LeVar Burton
Acteur·rice
16 février 1957 · 69 years old
Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany
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
As an actor
Scripps National Spelling Bee
Self - Host
One Night Only
2026
Strip Law
2026 · (voice)
Weather Hunters
2025 · Flexspecs (voice), Great Grandpa Wallace (voice)
Butterfly in the Sky
2024 · Self
To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager
2024 · Self
Trivial Pursuit
2024 · Self - Host
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
2023 · Commodore Geordi La Forge
100 Years of Warner Bros.
2023 · Self
Carol & the End of the World
2023 · (voice)
Secrets of Sacred Architecture
2022 · Narrator (voice)
Tom Swift
2022 · Barclay (voice)
The Shuttlepod Show
2022 · Self
The Legend of Vox Machina
2022 · Undead Thordak (voice)
Leverage: Redemption
2021 · Mr. Blanche
The Problem with Jon Stewart
2021 · Self
INVINCIBLE
2021 · Suit AI (voice)
Definition Please
2020 · LeVar Burton
Star Trek: Picard
2020 · Commodore Geordi La Forge
Beyond the Spotlight
2020
Tamron Hall
2019 · Self - Guest
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019 · Self
The Ready Room
2019 · Self
Weird City
2019 · Dr. Negari
Brentwood
2018 · LeVar Burton
Explained
2018 · Narrator (voice)
Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family
2017
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
2017 · Kwame
School of the Future
2016
Roots
2016 · Ephraim
A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con
2014 · Self
Lennon or McCartney
2014 · Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
2014 · Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
2013 · Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
2013 · Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
PBS News Weekend
2013 · Himself (voice)
Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation
2012 · Self
Rise of the Zombies
2012 · Dr. Dan Halpern
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
2012 · Self
Transformers: Rescue Bots
2012 · Doc Green (voice)
Perception
2012 · Paul Haley
The Eric Andre Show
2012 · Self
Finding Your Roots
2012
And They're Off
2011 · Self
The Jensen Project
2010 · Kendrick
Adventure Time
2010 · Bubble (voice)
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
2009 · Black Lightning (voice)
Taken in Broad Daylight
2009 · Mike Timbrook
Community
2009 · LeVar Burton
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009 · Self - Guest
Reach for Me
2008 · Nathanial
Shatner's Raw Nerve
2008 · Self
The Big Bang Theory
2007 · LeVar Burton
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
2007 · Self
40 Years of Star Trek
2006 · Self
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool
2005 · Self
Hell's Kitchen
2005 · Self - Restaurant Patron
Blizzard
2003 · Night Watchman Elf (uncredited)
Star Trek: Nemesis
2002 · Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Remembering Roots
2002 · Self
Boomtown
2002 · Marvin Lloyd
Ali
2001 · Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our Friend, Martin
1999 · Martin at Age 26 (voice)
Family Guy
1999 · Vern (voice), LeVar Burton (voice)
Futurama
1999 · Unlicensed Hologram of LeVar Burton (voice)
Star Trek: Insurrection
1998 · Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Becker
1998 · Mr. Haller
Trekkies
1997 · Self
The View
1997 · Self - Guest, Self
Star Trek: First Contact
1996 · Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
Yesterday's Target
1996 · Winstrom
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
1996 · Self
The Daily Show
1996 · Self
Star Trek: Voyager
1995 · Captain Geordi La Forge
MADtv
1995 · Self
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995 · The Monk (voice)
Deadly Games
1995 · Mr. Metcalf
Pinky and the Brain
1995 · Murray (voice)
Star Trek: Generations
1994 · Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
1994 · Self
Parallel Lives
1994 · Dr. Franklin Carter
Gargoyles
1994 · Anansi/Poacher 2 (voice)
Christy
1994 · Daniel Scott
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
1993 · Geordi La Forge
Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland
1993 · Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
Star Trek: Federation Science
1992
Batman: The Animated Series
1992 · Hayden Sloane (voice)
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
1991 · Self
Central Park
1990 · Self
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
1990 · Kwame (voice)
Roots: The Gift
1988 · Kunta Kinte
The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next
1988 · Self
A Special Friendship
1987 · Ben Sumner
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987 · Geordi La Forge
Houston Knights
1987 · Jason Evans
The Supernaturals
1986 · Pvt. Michael Osgood
Liberty
1986 · Robert Johnson
The Midnight Hour
1985 · Vinnie Davis
And the Children Shall Lead
1985 · Glenn Scott
The Jesse Owens Story
1984 · Professor Preston
Booker
1984 · Davis
Murder, She Wrote
1984 · Reporter Dave Robinson
Jeopardy!
1984 · Self - Host, Self
Emergency Room
1983 · Ray Walden
Reading Rainbow
1983 · Self - Host
I Love Liberty
1982 · Self
The Acorn People
1981 · Rodney
Grambling's White Tiger
1981 · Charles 'Tank' Smith
The Hunter
1980 · Tommy Price
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
1980 · Richard Jefferson
Dummy
1979 · Donald Lang
The Muppets Go Hollywood
1979 · Self
Trapper John, M.D.
1979
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
1978 · Ron LeFlore
Battered
1978 · Andrew Sinclair
Mickey's 50
1978 · Self
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
1977 · Cap Jackson
US Against the World
1977 · Self
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
1977 · Billy Peoples
Roots
1977 · Kunta Kinte
The Love Boat
1977 · Darnell Hall
Roots: The Complete Miniseries
1977 · Kunta Kinte
Almos' a Man
1976 · Dave
The Captain and Tennille
1976 · Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · Self
Réalisation
NCIS: Hawaiʻi
2021 · Director
NCIS: New Orleans
2014 · Director
Scorpion
2014 · Director
Perception
2012 · Director
Reach for Me
2008 · Director
Miracle's Boys
2005 · Director
Blizzard
2003 · Director
Las Vegas
2003 · Director
Star Trek: Enterprise
2001 · Director
Soul Food
2000 · Director
Smart House
1999 · Director
The Tiger Woods Story
1998 · Director
Charmed
1998 · Director
Star Trek: Voyager
1995 · Director
JAG
1995 · Director
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
1993 · Director
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987 · Director
