Jaleel White , an actor known for his role as Steve Urkel on Family Matters , said most people couldnt guess how hed describe growing up playing an iconic TV character.

His eclectic journey to adulthood, as he called it, is at the core of his upcoming memoir, which arrives over 40 years since his beginnings in Hollywood.

White emphasized that he wants his new book Growing Up Urkel to both inspire and appeal to thinkers.

Because the thing thats always kind of irked me about Urkel is the idea that show and that character were somehow created with less thought, White told HuffPost.

When youre making TV, its the greatest team effort in entertainment there is. Theres people that you wont meet, participating in the imagery of your show, and I play my part in it. Im the one that lives with the imagery. So I wanted to let people know how aware I was of certain moments.

White, whose memoir is set for release Nov. 19, understands that hes a familiar face, and he looks to use this to his advantage while adding another chapter to his decades-long career as he hosts a new game show , Flip Side.

The show sees two teams battling head-to-head to guess how different groups of people responded to the same question, with a final round that offers players a chance to take home $10,000.

White revealed that hes inspired by legacy late night personalities, such as former Tonight Show host Jay Leno, who used their on-screen familiarity to calm guests preshow jitters.

Hed always come visit his guests when he was tying his tie. That was always his routine, said White, adding that he respected the move as a kid.

It settled you down, it ingratiated you with his everyman before you sat out on the couch. I extend that same courtesy, and can see some of the anxiety go away. And, for the most part, its a really cool nostalgic rapport that Im afforded with them.