LeVar Burton
Biography
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.
Acting (61 movies)
Star Trek: Generations
1994
Star Trek: First Contact
1996
Star Trek: Insurrection
1998
Star Trek: Nemesis
2002
The Hunter
1980
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
2009
The Midnight Hour
1985
I Love Liberty
1982
Secrets of Sacred Architecture
2022
The Jensen Project
2010
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
1977
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
2023
Trekkies
1997
Butterfly in the Sky
2024
The Supernaturals
1986
Taken in Broad Daylight
2009
Reach for Me
2008
Star Trek: Federation Science
1992
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
1994
Roots: The Gift
1988
US Against the World
1977
Rise of the Zombies
2012
Our Friend, Martin
1999
The Jesse Owens Story
1984
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
1978
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
1977
Dummy
1979
The Acorn People
1981
Emergency Room
1983
Yesterday's Target
1996
Parallel Lives
1994
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
1993
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool
2005
Almos' a Man
1976
A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con
2014
Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland
1993
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
1996
Lennon or McCartney
2014
Ali
2001
Battered
1978
A Special Friendship
1987
School of the Future
2016
Central Park
1990
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
1991
40 Years of Star Trek
2006
And the Children Shall Lead
1985
Brentwood
2018
Mickey's 50
1978
Blizzard
2003
The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next
1988
Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family
2017
Liberty
1986
Definition Please
2020
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
2013
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
2012
The Muppets Go Hollywood
1979
To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager
2024
And They're Off
2011
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
2013
Directing (4 movies)
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| The Right to Read | 2023 | Executive Producer |