinks of Carl as his real father.

Key storylines

In season five, a serum Steve brews to suppress his "nerd genes" turns him into Stefan Urquelle, a smooth, confident alter ego who instantly charms Laura. He later builds a transformation chamber so Stefan can return, and at the end of season seven a cloned Steve goes through the chamber and becomes a permanent, separate Stefan who competes with Steve for Laura's heart. Starting in season six, Steve also dates the fiercely devoted Myra Monkhouse, though her possessiveness wears on him and his heart stays with Laura.

In the final season, Laura finally falls for Steve, and Steve exposes Myra's stalking, which leads to her arrest. When both Steve and Stefan propose, Laura chooses Steve, and Stefan leaves for good. In the two-part series finale, one of Steve's inventions launches him into outer space, and he returns home a hero.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Urkel was intended as a minor character, but audiences responded so strongly to Jaleel White's performance that he became the star of Family Matters. Urkel crossed over onto Full House and Step by Step. The Urkel Dance, introduced in season two, became a fad, and the character spawned a wave of merchandise, including a talking doll and a cereal called Urkel-Os.

TV Guide ranked Steve Urkel number 27 on its 1999 list of the 50 greatest TV characters of all time. White also played Stefan, a role that rested his voice, which was strained by Steve's signature squeak.

Steve Urkel: frequently asked questions

All Family Matters charactersEssential Family Matters episodesFamily Matters triviaMore 1980s sitcom characters

All sitcom characters A to Z