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: His role as the hapless "Cousin Larry" in the immortal 1980s sitcom Perfect Strangers forever earning him a secure position in the annals of television history, comic actor Mark Linn Baker may have since become notably less prominent on the world of television, though a key role in the 2001 television adaptation of Neil Simon's enduring Laughter on the 23rd Floor hinted at something of a comeback in the new millennium. Though Baker's father eschewed acting in favor of a more stable position in advertising, a childhood spent witnessing his father's community theater activities seemed to instill a somewhat more perseverant spirit in the star-stricken youngster. Though he would enter Yale as math major and ultimately emerge with a degree in drama, Baker's first true acting experience came with an appearance in the New York Shakespeare Festival. Baker's film debut in Woody Allen's Manhattan was quick to follow, and despite the fact that he didn't receive a notable amount of screen time, he was subsequently cast in a more weighty role in director Richard Benjamin's My Favorite Year (1982). Frustrated that the name Mark Baker was already taken at the actor's union, Baker assumed his better-known moniker at the suggestion of his father (who offered the name as a tribute to Leonid Tolstoy). His talents soon recognized by television casting agents, it wasn't long before Baker was offered the lead in the upcoming sitcom Perfect Strangers. Cast as the straight man to Bronson Pinchot's wacky foreign cousin, the fish-out-of-water, odd-couple comedy was an instant hit due in no small part to the unmistakable chemistry shared by its stars. Baker would continue to appear in numerous stage productions following the show's cancellation in 1993, though his absence on the small screen prompted many to speculate on his television and film career. Aside from appearances in Doonesbury: A Broadway Musical (1983) and Noises Off (1992), it appeared as if Baker had virtually disappeared from the spotlight. Of course, this was far from the truth, and in 1995 Baker could be spotted in the Broadway production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The new millennium found the still-busy actor becoming a partner in Manhattan's popular West Bank Café, and in 2001, Baker once again split television viewers' sides in Laughter on the 23rd Floor.