Pasadena, CA - Steve Urkel, meet Jaleel White.

While most of the civilized world recognizes Urkel as Family Matters' high-pitched goofball with huge glasses and short pants, few know the name of the actor who plays him. And, more important, that the player and his part are nothing alike.

"Most people don't know me by my real name," says White, who was 12 years old and "5 feet tall - maybe," when he joined the ABC sitcom eight seasons ago. "It is somewhat bothersome. At the same time, it shows how well I think I've done the character, to make that name so recognizable."

In the flesh, White is barely recognizable from his original on-air persona. (Eight years and 11 inches will do that to a person.) A stylish dresser and serious jock - he hangs with Penny Hardaway of the NBA's Orlando Magic - White is entering his junior year at UCLA as a TV and film major.

Family switches to CBS this season as the 8 p.m. anchor of its new kids' Friday block. With Fox's Living Single and New York Undercover both off the fall schedule, Family is now the most popular show among African Americans, says CBS Entertainment chief Les Moonves.

While Urkel has brought White "everything I have in life," it has come with a price. Just mention the character's name and anyone over the age of 12 winces.

"If I knew Urkel in real life, he'd probably get on my damn nerves," says White. "I'd be trying to get away from him. He's so annoying. That voice is so grating. But he's a good-hearted fellow."

Ditto for White. Off the set, it's immediately obvious that the actor is nothing like the character David Letterman loves to hate.

"I know what I can do personally," says White, a devout proponent of "clean living" (no drugs or alcohol). "Everyone around me knows personally what I can do personally. Anyone who meets me, unless they are on drugs or are inebriated, knows how very different I am."

When he does his next series, he promises to show a comedic side that's closer to Will Smith and Martin Lawrence than Steve Urkel.

"Typecasting depends on how good the actor is," White says. "Sometimes it makes it tough because some people refuse to see me as anything else (but Urkel). I set out to do a good job at something and was good enough to do it for 200 episodes."

"It's hypocritical to say I'm sick of it when it's given me everything I have in life."

Including a startling similarity to Kramer (Michael Richards) of NBC's "Seinfeld". According to White, Kramer and Urkel could have been separated at birth. But Urkel gets no respect because he's on a "frosted flakes" show instead of a sophisticated adult comedy.

"Kramer wears short pants. Both characters burst into the room and trip over everything. Kramer does that weird eye thing, and I've got a laugh and a snort. The only difference is that Kramer has more hair and he gets to deal with more mature situations."