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Steve Urkel (played by actor Jaleel White) is a character on the 1990s sitcom Family Matters. Highly intelligent, he was (like other television heroes, e.g. Tim Taylor from Home Improvement) also quite accident-prone. He was socially awkward, but in an endearing way, and his popularity with the fans made him one of America's favorite nerds. Among his catch phrases was "Did I do that?", which he would say after causing an accident. He was originally intended as a one-time character, but became popular among the studio audience & viewers. He was later made a regular on the show, because his appearances provided substantial boosts to ratings.
As the series progressed, White outgrew his childhood voice and his performance became more affected and strained. A female cousin character Myrtle Urkel was created, also played by White; as was a suave, sexy alter ego named Stefan Urquelle, who became a separate character once Steve cloned himself.
Steve Urkel's long-unrequited love interest was Laura Winslow, a popular girl at his high school. He also attracted the affection of Myra, a girl who, like Urkel, was smart and socially awkward, but he did not love her back, since Laura was his true love interest. In the series' final season, Laura accepted a marriage proposal from Steve.
Steve even had his own dance called "The Steve Urkel Dance," derived from an episode wherein he created the dance to make himself more popular at school. The dance was carried over through a one-episode crossover for the character of Steve Urkel on sister show Step by Step. The character of Steve Urkel also appeared in one episode of Full House.
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