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