‘Steve Urkel’ Actor -- I Demand Respect, Dammit!!!

The guy who played Steve Urkel on "Family Matters" sounds more like Rodney Dangerfield these days ... dude claims he just can't get any respect as a professional actor.

34-year-old Jaleel White is appearing on a new sitcom called, "Love That Girl" ... and while discussing the variety of other roles he's played post-Urkel, White says he deserves some friggin' accolades.

"I'm very versatile, but somehow I didn't earn the tag of being called a versatile actor" ... White told People.com.

He added, "I'm still chasing that one Vanity Fair tag that says, 'This guy's a versatile actor.' I accept it. It's fine. But for me, it's like what do I have to do to get that [acknowledgement]?"

Jaleel says he still gets recognized as the legendary nerd ... but explains, “I'm not trying to get away from it or anything like that, but I don't miss the role at all – really. I just want to work. I want my daughter to say, 'I know what Daddy does,' not 'what Daddy did."