LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. 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
PHOTOS

TV Series

Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Captain Planet and the Planeteers

6.7
Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote

7.5
Family Guy

Family Guy

7.39
Trapper John, M.D.

Trapper John, M.D.

6.5
Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation

8.368
Boomtown

Boomtown

6.5
Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Voyager

7.796
Gargoyles

Gargoyles

8.1
MADtv

MADtv

6.952
The View

The View

4.363
Roots

Roots

7.4
The Captain and Tennille

The Captain and Tennille

5.5
Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Picard

7.297
Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series

8.5
Tamron Hall

Tamron Hall

5.1
Transformers: Rescue Bots

Transformers: Rescue Bots

7.439
Community

Community

7.997
Jeopardy!

Jeopardy!

6.9
Perception

Perception

7.152
Tom Swift

Tom Swift

4.1
Hell's Kitchen

Hell's Kitchen

6.844
The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory

7.913
The Love Boat

The Love Boat

6.3
The Daily Show

The Daily Show

6.378
Scripps National Spelling Bee

Scripps National Spelling Bee

0
Family Guy

Family Guy

7.39
Reading Rainbow

Reading Rainbow

8.333
The Shuttlepod Show

The Shuttlepod Show

10
Leverage: Redemption

Leverage: Redemption

7.5
The Problem with Jon Stewart

The Problem with Jon Stewart

7.2
100 Years of Warner Bros.

100 Years of Warner Bros.

7.8
Houston Knights

Houston Knights

4.3
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

7.44
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

7.459
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

7.2
The Kelly Clarkson Show

The Kelly Clarkson Show

6.5
Carol & the End of the World

Carol & the End of the World

7.583
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child

Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child

6
Shatner's Raw Nerve

Shatner's Raw Nerve

4
Beyond the Spotlight

Beyond the Spotlight

0
Explained

Explained

7.5
PBS News Weekend

PBS News Weekend

4.8
Adventure Time

Adventure Time

8.501
The Ready Room

The Ready Room

4
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

5.1
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

7.963
Trivial Pursuit

Trivial Pursuit

6
Weird City

Weird City

6.1
The Eric Andre Show

The Eric Andre Show

7.9
Becker

Becker

7.117
Finding Your Roots

Finding Your Roots

6.786
Futurama

Futurama

8.371
Deadly Games

Deadly Games

8
The Legend of Vox Machina

The Legend of Vox Machina

8.236
Roots

Roots

6.861
Honest Trailers

Honest Trailers

6.609
Christy

Christy

8.1

Movies

Star Trek: Generations

Star Trek: Generations

6.5
Star Trek: First Contact

Star Trek: First Contact

7.294
Star Trek: Insurrection

Star Trek: Insurrection

6.434
Star Trek: Nemesis

Star Trek: Nemesis

6.3
Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation

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

5.5
The Hunter

The Hunter

5.9
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

7.052
The Midnight Hour

The Midnight Hour

5.981
I Love Liberty

I Love Liberty

0
Secrets of Sacred Architecture

Secrets of Sacred Architecture

7
The Jensen Project

The Jensen Project

5.5
Looking for Mr. Goodbar

Looking for Mr. Goodbar

6.3
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event

Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event

7.7
Trekkies

Trekkies

6.358
Butterfly in the Sky

Butterfly in the Sky

8.2
The Supernaturals

The Supernaturals

3.9
Taken in Broad Daylight

Taken in Broad Daylight

5
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Time's Arrow

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Time's Arrow

7.4
Reach for Me

Reach for Me

3
Star Trek: Federation Science

Star Trek: Federation Science

1
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command

6.1
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation

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

6.875
Roots: The Gift

Roots: The Gift

6.8
US Against the World

US Against the World

0
Rise of the Zombies

Rise of the Zombies

4.3
Our Friend, Martin

Our Friend, Martin

6.885
The Jesse Owens Story

The Jesse Owens Story

7.9
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story

One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story

5.5
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid

Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid

0
Dummy

Dummy

8.5
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption

6.438
The Acorn People

The Acorn People

2
Emergency Room

Emergency Room

0
Yesterday's Target

Yesterday's Target

3.5
Parallel Lives

Parallel Lives

5
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes

1
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool

Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool

6
Almos' a Man

Almos' a Man

0
A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con

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

0
Booker

Booker

0
Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland

Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland

4.5
Star Trek: The Next Generation - electronic press kit

Star Trek: The Next Generation - electronic press kit

0
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond

Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond

5.8
Lennon or McCartney

Lennon or McCartney

5.196
Ali

Ali

6.763
Grambling's White Tiger

Grambling's White Tiger

0
Battered

Battered

0
A Special Friendship

A Special Friendship

0
School of the Future

School of the Future

7
Central Park

Central Park

7.4
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special

5.7
40 Years of Star Trek

40 Years of Star Trek

4.3
And the Children Shall Lead

And the Children Shall Lead

10
Brentwood

Brentwood

8
Mickey's 50

Mickey's 50

0
Blizzard

Blizzard

5.792
The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next

The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next

2.6
Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family

Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family

10
Liberty

Liberty

5
Definition Please

Definition Please

3.2
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification

6
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Gambit

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Gambit

6.5
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds

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

7.1
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation

Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation

7
The Muppets Go Hollywood

The Muppets Go Hollywood

6.3
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Descent

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Descent

7
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Birthright

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Birthright

0
To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager

To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager

0