From People Mag 05 04 1992 INTRODUCING URKSOME Steve Erkel lends his name People 05 04 1992 THERE IS STEVE URKEL TV SITCOM character Then there is Steve Erkel TV scriptwriter and director of educational films and real life person Steve Urkel as played by 15 year old Jaleel White on ABC s Family Matters is America s best known nerd famous for his high hitched pants high pitched voice and pig snort laugh Steve Erkel as played by 42 year old Steve Erkel of Los Angeles is a regular looking guy whose life has been complicated by Urkel s success In fact their homonymous relationship no problem between consenting adults or fictitious teenagers is no coincidence either Steve Urkel is named after Steve Erkel thanks to Michael Warren the show s executive producer Back in 1989 he borrowed his old friend s name without telling him At the time Steve Urkel was supposed to be a one episode character on a blind date with Laura Kellie Shanygne Williams I had never known anyone named Erkel until I met Steve says Warren It s an odd name but it sure clicked So did Jaleel White s performance and Steve Urkel became a show stealing regular Then as the voice of the Urkel was heard in the land Erkel began getting strange reactions People started looking at me twice he says Over the phone there would be these unusual delays during transactions Finally in early 1990 a friend of mine called and said There s this guy on TV with your name I watched and saw Michael s name on the credits and I said Ah hah Erkel gets late night phone calls from pajama partying teenagers who scream Steve I love you his girlfriend Susan Cook a psychologist sometimes introduces him as the other Steve Erkel and even his parents Lorraine and Roy Erkel who live in Sacramento find themselves having to explain the whole thing And says Erkel I have a second cousin in Wisconsin named Steve Erkel I hear that he s going through the same stuff As for Warren he says he would never use a friend s name for a character again Steve s experience has put an end to that says Warren From now on I will get my names out of the phone book Warren has invited Erkel to the set on several occasions and has introduced him to White Steve Erkel says the first words out of Steve Urkel s mouth were I m sorry George Kostanza