LeVar Burton
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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
Credits
One Night Only (2026)
as Rick
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Ali (2001)
as Martin Luther King, Jr.
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
as Black Lightning (voice)
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
as Cap Jackson
Central Park (1990)
as Self
Rise of the Zombies (2012)
as Dr. Dan Halpern
Our Friend, Martin (1999)
as Martin at Age 26 (voice)
The Hunter (1980)
as Tommy Price
Blizzard (2003)
as Night Watchman Elf (uncredited)
Remembering Roots (2002)
as Self
The Jesse Owens Story (1984)
as Professor Preston
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes (1993)
as Geordi La Forge
Trekkies (1997)
as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds (2013)
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event (2023)
as Commodore Geordi La Forge
Lennon or McCartney (2014)
as Self
Dummy (1979)
as Donald Lang
The Midnight Hour (1985)
as Vinnie Davis
To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager (2024)
as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things... (2014)
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979)
as Self (uncredited)
US Against the World (1977)
as Self
Brentwood (2018)
as LeVar Burton
I Love Liberty (1982)
as Self
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1994)
as Self
Parallel Lives (1994)
as Dr. Franklin Carter
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command (2014)
Actor
The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next (1988)
as Self
Reach for Me (2008)
as Nathanial
Mickey's 50 (1978)
as Self
The Supernaturals (1986)
as Pvt. Michael Osgood
Make-Up Man: The Michael Westmore Documentary (—)
as Self
Roots: The Gift (1988)
as Kunta Kinte
Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family (2017)
Actor
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption (2013)
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Taken in Broad Daylight (2009)
as Mike Timbrook
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story (1978)
as Ron LeFlore
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation (2012)
as Self
Liberty (1986)
as Robert Johnson
Butterfly in the Sky (2024)
as Self
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond (1996)
as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification (2013)
Actor
Yesterday's Target (1996)
as Winstrom
Almos' a Man (1976)
as Dave
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special (1991)
as Self
And They're Off (2011)
as Self
40 Years of Star Trek (2006)
as Self
Grambling's White Tiger (1981)
as Charles 'Tank' Smith
Definition Please (2020)
as LeVar Burton
Battered (1978)
as Andrew Sinclair
The Jensen Project (2010)
as Kendrick
Star Trek: Federation Science (1992)
Actor
Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland (1993)
as Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con (2014)
as Self
Emergency Room (1983)
as Ray Walden
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005)
as Self
Booker (1984)
as Davis
And the Children Shall Lead (1985)
as Glenn Scott
School of the Future (2016)
Actor
Secrets of Sacred Architecture (2022)
as Narrator (voice)
The Acorn People (1981)
as Rodney
A Special Friendship (1987)
as Ben Sumner
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid (1977)
as Billy Peoples
Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation (2012)
as Self