LeVar Burton
50 movies · 49 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Feb 16, 1957 (age 69)
- Place of birth
- Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany
- Also known as
- Levar Burton · Levardis 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.
Read the full biography
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
LeVar Burton: movies and TV shows
Acting (86)
- 2026 One Night Only
as Rick
- 2026
- 2025
- 2023
- 2023 Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
as Commodore Geordi La Forge
- 2022
- 2022 Secrets of Sacred Architecture
as Narrator (voice)
- 2022
- 2021
- 2021
- 2020
- 2020 Definition Please
as LeVar Burton
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018 Brentwood
as LeVar Burton
- 2018
- 2017
- 2017
- 2016
- 2016
- 2014 Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- 2014 Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- 2013 Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- 2013 Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- 2013 Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
- 2012 Rise of the Zombies
as Dr. Dan Halpern
- 2012
- 2012
- 2012
- 2010 The Jensen Project
as Kendrick
- 2010
- 2009 Taken in Broad Daylight
as Mike Timbrook
- 2009 Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
as Black Lightning (voice)
- 2009
- 2008 Reach for Me
as Nathanial
- 2007
- 2003 Blizzard
as Night Watchman Elf (uncredited)
- 2002 Star Trek: Nemesis
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- 2002
- 2001 Ali
as Martin Luther King, Jr.
- 1999
- 1999
- 1999 Our Friend, Martin
as Martin at Age 26 (voice)
- 1998 Star Trek: Insurrection
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- 1998
- 1996 Star Trek: First Contact
as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
- 1996 Yesterday's Target
as Winstrom
- 1995
- 1995
- 1995
- 1995
- 1994 Star Trek: Generations
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- 1994
- 1994 Parallel Lives
as Dr. Franklin Carter
- 1994
- 1993 Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland
as Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
- 1993 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
as Geordi La Forge
- 1992
- 1992
- 1990
- 1988 Roots: The Gift
as Kunta Kinte
- 1987
- 1987 A Special Friendship
as Ben Sumner
- 1987
- 1986 Liberty
as Robert Johnson
- 1986 The Supernaturals
as Pvt. Michael Osgood
- 1985 The Midnight Hour
as Vinnie Davis
- 1985 And the Children Shall Lead
as Glenn Scott
- 1984 Booker
as Davis
- 1984
- 1984 The Jesse Owens Story
as Professor Preston
- 1983 Emergency Room
as Ray Walden
- 1981 Grambling's White Tiger
as Charles 'Tank' Smith
- 1981 The Acorn People
as Rodney
- 1980 The Hunter
as Tommy Price
- 1980
- 1979
- 1979 Dummy
as Donald Lang
- 1978 One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
as Ron LeFlore
- 1978 Battered
as Andrew Sinclair
- 1977 Looking for Mr. Goodbar
as Cap Jackson
- 1977
- 1977 Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
as Billy Peoples
- 1977
- 1977
- 1976 Almos' a Man
as Dave
Behind the camera (20)
- 2023 The Right to Read
Executive Producer
- 2021
- 2016
- 2014
- 2014
- 2012
- 2008 Reach for Me
Director
- 2005
- 2003
- 2003 Blizzard
Director
- 2001
- 2000
- 1999 Smart House
Director
- 1998
- 1998 The Tiger Woods Story
Director
- 1995
- 1995
- 1993
- 1987
- 1983
Talk shows and appearances (41)
- Upcoming
- Upcoming Scripps National Spelling Bee
4 episodes
- 2024
- 2024 Trivial Pursuit
41 episodes
- 2024
- 2023 100 Years of Warner Bros.
3 episodes
- 2022 The Shuttlepod Show
1 episode
- 2021 The Problem with Jon Stewart
1 episode
- 2019 The Tamron Hall Show
1 episode
- 2019 The Kelly Clarkson Show
1 episode
- 2019 The Ready Room
2 episodes
- 2014
- 2014
- 2013 PBS News Weekend
1 episode
- 2012
- 2012
- 2012 The Eric Andre Show
1 episode
- 2011
- 2009 Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
1 episode
- 2008 Shatner's Raw Nerve
1 episode
- 2007 Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
1 episode
- 2006
- 2005
- 2005 Hell's Kitchen
1 episode
- 2002
- 1997
- 1997 The View
3 episodes
- 1996
- 1996 The Daily Show
1 episode
- 1995 MADtv
1 episode
- 1994
- 1991
- 1990
- 1988
- 1984 Jeopardy!
6 episodes
- 1982
- 1979
- 1978
- 1977
- 1976 The Captain and Tennille
1 episode
- 1962 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1 episode