LeVar Burton

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

123

Gender

Male

Birthday

1957-02-16 (68 years old)

Place of Birth

Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany

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.

Known For

  • Family Guy

    Family Guy

  • Family Guy

    Family Guy

  • Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  • The Daily Show

    The Daily Show

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • Adventure Time

    Adventure Time

  • Star Trek: The Next Generation

    Star Trek: The Next Generation

  • The Kelly Clarkson Show

    The Kelly Clarkson Show

  • The Big Bang Theory

    The Big Bang Theory

  • Jeopardy!

    Jeopardy!

  • Jeopardy!

    Jeopardy!

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • Futurama

    Futurama

  • Star Trek: Voyager

    Star Trek: Voyager

  • The View

    The View

  • The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

  • Batman: The Animated Series

    Batman: The Animated Series

  • Star Trek: Picard

    Star Trek: Picard

  • Community

    Community

  • Hell's Kitchen

    Hell's Kitchen

  • The Legend of Vox Machina

    The Legend of Vox Machina

  • Gargoyles

    Gargoyles

  • Perception

    Perception

  • Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child

    Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child

  • Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

    Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

  • Tamron Hall

    Tamron Hall

  • Explained

    Explained

  • The Eric Andre Show

    The Eric Andre Show

  • Becker

    Becker

  • Finding Your Roots

    Finding Your Roots

  • Leverage: Redemption

    Leverage: Redemption

  • Captain Planet and the Planeteers

    Captain Planet and the Planeteers

  • Reading Rainbow

    Reading Rainbow

  • Trapper John, M.D.

    Trapper John, M.D.

  • Carol & the End of the World

    Carol & the End of the World

  • Blizzard

    Blizzard

  • OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

    OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

  • Liberty

    Liberty

  • 100 Years of Warner Bros.

    100 Years of Warner Bros.

  • Star Trek: Nemesis

    Star Trek: Nemesis

  • Roots

    Roots

  • Looking for Mr. Goodbar

    Looking for Mr. Goodbar

  • The Hunter

    The Hunter

  • Boomtown

    Boomtown

  • Booker

    Booker

  • Transformers: Rescue Bots

    Transformers: Rescue Bots

  • The Ready Room

    The Ready Room

  • The Problem with Jon Stewart

    The Problem with Jon Stewart

  • Shatner's Raw Nerve

    Shatner's Raw Nerve

  • Roots

    Roots

  • Star Trek: First Contact

    Star Trek: First Contact

  • Dummy

    Dummy

  • Our Friend, Martin

    Our Friend, Martin

  • Ali

    Ali

  • The Captain and Tennille

    The Captain and Tennille

  • The Acorn People

    The Acorn People

  • Christy

    Christy

  • Weird City

    Weird City

  • Almos' a Man

    Almos' a Man

  • Star Trek: Generations

    Star Trek: Generations

  • Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

    Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

  • One Night Only

    One Night Only

  • Scripps National Spelling Bee

    Scripps National Spelling Bee

  • Star Trek: Insurrection

    Star Trek: Insurrection

  • The Shuttlepod Show

    The Shuttlepod Show

  • Beyond the Spotlight

    Beyond the Spotlight

  • PBS News Weekend

    PBS News Weekend

  • Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

    Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

  • Tom Swift

    Tom Swift

  • Deadly Games

    Deadly Games

  • Trekkies

    Trekkies

  • Houston Knights

    Houston Knights

  • Central Park

    Central Park

  • Grambling's White Tiger

    Grambling's White Tiger

  • MADtv

    MADtv

  • Lennon or McCartney

    Lennon or McCartney

  • Trivial Pursuit

    Trivial Pursuit

  • Rise of the Zombies

    Rise of the Zombies

  • I Love Liberty

    I Love Liberty

  • Star Trek: Federation Science

    Star Trek: Federation Science

  • Roots: The Gift

    Roots: The Gift

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

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

  • The Midnight Hour

    The Midnight Hour

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

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

  • The Muppets Go Hollywood

    The Muppets Go Hollywood

  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes

    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes

  • Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event

    Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event

  • Parallel Lives

    Parallel Lives

  • Mickey's 50

    Mickey's 50

  • The Supernaturals

    The Supernaturals

  • To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager

    To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager

  • Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland

    Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland

  • Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool

    Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool

  • US Against the World

    US Against the World

  • The Jesse Owens Story

    The Jesse Owens Story

  • Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special

    Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special

  • The Jensen Project

    The Jensen Project

  • The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next

    The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next

  • And They're Off

    And They're Off

  • Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation

    Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation

  • Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond

    Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond

  • Battered

    Battered

  • Taken in Broad Daylight

    Taken in Broad Daylight

  • Butterfly in the Sky

    Butterfly in the Sky

  • One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story

    One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story

  • Reach for Me

    Reach for Me

  • Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid

    Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid

  • Yesterday's Target

    Yesterday's Target

  • A Special Friendship

    A Special Friendship

  • Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification

    Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification

  • 40 Years of Star Trek

    40 Years of Star Trek

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

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

  • Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption

    Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption

  • Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command

    Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command

  • And the Children Shall Lead

    And the Children Shall Lead

  • Emergency Room

    Emergency Room

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

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

  • Secrets of Sacred Architecture

    Secrets of Sacred Architecture

  • Brentwood

    Brentwood

  • Definition Please

    Definition Please

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

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

  • Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family

    Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family

  • School of the Future

    School of the Future