LeVar Burton

Acting

Born: 1957-02-16

From: Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany

Gender: Male

Popularity: 1.7

Also Known As

Levar BurtonLevardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr.

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.

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Awards & Nominations11 won · 13 nominated

🏆 Won

National Humanities Medal

2023

🏆 Won

The Ember Award

2020

🏆 Won

Ignyte Award for Best Fiction Podcast

2020

Nominated

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

2006

Nominated

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

2005

Nominated

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

2005

Nominated

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

2004

🏆 Won

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

2003

Nominated

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

2003

🏆 Won

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

2002

Nominated

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

2002

Nominated

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

2001

🏆 Won

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

1999

🏆 Won

Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording

1999

Nominated

Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording

1999

Nominated

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

1999

Nominated

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

1998

🏆 Won

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

1994

Nominated

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special

Reading Rainbow

1994

🏆 Won

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

The Hunter

1980

Nominated

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

The Hunter

1980

Nominated

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Roots

1977

🏆 Won

star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

🏆 Won

Daytime Emmy Award

LeVar Burton

Also Known As

Biography

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Awards & Nominations11 won · 13 nominated

Acting123 titles

Almos' a Man

Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family

The Shuttlepod Show

Emergency Room

Battered

A Special Friendship

And the Children Shall Lead

Mickey's 50

Dummy

Batman: The Animated Series

INVINCIBLE

Adventure Time

Weather Hunters

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Futurama

Reading Rainbow

Christy

Butterfly in the Sky

The Legend of Vox Machina

The Jesse Owens Story

Gargoyles

Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid

Brentwood

Community

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

Deadly Games

The Big Bang Theory

The Eric Andre Show

Star Trek: Voyager

100 Years of Warner Bros.

Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event

Pinky and the Brain

Central Park

Murder, She Wrote

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Explained

Family Guy

Roots

Star Trek: First Contact

Transformers: Rescue Bots

Leverage: Redemption

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

Carol & the End of the World

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

Star Trek: Picard

Perception

The Problem with Jon Stewart

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

Becker

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Roots: The Gift

Our Friend, Martin

MADtv

Secrets of Sacred Architecture

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

School of the Future

Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Captain and Tennille

Strip Law

Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Roots

Ali

Jeopardy!

Hell's Kitchen

Trapper John, M.D.

Star Trek: Generations

Star Trek: Insurrection

Looking for Mr. Goodbar

Trekkies

Boomtown

The Daily Show

The Kelly Clarkson Show

Finding Your Roots

Star Trek: Nemesis