LeVar Burton
Biography
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr., known professionally as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director, and television host born on February 16, 1957, in Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany. He is recognized for playing Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots in 1977, Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987 to 1994, and serving as the host of the PBS Kids educational television series Reading Rainbow for 23 years from 1983 to 2006. As host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow, he received 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. His other acting roles include Cap Jackson in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Donald Lang in Dummy, Tommy Price in The Hunter, and Martin Luther King Jr. in Ali.
Career overview
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr., born on February 16, 1957, in Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, is an American actor, director, and television host known for extensive work across film and television. His acting career includes notable television roles such as Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots in 1977 and Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987 to 1994. Burton also served as the host of the PBS Kids educational television series Reading Rainbow for 23 years from 1983 to 2006, earning 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as host and executive producer of the series.
In addition to these television credits, Burton has appeared in a variety of film roles. His early film work includes portraying Cap Jackson in Looking for Mr. Goodbar in 1977 and Donald Lang in Dummy in 1979. He later played Tommy Price in The Hunter in 1980, a performance that earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. His film appearances also include portraying Martin Luther King Jr. in Ali.
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Career timeline
Full Filmography
151 titles- Strip Law (2026) as (voice)
- One Night Only (2026)
- Weather Hunters (2025) as Flexspecs (voice)
- Weather Hunters (2025) as Great Grandpa Wallace (voice)
- Trivial Pursuit (2024) as Self - Host
- Butterfly in the Sky (2024) as Self
- To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager (2024) as Self
- Carol & the End of the World (2023) as (voice)
- 100 Years of Warner Bros. (2023) as Self
- Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event (2023) as Commodore Geordi La Forge
- The Right to Read (2023) Executive Producer
- The Legend of Vox Machina (2022) as Undead Thordak (voice)
- The Shuttlepod Show (2022) as Self
- Tom Swift (2022) as Barclay (voice)
- Secrets of Sacred Architecture (2022) as Narrator (voice)
- INVINCIBLE (2021) as Suit AI (voice)
- Leverage: Redemption (2021) as Mr. Blanche
- NCIS: Hawaiʻi (2021) Director
- The Problem with Jon Stewart (2021) as Self
- Star Trek: Picard (2020) as Commodore Geordi La Forge
- Beyond the Spotlight (2020)
- Definition Please (2020) as LeVar Burton
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- Tamron Hall (2019) as Self - Guest
- The Ready Room (2019) as Self
- Weird City (2019) as Dr. Negari
- Explained (2018) as Narrator (voice)
- Brentwood (2018) as LeVar Burton
- OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes (2017) as Kwame
- Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family (2017)
- Roots (2016) as Ephraim
- Roots (2016) Co-Executive Producer
- School of the Future (2016)
- NCIS: New Orleans (2014) Director
- Scorpion (2014) Director
- Lennon or McCartney (2014) as Self
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things... (2014) as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con (2014) as Self
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command (2014)
- PBS News Weekend (2013) as Himself (voice)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification (2013)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds (2013) as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption (2013) as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
- Perception (2012) as Paul Haley
- Perception (2012) Director
- Transformers: Rescue Bots (2012) as Doc Green (voice)
- Finding Your Roots (2012)
- The Eric Andre Show (2012) as Self
- Rise of the Zombies (2012) as Dr. Dan Halpern
- Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation (2012) as Self
- Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation (2012) as Self
- And They're Off (2011) as Self
- Adventure Time (2010) as Bubble (voice)
- The Jensen Project (2010) as Kendrick
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (2009) as Self - Guest
- Community (2009) as LeVar Burton
- Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) as Black Lightning (voice)
- Taken in Broad Daylight (2009) as Mike Timbrook
- Shatner's Raw Nerve (2008) as Self
- Reach for Me (2008) as Nathanial
- Reach for Me (2008) Director
- The Big Bang Theory (2007) as LeVar Burton
- Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007) as Self
- 40 Years of Star Trek (2006) as Self
- Hell's Kitchen (2005) as Self - Restaurant Patron
- Miracle's Boys (2005) Director
- Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005) as Self
- Las Vegas (2003) Director
- Blizzard (2003) as Night Watchman Elf (uncredited)
- Blizzard (2003) Director
- Boomtown (2002) as Marvin Lloyd
- Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- Remembering Roots (2002) as Self
- Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) Director
- Ali (2001) as Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Soul Food (2000) Director
- Family Guy (1999) as Vern (voice)
- Family Guy (1999) as LeVar Burton (voice)
- Futurama (1999) as Unlicensed Hologram of LeVar Burton (voice)
- Our Friend, Martin (1999) as Martin at Age 26 (voice)
- Smart House (1999) Director
- Charmed (1998) Director
- Becker (1998) as Mr. Haller
- Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- The Tiger Woods Story (1998) Director
- The View (1997) as Self - Guest
- The View (1997) as Self
- Trekkies (1997) as Self
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- Star Trek: First Contact (1996) as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
- Yesterday's Target (1996) as Winstrom
- Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond (1996) as Self
- JAG (1995) Director
- Star Trek: Voyager (1995) as Captain Geordi La Forge
- Star Trek: Voyager (1995) Director
- Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995) as The Monk (voice)
- Pinky and the Brain (1995) as Murray (voice)
- Deadly Games (1995) as Mr. Metcalf
- MADtv (1995) as Self
- Gargoyles (1994) as Anansi/Poacher 2 (voice)
- Christy (1994) as Daniel Scott
- Star Trek: Generations (1994) as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- Parallel Lives (1994) as Dr. Franklin Carter
- Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1994) as Self
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) Director
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes (1993) as Geordi La Forge
- Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland (1993) as Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
- Batman: The Animated Series (1992) as Hayden Sloane (voice)
- Star Trek: Federation Science (1992)
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special (1991) as Self
- Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990) as Kwame (voice)
- Central Park (1990) as Self
- The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next (1988) as Self
- Roots: The Gift (1988) as Kunta Kinte
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) as Geordi La Forge
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) Director
- Houston Knights (1987) as Jason Evans
- A Special Friendship (1987) as Ben Sumner
- Liberty (1986) as Robert Johnson
- The Supernaturals (1986) as Pvt. Michael Osgood
- The Midnight Hour (1985) as Vinnie Davis
- And the Children Shall Lead (1985) as Glenn Scott
- Jeopardy! (1984) as Self - Host
- Jeopardy! (1984) as Self
- Murder, She Wrote (1984) as Reporter Dave Robinson
- The Jesse Owens Story (1984) as Professor Preston
- Booker (1984) as Davis
- Reading Rainbow (1983) as Self - Host
- Reading Rainbow (1983) Executive Producer
- Emergency Room (1983) as Ray Walden
- I Love Liberty (1982) as Self
- The Acorn People (1981) as Rodney
- Grambling's White Tiger (1981) as Charles 'Tank' Smith
- Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980) as Richard Jefferson
- The Hunter (1980) as Tommy Price
- Trapper John, M.D. (1979)
- The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979) as Self
- Dummy (1979) as Donald Lang
- Mickey's 50 (1978) as Self
- One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story (1978) as Ron LeFlore
- Battered (1978) as Andrew Sinclair
- The Love Boat (1977) as Darnell Hall
- Roots (1977) as Kunta Kinte
- Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) as Cap Jackson
- US Against the World (1977) as Self
- Roots: The Complete Miniseries (1977) as Kunta Kinte
- Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid (1977) as Billy Peoples
- The Captain and Tennille (1976) as Self
- Almos' a Man (1976) as Dave
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- Scripps National Spelling Bee as Self - Host
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is LeVar Burton best known for?
LeVar Burton is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Strip Law (2026), One Night Only (2026), Trivial Pursuit (2024), 100 Years of Warner Bros. (2023).
When and where was LeVar Burton born?
LeVar Burton was born on February 16, 1957 in Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany.
How many credits does LeVar Burton have?
LeVar Burton has accumulated over 151 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1962 to 2026.
What is LeVar Burton's background in cinema and television?
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr., known professionally as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director, and television host born on February 16, 1957, in Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany. He is recognized for playing Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots in 1977, Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Genera...