LeVar Burton
Known for Acting · 127 credits
- Born
- 1957-02-16 (age 69)
- Place of birth
- Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany
- Also known as
- Levar Burton · Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr.
Biography
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.
Known For
TV Shows (60)
Family Guy
1999
as Vern (voice) / LeVar Burton (voice)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
The Daily Show
1996
as Self
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
INVINCIBLE
2021
as Suit AI (voice)
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
as Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: Voyager
1995
as Captain Geordi La Forge
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Reporter Dave Robinson
The Big Bang Theory
2007
as LeVar Burton
The Love Boat
1977
as Darnell Hall
Adventure Time
2010
as Bubble (voice)
Futurama
1999
as Unlicensed Hologram of LeVar Burton (voice)
The View
1997
as Self - Guest
Batman: The Animated Series
1992
as Hayden Sloane (voice)
Jeopardy!
1984
as Self - Host
Community
2009
as LeVar Burton
Hell's Kitchen
2005
as Self - Restaurant Patron
The Legend of Vox Machina
2022
as Undead Thordak (voice)
Star Trek: Picard
2020
as Commodore Geordi La Forge
Gargoyles
1994
as Anansi/Poacher 2 (voice)
Trapper John, M.D.
1979
Becker
1998
as Mr. Haller
Tamron Hall
2019
as Self - Guest
Perception
2012
as Paul Haley
Finding Your Roots
2012
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
1990
as Kwame (voice)
Leverage: Redemption
2021
as Mr. Blanche
Reading Rainbow
1983
as Self - Host
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
2007
as Self
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995
as The Monk (voice)
Roots
1977
as Kunta Kinte
Explained
2018
as Narrator (voice)
Boomtown
2002
as Marvin Lloyd
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
2017
as Kwame
The Ready Room
2019
as Self
The Eric Andre Show
2012
as Self
Transformers: Rescue Bots
2012
as Doc Green (voice)
Carol & the End of the World
2023
as (voice)
Pinky and the Brain
1995
as Murray (voice)
PBS News Weekend
2013
as Himself (voice)
100 Years of Warner Bros.
2023
as Self
Roots
2016
as Ephraim
Christy
1994
as Daniel Scott
Strip Law
2026
as (voice)
Shatner's Raw Nerve
2008
as Self
Weird City
2019
as Dr. Negari
The Shuttlepod Show
2022
as Self
The Problem with Jon Stewart
2021
as Self
Houston Knights
1987
as Jason Evans
Deadly Games
1995
as Mr. Metcalf
The Captain and Tennille
1976
as Self
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
1980
as Richard Jefferson
Tom Swift
2022
as Barclay (voice)
Scripps National Spelling Bee
as Self - Host
MADtv
1995
as Self
Trivial Pursuit
2024
as Self - Host
Beyond the Spotlight
2020
Weather Hunters
2025
as Flexspecs (voice) / Great Grandpa Wallace (voice)
Roots: The Complete Miniseries
1977
as Kunta Kinte
Movies (67)
Star Trek: Nemesis
2002
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Ali
2001
as Martin Luther King, Jr.
Star Trek: First Contact
1996
as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: Insurrection
1998
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: Generations
1994
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
2009
as Black Lightning (voice)
One Night Only
2026
Lennon or McCartney
2014
as Self
The Hunter
1980
as Tommy Price
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
1977
as Cap Jackson
The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next
1988
as Self
To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager
2024
as Self
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
2023
as Commodore Geordi La Forge
Trekkies
1997
as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
2013
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
Our Friend, Martin
1999
as Martin at Age 26 (voice)
Blizzard
2003
as Night Watchman Elf (uncredited)
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
1996
as Self
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
1994
as Self
Rise of the Zombies
2012
as Dr. Dan Halpern
The Muppets Go Hollywood
1979
as Self
Mickey's 50
1978
as Self
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
1993
as Geordi La Forge
The Midnight Hour
1985
as Vinnie Davis
Booker
1984
as Davis
Liberty
1986
as Robert Johnson
Roots: The Gift
1988
as Kunta Kinte
The Jensen Project
2010
as Kendrick
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
1991
as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
2014
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Definition Please
2020
as LeVar Burton
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
1977
as Billy Peoples
And the Children Shall Lead
1985
as Glenn Scott
The Supernaturals
1986
as Pvt. Michael Osgood
Butterfly in the Sky
2024
as Self
US Against the World
1977
as Self
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
2012
as Self
Dummy
1979
as Donald Lang
I Love Liberty
1982
as Self
Taken in Broad Daylight
2009
as Mike Timbrook
The Jesse Owens Story
1984
as Professor Preston
A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con
2014
as Self
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool
2005
as Self
Central Park
1990
as Self
Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland
1993
as Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
Yesterday's Target
1996
as Winstrom
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
1978
as Ron LeFlore
Reach for Me
2008
as Nathanial
Battered
1978
as Andrew Sinclair
Parallel Lives
1994
as Dr. Franklin Carter
40 Years of Star Trek
2006
as Self
Brentwood
2018
as LeVar Burton
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
2014
Emergency Room
1983
as Ray Walden
And They're Off
2011
as Self
A Special Friendship
1987
as Ben Sumner
Almos' a Man
1976
as Dave
Stardate Revisited - The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation
2012
as Self
Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family
2017
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
2013
as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
Remembering Roots
2002
as Self
Grambling's White Tiger
1981
as Charles 'Tank' Smith
School of the Future
2016
Secrets of Sacred Architecture
2022
as Narrator (voice)
Star Trek: Federation Science
1992
The Acorn People
1981
as Rodney
About 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). 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), T… With 127 credits spanning from 1962 to 2026, LeVar Burton has appeared in 67 films and 60 TV shows.
Fans searching for LeVar Burton movies, LeVar Burton filmography, or the latest projects starring LeVar Burton can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular LeVar Burton Movies
- Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) — as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- Ali (2001) — as Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Star Trek: First Contact (1996) — as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
- Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) — as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- Star Trek: Generations (1994) — as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Where to Watch LeVar Burton Films
Most LeVar Burton movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring LeVar Burton, check our movies catalogue and browse page.