LeVar Burton
Acting • Born 1957-02-16
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.
Filmography
130 credits
Star Trek: Generations
Movie • 1994
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: Nemesis
Movie • 2002
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: First Contact
Movie • 1996
Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: Insurrection
Movie • 1998
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Movie • 2012
Self
The Hunter
Movie • 1980
Tommy Price
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Movie • 2009
Black Lightning (voice)
The Midnight Hour
Movie • 1985
Vinnie Davis
I Love Liberty
Movie • 1982
Self
Secrets of Sacred Architecture
Movie • 2022
Narrator (voice)
The Jensen Project
Movie • 2010
Kendrick
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
Movie • 1977
Cap Jackson
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
Movie • 2023
Commodore Geordi La Forge
Trekkies
Movie • 1997
Self
Butterfly in the Sky
Movie • 2024
Self
The Supernaturals
Movie • 1986
Pvt. Michael Osgood
Taken in Broad Daylight
Movie • 2009
Mike Timbrook
Reach for Me
Movie • 2008
Nathanial
Star Trek: Federation Science
Movie • 1992
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Movie • 1994
Self
Roots: The Gift
Movie • 1988
Kunta Kinte
US Against the World
Movie • 1977
Self
Rise of the Zombies
Movie • 2012
Dr. Dan Halpern
Our Friend, Martin
Movie • 1999
Martin at Age 26 (voice)
The Jesse Owens Story
Movie • 1984
Professor Preston
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
Movie • 1978
Ron LeFlore
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
Movie • 1977
Billy Peoples
Dummy
Movie • 1979
Donald Lang
The Acorn People
Movie • 1981
Rodney
Emergency Room
Movie • 1983
Ray Walden
Yesterday's Target
Movie • 1996
Winstrom
Parallel Lives
Movie • 1994
Dr. Franklin Carter
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
Movie • 1993
Geordi La Forge
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool
Movie • 2005
Self
Almos' a Man
Movie • 1976
Dave
A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con
Movie • 2014
Self
Booker
Movie • 1984
Davis
Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland
Movie • 1993
Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
Movie • 1996
Self
Lennon or McCartney
Movie • 2014
Self
Ali
Movie • 2001
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Grambling's White Tiger
Movie • 1981
Charles 'Tank' Smith
Battered
Movie • 1978
Andrew Sinclair
A Special Friendship
Movie • 1987
Ben Sumner
School of the Future
Movie • 2016
Central Park
Movie • 1990
Self
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
Movie • 1991
Self
40 Years of Star Trek
Movie • 2006
Self
And the Children Shall Lead
Movie • 1985
Glenn Scott
Brentwood
Movie • 2018
LeVar Burton
Mickey's 50
Movie • 1978
Self
Blizzard
Movie • 2003
Night Watchman Elf (uncredited)
The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next
Movie • 1988
Self
Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family
Movie • 2017
Liberty
Movie • 1986
Robert Johnson
Definition Please
Movie • 2020
LeVar Burton
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
Movie • 2013
Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
Movie • 2012
Self
The Muppets Go Hollywood
Movie • 1979
Self
To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager
Movie • 2024
Self
And They're Off
Movie • 2011
Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
Movie • 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
Movie • 2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
Movie • 2013
Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
One Night Only
Movie • 2026
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
Movie • 2014
Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Remembering Roots
Movie • 2002
Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Birthright
Movie • 1993
Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Descent
Movie • 1993
Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
TV • 1990
Kwame (voice)
Murder, She Wrote
TV • 1984
Reporter Dave Robinson
Family Guy
TV • 1999
Vern (voice)
Trapper John, M.D.
TV • 1979
Star Trek: The Next Generation
TV • 1987
Geordi La Forge
Boomtown
TV • 2002
Marvin Lloyd
Star Trek: Voyager
TV • 1995
Captain Geordi La Forge
Gargoyles
TV • 1994
Anansi/Poacher 2 (voice)
MADtv
TV • 1995
Self
The View
TV • 1997
Self - Guest
Roots
TV • 1977
Kunta Kinte
The Captain and Tennille
TV • 1976
Self
Star Trek: Picard
TV • 2020
Commodore Geordi La Forge
Batman: The Animated Series
TV • 1992
Hayden Sloane (voice)
Tamron Hall
TV • 2019
Self - Guest
Transformers: Rescue Bots
TV • 2012
Doc Green (voice)
Community
TV • 2009
LeVar Burton
Jeopardy!
TV • 1984
Self - Host
Perception
TV • 2012
Paul Haley
Tom Swift
TV • 2022
Barclay (voice)
Hell's Kitchen
TV • 2005
Self - Restaurant Patron
The Big Bang Theory
TV • 2007
LeVar Burton
The Love Boat
TV • 1977
Darnell Hall
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self
Scripps National Spelling Bee
TV
Self - Host
Family Guy
TV • 1999
LeVar Burton (voice)
Reading Rainbow
TV • 1983
Self - Host
The Shuttlepod Show
TV • 2022
Self
Leverage: Redemption
TV • 2021
Mr. Blanche
The Problem with Jon Stewart
TV • 2021
Self
100 Years of Warner Bros.
TV • 2023
Self
Houston Knights
TV • 1987
Jason Evans
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
TV • 2007
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV • 1962
Self
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
TV • 1980
Richard Jefferson
The Kelly Clarkson Show
TV • 2019
Self
Carol & the End of the World
TV • 2023
(voice)
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
TV • 1995
The Monk (voice)
Shatner's Raw Nerve
TV • 2008
Self
Beyond the Spotlight
TV • 2020
Explained
TV • 2018
Narrator (voice)
PBS News Weekend
TV • 2013
Himself (voice)
Adventure Time
TV • 2010
Bubble (voice)
The Ready Room
TV • 2019
Self
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV • 2009
Self - Guest
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
TV • 2017
Kwame
Trivial Pursuit
TV • 2024
Self - Host
Weird City
TV • 2019
Dr. Negari
The Eric Andre Show
TV • 2012
Self
Becker
TV • 1998
Mr. Haller
Finding Your Roots
TV • 2012
Futurama
TV • 1999
Unlicensed Hologram of LeVar Burton (voice)
Deadly Games
TV • 1995
Mr. Metcalf
The Legend of Vox Machina
TV • 2022
Undead Thordak (voice)
Roots
TV • 2016
Ephraim
Christy
TV • 1994
Daniel Scott
Jeopardy!
TV • 1984
Self
Weather Hunters
TV • 2025
Flexspecs (voice)
Weather Hunters
TV • 2025
Great Grandpa Wallace (voice)
Pinky and the Brain
TV • 1995
Murray (voice)
Strip Law
TV • 2026
(voice)