- Born
- Place
LeVar Burton
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots (1977), and was the host of the PBS Kids educational television series Reading Rainbow for 23 years (1983–2006). Burton received 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow.
His other roles include Cap Jackson in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Donald Lang in Dummy (1979), Tommy Price in The Hunter (1980), which earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, and Martin Luther King Jr. in Ali (2001). Burton received the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards for his narration of the book The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1990, he was honored for his accomplishments in television with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
From 2017 until 2024, Burton created and hosted the podcast LeVar Burton Reads, often described as "Reading Rainbow for adults". In October 2024, Burton appeared as the host of the Trivial Pursuit television game show broadcast on The CW network and streaming online.
As director
As actor
One Night Only
Butterfly in the Sky
To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
Secrets of Sacred Architecture
Definition Please
Brentwood
Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family
School of the Future
A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con
Lennon or McCartney
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Rise of the Zombies
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
And They're Off
The Jensen Project
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Taken in Broad Daylight
Reach for Me
40 Years of Star Trek
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool
Blizzard
Star Trek: Nemesis
Remembering Roots
Ali