LeVar Burton
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). He received 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow.
LeVar Burton | |
|---|---|
Burton at the 2023 GalaxyCon Raleigh | |
| Born | Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. February 16, 1957 Landstuhl, West Germany |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, television host, director, author |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse |
Stephanie Cozart (m. 1992) |
| Children | 2, including Mica |
| Awards | See Awards |
| Website | levarburton |
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 achievements in television with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Since 2017, Burton has created and hosted the podcast LeVar Burton Reads, often described as "Reading Rainbow for adults."