LeVar Burton
- Acting
- February 16, 1957 · Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany
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.
Known for
Filmography
- One Night Only · Rick
- Strip Law · Voice
- Weather Hunters · Flexspecs (Voice), Great Grandpa Wallace (Voice)
- To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager · Self
- Trivial Pursuit · Self
- Butterfly in the Sky · Self
- Carol & the End of the World · Voice
- 100 Years of Warner Bros. · Self
- Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event · Commodore Geordi La Forge
- The Right to Read · Executive producer
- Tom Swift · Barclay (Voice)
- Secrets of Sacred Architecture · Narrator (Voice)
- The Shuttlepod Show · Self
- The Legend of Vox Machina · Undead Thordak (Voice)
- The Problem with Jon Stewart · Self
- NCIS: Hawaiʻi · Director
- Leverage: Redemption · Mr. Blanche
- INVINCIBLE · Suit AI (Voice)
- Beyond the Spotlight
- Definition Please · LeVar Burton
- Star Trek: Picard · Commodore Geordi La Forge
- The Tamron Hall Show · Self
- The Kelly Clarkson Show · Self
- Weird City · Dr. Negari
- The Ready Room · Self
- Brentwood · LeVar Burton
- Explained · Narrator (Voice)
- OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes · Kwame
- Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family
- School of the Future
- Roots · Ephraim, Co-Executive Producer
- Lennon or McCartney · Self
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things... · Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con · Self
- NCIS: New Orleans · Director
- Scorpion · Director
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command · Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification · Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- PBS News Weekend · Self
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption · Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds · Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
- Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation · Self
- Rise of the Zombies · Dr. Dan Halpern
- Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation · Self
- Perception · Paul Haley, Director
- The Eric Andre Show · Self
- Finding Your Roots
- Transformers: Rescue Bots · Doc Green (Voice)
- And They're Off · Self
- The Jensen Project · Kendrick
- Adventure Time · Bubble (Voice)
- Taken in Broad Daylight · Mike Timbrook
- Superman/Batman: Public Enemies · Black Lightning (Voice)
- Community · LeVar Burton
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen · Self
- Shatner's Raw Nerve · Self
- Reach for Me · Nathanial, Director
- The Big Bang Theory · LeVar Burton
- Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! · Self
- 40 Years of Star Trek · Self
- Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool · Self
- Hell's Kitchen · Self
- Miracle's Boys · Director
- Las Vegas · Director
- Blizzard · Night Watchman Elf (uncredited), Director
- Star Trek: Nemesis · Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- Boomtown · Marvin Lloyd
- Remembering Roots · Self
- Ali · Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Star Trek: Enterprise · Director
- Soul Food · Director
- Smart House · Director
- Futurama · Unlicensed Hologram of LeVar Burton (Voice)
- Family Guy · Vern (Voice), LeVar Burton (Voice)
- Our Friend, Martin · Martin at Age 26 (Voice)
- Star Trek: Insurrection · Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- Becker · Mr. Haller
- Charmed · Director
- The Tiger Woods Story · Director
- Trekkies · Self