LeVar Burton

"LeVar" redirects here. For other people with the name, see LeVar (disambiguation).

LeVar Burton
Burton at the 2023 GalaxyCon Raleigh
Born
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr.

(1957-02-16) February 16, 1957 (age 67)
Landstuhl, West Germany
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
Occupation(s)Actor, television host, director, author
Years active1976–present
Spouse
Stephanie Cozart
​
(m. 1992)​
Children2, including Mica[1]
AwardsSee Awards
Websitelevarburton.com Edit this at Wikidata

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957)[2][3] is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994),[4] 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.[5]

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,[6] 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 achievements in television with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

From 2017 until 2024, Burton created and hosted the podcast LeVar Burton Reads,[7][8] often described as "Reading Rainbow for adults".[9]

  1. ^ Towers, Andrea (July 28, 2021). "LeVar Burton's daughter hilariously trolls his 'Jeopardy' hosting debut". EW.com. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference AP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Family, name, birth was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Levar Burton | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "LeVar Burton". RTM Special Education Congress. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  6. ^ The Hunter (1980) - IMDb, retrieved June 10, 2021
  7. ^ Mallenbaum, Carly (June 19, 2017). "'Reading Rainbow's LeVar Burton reads to adults in awesome new podcast". USA Today. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  8. ^ "Official Website for LeVar Burton Reads". LeVar Burton Podcast. June 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  9. ^ Ratcliffe, Amy (June 28, 2017). "LeVar Burton's New Podcast is Like Reading Rainbow for Adults". Nerdist. Retrieved January 4, 2024.