The legend that is Jaleel White aka Steve Urkel is a father to a beautiful little girl, Samaya. We all remember White as the precocious 13-year-old face of the hit TV Series Family Matters. His Steve Urkel character lived for nine seasons. Did you that know before Family Matters, White was almost cast to play Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show?
“Yep, that’s why the character was named Rudy—it was intended to be a boy,” White told Vanity Fair. “That’s my tragic auditioning story. We were all packed up and ready to go to New York and my agent had told my parents that they needed to start looking for places to live out there. Next thing you know, there was one more audition and that was supposed to be a formality at the network. And a little girl comes walking in, and I’m like—even at eight years old—“Who’s she?” And they’re like, “She’s auditioning for Rudy, too.” So I’m like, “Oh, it’s not as much of a formality as I thought.” That was my first time walking into a room of 30 people staring at you going, “O.K., make me laugh.” They were in such a hurry to get to New York and start filming that they came out and picked the kids one by one right in front of all of us. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempest Bledsoe . . . The rest of us all went home crying.”
White is one of the few child stars that has managed to stay grounded and out of trouble. He enjoys spending time with his baby girl. We gleaned the most adorable pictures of White and his daughter we could find and think you’ll love them too. Check them out:
