Acting
LeVar Burton
EN cinema · 71 credits
Born
16 February 1957 (age 69)
Birthplace
Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany
Also known as Levar Burton · Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr.
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
Filmography
One Night Only
as Rick
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
as Commodore Geordi La Forge
The Right to Read
Executive Producer
Secrets of Sacred Architecture
as Narrator (voice)
Definition Please
as LeVar Burton
Brentwood
as LeVar Burton
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Rise of the Zombies
as Dr. Dan Halpern
And They're Off
as Self
The Jensen Project
as Kendrick
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
as Black Lightning (voice)
Taken in Broad Daylight
as Mike Timbrook
Reach for Me
as Nathanial, Director
Blizzard
as Night Watchman Elf (uncredited), Director
Star Trek: Nemesis
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Ali
as Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our Friend, Martin
as Martin at Age 26 (voice)
Smart House
Director
Star Trek: Insurrection
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Trekkies
as Self
Star Trek: First Contact
as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
Yesterday's Target
as Winstrom
Star Trek: Generations
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Parallel Lives
as Dr. Franklin Carter
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
as Geordi La Forge
Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland
as Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
Central Park
as Self
Roots: The Gift
as Kunta Kinte
A Special Friendship
as Ben Sumner
The Supernaturals
as Pvt. Michael Osgood
Liberty
as Robert Johnson
The Midnight Hour
as Vinnie Davis
And the Children Shall Lead
as Glenn Scott
The Jesse Owens Story
as Professor Preston
Booker
as Davis
Emergency Room
as Ray Walden
The Acorn People
as Rodney
Grambling's White Tiger
1981
Grambling's White Tiger
as Charles 'Tank' Smith
The Hunter
as Tommy Price
Dummy
as Donald Lang
The Muppets Go Hollywood
as Self (uncredited)
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
as Ron LeFlore
Battered
as Andrew Sinclair
Mickey's 50
as Self
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
as Cap Jackson
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
as Billy Peoples
Almos' a Man
as Dave