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. Description above from the Wikipedia article about LeVar Burton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 2023 · Carol & the End of the World as (voice)
- 2023 · 100 Years of Warner Bros. as Self
- 2022 · The Shuttlepod Show as Self
- 2022 · The Legend of Vox Machina as Undead Thordak (voice)
- 2021 · The Problem with Jon Stewart as Self
- 2021 · Leverage: Redemption as Mr. Blanche
- 2020 · Star Trek: Picard as Commodore Geordi La Forge
- 2019 · The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
- 2019 · Tamron Hall as Self - Guest
- 2019 · Weird City as Dr. Negari
- 2019 · The Ready Room as Self
- 2018 · Explained as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes as Kwame
- 2016 · Roots as Ephraim
- 2013 · PBS News Weekend as Himself (voice)
- 2012 · Perception as Paul Haley
- 2012 · The Eric Andre Show as Self
- 2012 · Finding Your Roots as
- 2012 · Transformers: Rescue Bots as Doc Green (voice)
- 2010 · Adventure Time as Bubble (voice)
- 2009 · Superman/Batman: Public Enemies as Black Lightning (voice)
- 2009 · Community as LeVar Burton
- 2009 · Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
- 2008 · Shatner's Raw Nerve as Self
- 2007 · The Big Bang Theory as LeVar Burton
- 2007 · Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as Self
- 2005 · Hell's Kitchen as Self - Restaurant Patron
- 2002 · Star Trek: Nemesis as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- 2002 · Boomtown as Marvin Lloyd
- 2001 · Ali as Martin Luther King, Jr.
- 2001 · Star Trek: Enterprise as Himself
- 1999 · Futurama as Unlicensed Hologram of LeVar Burton (voice)
- 1999 · Family Guy as Vern (voice)
- 1999 · Family Guy as LeVar Burton (voice)
- 1998 · Star Trek: Insurrection as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- 1998 · Becker as Mr. Haller
- 1997 · The View as Self - Guest
- 1996 · Star Trek: First Contact as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1995 · MADtv as Self
- 1995 · Deadly Games as Mr. Metcalf
- 1995 · Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child as The Monk (voice)
- 1995 · Star Trek: Voyager as Captain Geordi La Forge
- 1994 · Star Trek: Generations as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- 1994 · Gargoyles as
- 1994 · Christy as Daniel Scott
- 1992 · Batman: The Animated Series as Hayden Sloane (voice)
- 1990 · Captain Planet and the Planeteers as Kwame (voice)
- 1987 · Star Trek: The Next Generation as Geordi La Forge
- 1987 · Star Trek: The Next Generation as Self
- 1987 · Houston Knights as Jason Evans
- 1984 · Murder, She Wrote as Reporter Dave Robinson
- 1984 · Jeopardy! as Self - Host
- 1984 · The Jesse Owens Story as Professor Preston
- 1983 · Reading Rainbow as Self - Host
- 1981 · Grambling's White Tiger as Charles 'Tank' Smith
- 1980 · Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones as Richard Jefferson
- 1979 · Trapper John, M.D. as
- 1977 · The Love Boat as Darnell Hall
- 1977 · Roots as Kunta Kinte
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- Future · Scripps National Spelling Bee as Self - Host
- 2024 · Trivial Pursuit as Self - Host
- 2024 · Butterfly in the Sky as Self
- 2023 · Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event as Commodore Geordi La Forge
- 2022 · Tom Swift as Barclay (voice)
- 2022 · Secrets of Sacred Architecture as Narrator (voice)
- 2020 · Beyond the Spotlight as
- 2020 · Definition Please as LeVar Burton
- 2018 · Brentwood as LeVar Burton
- 2017 · Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family as
- 2016 · School of the Future as
- 2014 · Lennon or McCartney as Self
- 2014 · A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con as Self
- 2013 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
- 2012 · Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation as Self
- 2012 · Rise of the Zombies as Dr. Dan Halpern
- 2012 · Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation as Self
- 2010 · The Jensen Project as Kendrick
- 2009 · Taken in Broad Daylight as Mike Timbrook
- 2008 · Reach for Me as Nathanial
- 2006 · 40 Years of Star Trek as Self
- 2005 · Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool as Self
- 2003 · Blizzard as Night Watchman Elf (uncredited)
- 1999 · Our Friend, Martin as Martin at Age 26 (voice) (as Levar Burton)
- 1997 · Trekkies as Self
- 1996 · Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond as Self
- 1996 · Yesterday's Target as Winstrom
- 1995 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - Gambit as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
- 1995 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - Descent as Geordi La Forge
- 1995 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - Birthright as Geordi La Forge
- 1995 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - Time's Arrow as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi LaForge (archive footage)
- 1995 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
- 1994 · Parallel Lives as Dr. Franklin Carter
- 1994 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things... as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
- 1994 · Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation as Self
- 1993 · Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland as Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
- 1993 · Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes as Geordi La Forge
- 1992 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
- 1992 · Star Trek: Federation Science as
- 1991 · Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special as Self
- 1991 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption as Geordi LaForge (archive footage)
- 1990 · Central Park as Self
- 1988 · Roots: The Gift as Kunta Kinte
- 1988 · The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next as Self
- 1987 · A Special Friendship as Ben Sumner
- 1987 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - electronic press kit as Self
- 1986 · Liberty as Robert Johnson
- 1986 · The Supernaturals as Pvt. Michael Osgood
- 1985 · The Midnight Hour as Vinnie Davis
- 1985 · And the Children Shall Lead as Glenn Scott
- 1984 · Booker as Davis
- 1983 · Emergency Room as Ray Walden
- 1982 · I Love Liberty as Self
- 1981 · The Acorn People as Rodney
- 1980 · The Hunter as Tommy Price
- 1979 · Dummy as Donald Lang
- 1979 · The Muppets Go Hollywood as Self
- 1978 · Mickey's 50 as Self
- 1978 · Battered as Andrew Sinclair
- 1978 · One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story as Ron LeFlore
- 1977 · Looking for Mr. Goodbar as Cap Jackson
- 1977 · Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid as Billy Peoples
- 1977 · US Against the World as Self
- 1976 · The Captain and Tennille as Self
- 1976 · Almos' a Man as Dave