Carl Winslow
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| Carl Otis Winslow | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Crimebusters (Perfect Strangers) |
| Last appearance | Lost in Space |
| Cause/reason | cancellation |
| Created by | Thomas L. Miller, Robert L. Boyett |
| Portrayed by | Reginald VelJohnson |
| Episode count | 215 |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | "Big Guy" |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 37-46 |
| Date of birth | 1952 |
| Occupation | Chicago police sergeant, then lieutenant, and then captain |
| Spouse(s) | Harriette Winslow |
| Children | Eddie, Laura, and Judy Winslow |
| Relatives | Estelle (Mother) Winslow |
Carl Otis Winslow was a fictional character portrayed by Reginald VelJohnson on the American sitcom Family Matters from 1989-1998.
[edit] Background
Carl is an overweight, hard-working, and humble man. He is a police officer for the Chicago Police Department, who starts out as a sergeant, then gets promoted to lieutenant and, later, captain. Carl takes his role as the bread-winner of the household very seriously. Because of this, his opinion of being the "man of the house" tends to get in the way of more personal issues with his wife, Harriette. His favorite food is doughnuts, which goes along with a well-known stereotype of policemen. He is somewhat quick to concede to his wife, as evidended by the fact that she often ends up teaching him a lesson when it comes to resolving petty marital disputes.
Carl has a tendency to come down very hard on his only son, Eddie, while being protective of his daughters, Laura and Judy, at the same time. On occasion, Carl acts in an erratic fashion, and usually blames it on his stressful job. However, deep down, Carl is a very loving and caring father.
[edit] Relationship with Steve Urkel
Especially during the early years, Carl is openly vocal when it comes to showing his displeasure with next-door neighbor, Steve Urkel, who seemingly shows up at the house during inconvenient or inopportune times. Carl invariably becomes annoyed with Urkel for one of several reasons:
- Most often, when he is pressed into helping Urkel test out his often useless -- and accident-prone -- inventions. The contraption would invariably backfire, and Carl would become the victim of its unpredictable and/or undesirable effects. Property damage and/or bodily harm to the Winslows' household caused by Urkel's clumsiness (or the ill-fated machines) only adds to Carl's frustration.
- When Urkel tries to talk about an odd or esoteric topic that the Winslows have no interest in (e.g.- a visit to a cheese festival).
- When Urkel tries any one of a number of elaborate schemes to win Laura's heart.
However, Carl understands that Urkel looks up to him like a father-figure, and often shows gratitude when he helps him resolve a tough personal crisis (e.g., helped him conquer a fear of heights). Other times, Carl helps Urkel deal with tough situations of his own, such as learning how to swim to pass physical education class, while on occasion, Carl has to stick up for his nerdy neighbor. Carl eventually grows tolerant of Urkel, and accepts him as a member of his family.
Like his eldest two children, Eddie and Laura, Carl has gotten an opportunity to see what it is like to walk in Urkel's shoes.
[edit] Quotes
- "Go home, Steve!"
- (while yelling at Steve) "Go home, go home, GO HOME!!"
- "Come here, [Steve]."
