Trivia: Jaleel White ascended to cult stardom during his early teenage years with a now-iconic portrayal of über-nerd Steve Urkel on the Friday-night ABC sitcom Family Matters (1989-1998). A veteran of television commercials and guest spots on various prime-time series from early childhood, White appeared as a regular on the short-lived CBS sitcom Charlie & Co. (1985-1986), starring Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight. The Urkel role, however, brought about his greatest popularity, and he landed it not long after the series first bowed in late September 1989 (appearing as early as the 12th episode). Though originally intended as a one-episode guest star, White generated massive popularity among audience members -- encouraging producers Tom Miller and Robert Boyett to rethink their strategy for the show. Urkel quickly became not only a fixture, but the program's lucky charm -- the wild card that turned it into a number one hit, much as the same producers had done with The Fonz, years prior, on Happy Days. Over the course of the program's run, White ascended to prominent billing (also mirroring the Fonzie situation). Unfortunately, as time passed, the Urkel characterization became increasingly difficult to sustain, thanks in no small part to White's accelerating age and height -- which dealt the series writers an incredibly difficult hand and forced them to figure out bizarre ways to work around this handicap (strategies included giving Urkel a "cool" alter-ego, Stefan, and affording that persona a great deal of screen time).The program wrapped in 1998, but in the meantime, White graduated from UCLA Film School, then moved into his heart's true calling -- that of screenwriting. He authored occasional teleplays for such venues as The Disney Channel and PBS, moved into big-screen work (with projects including a feature rewrite for director Joel Zwick), and continued to act on the side. Roles included lead billing in Damon Daniels' independent feature Who Made the Potatoe Salad? (2005) and a supporting contribution to the inspirational volleyball drama Green Flash (2008). He was in the low-budget Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus, and in 2011 he played a teacher in Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer. In 2012 the artist formerly known as Urkel competed on the 14th season of the popular ABC reality series Dancing With the Stars.

Trivia: Many know actress Kellie Shanygne Williams for her role as Laura Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters. Williams played the role for the series' entire run, from 1989 to 1998. She then made a number of guest appearances on various TV shows like What About Joan and The Parkers, and in 2009, she became the host of the reality series Clean House.

Trivia: Although she may not have achieved her youthful dream of becoming a Solid Gold dancer, some might argue that it was more a matter of overshooting that dream rather than failing to achieve it. Elise Neal still loves to dance, even appearing on Star Search before working professionally as a dancer, though she is more likely to be recognized for her frequent work in television and film.Born in Tenessee, Neal's ballerina beginnings were set into motion after spending long hours in front of the television admiring the cutesy song-and-dance antics of Shirley Temple. A popular teenager, Neal was voted Homecoming Queen, and after high school moved to New York to pursue a career as a dancer. Finding frequent work in musical theater that eventually led to small roles in commercials, Neal soon began to realize her affection for appearing on camera. After moving to L.A. to chase her newfound dreams of becoming a full-time actress, Neal made an appearance on Law & Order before her screen debut in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992). Appearing frequently in television for the next few years with recurring roles in such series as SeaQuest DSV and Tales of the City, Neal later appeared in John Singleton's Rosewood and Money Talks (both 1997) before making a memorable appearance in Scream 2. Moving seamlessly between roles in television and film, Neal moved into sitcom territory with The Hughleys before returning to the screen in 2000 with Mission to Mars.

Trivia: The lithe and attractive African-American actress Valarie Rae Miller first attained public recognition as "Original Cindy" on the James Cameron-produced sci-fi actioner Dark Angel (2000-2002), starring Jessica Alba. After this stint, Miller branched out into big-screen supporting roles, with a marked emphasis on crime comedy (All About the Benjamins, Hollywood Homicide) and action thrillers (Crank). Miller would also enjoy roles on TV series like Smith, Reaper, and Men of a Certain Age.

Trivia: Burly comic actor Stuart Pankin attended Dickinson College and Columbia University. At 22, Pankin made his off-Broadway debut in 1968's War of the Roses. His film supporting roles are generally along the lines of the ineffectual sheriff in Arachnophobia (1990) and the blowhard giant in Beanstalk (1994). He is frequently spotlighted in buffoonish roles in such cinematic lampoons as That's Adequate, Love at Stake and Silence of the Hams. On TV, Stuart Pankin was seen as Stuf (so named because of his gargantuan eating habits) in The San Pedro Beach Bums (1977), Tuttle on the wacked-out No Soap, Radio (1982), and Jace Sampson on the 1989-90 (and last) season of Falcon Crest; he was also a reporter on the satirical Not Necessarily the News (1983), and the voice of audio-animatronic dino Earl Sinclair on Dinosaurs (1991-94).

Trivia: African-American actor Reginald VelJohnson is the ideal choice for "urban everyman" roles: his sour-apple facial expression, bald pate, and chubby frame are perfectly suited for the many policemen and blue-collar workers he has played over the years. Beginning in small parts in films like Ghostbusters (1984), VelJohnson gained a following with supporting roles in Crocodile Dundee (1986) and Die Hard (1988). A guest spot as an undercover cop on a 1989 episode of TV's Perfect Strangers led to VelJohnson's longest professional engagement to date. In the company of former Perfect Strangers regular Jo-Marie Payton-France, Reginald VelJohnson, since the fall of 1989, starred as Chicago cop Carl Winslow on the weekly comedy series Family Matters.

Trivia: Actress Jaimee Foxworth first became introduced to TV audiences in 1989 when, at ten years old, she was cast in the sitcom Family Matters as little sister Judy Winslow. She stayed with the show for a few seasons but, as nerdy character Steve Urkel became popular, less and less time was allotted for Judy's character, and eventually the writers phased her out of the show completely. Like many child actors, Foxworth had trouble finding success as an adult actress and struggled with depression and substance abuse. She briefly entered the world of adult films and eventually developed a dependency on marijuana, which she sought rehabilitation for on the series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.