LeVar Burton

Acting

Born Feb 16, 1957

From Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany

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.

LeVar Burton

Known For

Star Trek: First Contact

Ali

Star Trek: Nemesis

Star Trek: Generations

Star Trek: Insurrection

The Hunter

Looking for Mr. Goodbar

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Lennon or McCartney

Filmography — Acting

Star Trek: First Contact

Ali

Star Trek: Nemesis

Star Trek: Generations

Star Trek: Insurrection

The Hunter

Looking for Mr. Goodbar

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Lennon or McCartney

One Night Only

Rise of the Zombies

Trekkies

Our Friend, Martin

Blizzard

The Midnight Hour

The Muppets Go Hollywood

Dummy

Mickey's 50

I Love Liberty

Butterfly in the Sky

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special

The Jensen Project

The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next

And the Children Shall Lead

To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager

Almos' a Man

Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool

Liberty

Booker

Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond

The Jesse Owens Story

Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family

Roots: The Gift

The Supernaturals

Grambling's White Tiger

Taken in Broad Daylight

And They're Off

Central Park

40 Years of Star Trek

Yesterday's Target

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds

Battered

Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid

Reach for Me

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes

Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation

One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story

Brentwood

Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification

US Against the World

Parallel Lives

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption

Emergency Room

A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con

A Special Friendship

The Acorn People

Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...

Definition Please

Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland

Secrets of Sacred Architecture

Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Descent

Star Trek: Federation Science

School of the Future

Remembering Roots