LeVar Burton
Acting
Born: Feb 16, 1957
From: Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany
Credits: 30 titles
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 …
Filmography
| Title | Character | Year | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfly in the Sky | Self | 2024 | 8.2 |
| Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event | Commodore Geordi La Forge | 2023 | 7.7 |
| Secrets of Sacred Architecture | Narrator (voice) | 2022 | 7.0 |
| Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation | Self | 2012 | 5.5 |
| Rise of the Zombies | Dr. Dan Halpern | 2012 | 4.2 |
| The Jensen Project | Kendrick | 2010 | 5.5 |
| Superman/Batman: Public Enemies | Black Lightning (voice) | 2009 | 7.08 |
| Taken in Broad Daylight | Mike Timbrook | 2009 | 5.0 |
| Reach for Me | Nathanial | 2008 | 2.8 |
| Star Trek: Nemesis | Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge | 2002 | 6.301 |
| Our Friend, Martin | Martin at Age 26 (voice) | 1999 | 7.107 |
| Star Trek: Insurrection | Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge | 1998 | 6.444 |
| Trekkies | Self | 1997 | 6.398 |
| Star Trek: First Contact | Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge | 1996 | 7.297 |
| Star Trek: Generations | Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge | 1994 | 6.518 |
| Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation | Self | 1994 | 7.0 |
| Star Trek: Federation Science | 1992 | 1.0 | |
| Roots: The Gift | Kunta Kinte | 1988 | 7.077 |
| The Supernaturals | Pvt. Michael Osgood | 1986 | 4.235 |
| The Midnight Hour | Vinnie Davis | 1985 | 5.898 |
| The Jesse Owens Story | Professor Preston | 1984 | 8.083 |
| Emergency Room | Ray Walden | 1983 | 9.0 |
| I Love Liberty | Self | 1982 | — |
| The Acorn People | Rodney | 1981 | 3.667 |
| The Hunter | Tommy Price | 1980 | 5.9 |
| Dummy | Donald Lang | 1979 | 8.667 |
| One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story | Ron LeFlore | 1978 | 6.125 |
| Looking for Mr. Goodbar | Cap Jackson | 1977 | 6.389 |
| US Against the World | Self | 1977 | — |
| Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid | Billy Peoples | 1977 | 8.0 |
| Known for | Acting |
| Credits | 30 |
| Born | 1957 |
| From | Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, … |