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LeVar Burton

American actor, director, and television host · United States · On the map · Actors · Born 1957 · age 69

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) and 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).

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12 times the usual readers on 10 November. 20,708 readers on 10 November, against about 1,776 a day before the rise.

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A life in dates

2026One Night OnlyFilmOne Night Only, a new film, came out on 7 August 2026.7 August 2026, Rick2023National Humanities MedalAwardStar Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale EventFilm, 2023Commodore Geordi La Forge2021INVINCIBLESeries, Suit AI (voice)2020Ignyte Award for Best Fiction PodcastAwardThe Ember AwardAward2019“I am a huge fan of science fiction! Throughout my life I have marveled at the powerful, even transformative nature of speculative storytelling.”In their wordsForward to New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color edited by Nisi Shawl (2019)

“Jaymee Goh, Darcie Little Badger, Indrapramit Das.”In their wordsForward to New Suns (2019)

2014ScorpionSeries, DirectorLennon or McCartneyFilm, 20142012Rise of the ZombiesFilm, Dr. Dan Halpern2009CommunitySeries, LeVar BurtonSuperman/Batman: Public EnemiesFilm, 2009Black Lightning (voice)200640 Years of Star TrekFilm2003NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or SpecialAwardLas VegasSeries, 2003DirectorBlizzardFilm, 2003Director2002NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or SpecialAward1999Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling RecordingAwardNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or SpecialAwardFamily GuySeries, 1999Vern (voice)Our Friend, MartinFilm, 1999Martin at Age 26 (voice)1997The ViewSeriesTrekkiesFilm, 19971995JAGSeries, Director1994NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or SpecialAwardJourney's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next GenerationFilm, 19941992Batman: The Animated SeriesSeries, Hayden Sloane (voice)1988Roots: The GiftFilm, Kunta Kinte1985The Midnight HourFilm, Vinnie Davis1984Jeopardy!Series1980NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion PictureAward1979DummyFilm, Donald Lang1977Looking for Mr. GoodbarFilm, Cap Jackson1962The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonSeries1957Born16 February 1957

People around LeVar

Known for

View all 40 titles
  • Star Trek: First Contact 1996
  • Superman/Batman: Public Enemies 2009
  • Ali 2001
  • Star Trek: Insurrection 1998
  • Star Trek: Generations 1994

Also in Deutsch Français

Filmography 40

152 credits on file

Television 24

Media & music

In their own words 3

,
LeVar Burton
,
3 statements, newest first

  1. I personally believe that education is the key to freedom. Actually, literacy is the key to freedom because you can educate yourself.

    LeVar Burton, quoted in, Own words

  2. My life was changed forever. My first day as an actor, Cicely Tyson played my mother, Maya Angelou played my grandmother. I was 19, and they embraced me as a peer.

    LeVar Burton, about acting in Roots, quoted in, Own words

  3. I wouldn’t want to be a young and emerging talent in today’s environment of the 24-hour news cycle and social media and a camera in everyone’s hand.

    Levar Burton, about acting at age 19 and 40 years later what advice he would give his younger self, quoted in Martoccio, Angie (November, Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Awards

National Humanities Medal2023
Ignyte Award for Best Fiction Podcast2020
The Ember Award2020
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special2003
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special2002
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special1999
Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording1999
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special1994
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture1980
Daytime Emmy Award
Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

About this person

Burton received 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow.

Country
United States
Category
Actors
Type
Actor
Status
Living
Dates
Born 1957 · age 69

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