LeVar Burton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
LeVar Burton
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Burton at the 2023 GalaxyCon Raleigh
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| Born |
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr.
February 16, 1957 Landstuhl, West Germany
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| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Actor, television host, director, author |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Stephanie Cozart
(m. 1992) |
| Children | 2, including Mica |
| Awards | See Awards |
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He is famous for playing Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Kunta Kinte in the miniseries Roots. Many people also know him as the host of the educational TV show Reading Rainbow, which he hosted for 23 years.
Burton won 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award for his work on Reading Rainbow. He also played Cap Jackson in Looking for Mr. Goodbar and Martin Luther King Jr. in the movie Ali. In 1990, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in television. From 2017 until 2024, Burton hosted a podcast called LeVar Burton Reads, which was like Reading Rainbow for adults. In October 2024, he hosted the Trivial Pursuit game show on The CW.
Contents
Early life and acting start
Burton was born in Landstuhl, West Germany. His mother, Erma Gene, was a social worker and educator. She raised Burton and his two sisters in Sacramento, California. His father, also named LeVar, was a photographer for the U.S. Army. Burton's great-great-grandfather, Hal B. Burton, was an African-American state legislator in Arkansas after the American Civil War.
As a teenager, Burton attended a seminary, planning to become a priest. However, at 17, he decided to become an actor instead. At 19, while studying at the University of Southern California, he got a main role in the 1977 TV miniseries Roots.
Career highlights
Breakthrough with Roots
Burton's first big role was playing the young Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots in 1977. This show was based on a famous novel by Alex Haley. Burton said that his first day playing Kunta was the start of his professional acting career. His performance earned him a nomination for an Emmy.
He played Kunta Kinte again in the 1988 TV movie Roots: The Gift. Burton has said that Roots helped people see each other as human beings, not just stereotypes. He believes it was an important step in changing how people viewed each other.
Hosting Reading Rainbow
Burton became the host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow in 1983 for PBS. This popular show taught children about books and reading for 23 seasons.
After Reading Rainbow stopped airing in 2006, Burton and his business partner bought the rights to the brand. They created RRKIDZ, a new company for children's media. In 2012, Reading Rainbow was turned into a new app for the iPad, which quickly became the top educational app. Burton worked as a co-founder and curator, making sure the projects met the high standards of the Reading Rainbow brand.
In 2014, Burton started a Kickstarter campaign to bring Reading Rainbow back as a web-based program. His goal was to make the new Reading Rainbow available in elementary school classrooms for free. The campaign was very successful, raising over $5 million.
Exploring space with Star Trek
In 1986, Gene Roddenberry offered Burton the role of Lieutenant Junior Grade Geordi La Forge in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Geordi La Forge is a blind character who can "see" using a special device called a VISOR worn over his eyes. He started as the ship's helmsman and later became the chief engineer of the USS Enterprise.
At the time, Burton was more well-known than Patrick Stewart in the United States because of his roles in Roots and Reading Rainbow. Some people even thought his role would be like the "new Spock". Burton also played La Forge in the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies, from Star Trek Generations (1994) to Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). He also directed several episodes of different Star Trek series. In 2023, he played LaForge again in the third season of Star Trek: Picard.
LeVar Burton Reads podcast
In 2017, Burton started a podcast called LeVar Burton Reads. In each episode, he reads a short story and shares his thoughts on it. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he continued his podcast and also did live readings on Twitter for different age groups.
Many people describe the podcast as "Reading Rainbow for adults." The podcast has received great reviews and won several awards, including the 2023 Webby Award for Best Art and Culture Podcast. In 2023, Burton also launched a second podcast for children called Sound Detectives.
Other notable appearances
Burton has appeared in many other TV shows and movies. He was a guest on Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. He also appeared in the music video for the song "Word Up!" by the group Cameo in 1986.
He played a journalist in an episode of Murder, She Wrote and hosted Rebop, a multicultural series for young people. Burton has also played historical figures like Jesse Owens and Booker T. Washington in TV movies. He voiced characters in animated shows like Captain Planet and the Planeteers and Gargoyles.
Burton has appeared as a celebrity guest on game shows like $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramids. He also won a large amount of money for charity on a Star Trek episode of The Weakest Link. He has made guest appearances on sitcoms like Becker and The Big Bang Theory, where he played a funny version of himself.
In 2012, he had a recurring role as Dean Paul Haley on the TNT series Perception. In 2014, he appeared on the YouTube channel SciShow to explain the science behind different types of rainbows.
In July 2021, Burton was a guest host on Jeopardy! after many fans asked for him to be considered. In June 2022, he hosted the 94th Scripps National Spelling Bee. Burton also teaches about the "Power of Storytelling" on MasterClass.
Directing work
Burton has directed many TV episodes, especially for the Star Trek series. He has directed more Star Trek episodes than any other former cast member.
He has also directed episodes of other shows like Charmed, JAG, and Las Vegas. He directed the 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie Smart House. In 2020, it was announced that Burton would direct Two-Front War, a docuseries about the connection between the civil rights movement in America and the experiences of Black soldiers in Vietnam.
His first movie as a director was Blizzard (2003), which won an award at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival. Burton was also elected to the board of directors for the Directors Guild of America.
Personal life
LeVar Burton married Stephanie Cozart, a professional make-up artist, on October 3, 1992. They have two children, including Mica Burton. The family lives in Sherman Oaks, California.
Burton does not follow any specific religion. He has said that he wanted to explore the world without being tied to one particular belief system. In 2012, Burton joined the board of directors for the AIDS Research Alliance, an organization that works to find a cure for AIDS.
In 2016, Burton was honored with a spot on the Sacramento Walk of Stars. In 2019, a park in Sacramento, near where he grew up, was renamed LeVar Burton Park in his honor. In 2024, on the show Finding Your Roots, Burton learned that he had a white, Confederate great-great-grandfather.
Books
- Aftermath, 1997
- The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, 2014
- A Kids Book About Imagination, 2021
Awards and honors
Awards
Nominations
- 1977: Emmy – Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Performance in a Drama or Comedy Series – Roots
- 1998, 2001, 2005: Image Awards – Reading Rainbow (as Self and Executive Producer)
- 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Children's Series – Reading Rainbow (Executive Producer)
- 1985–1999, 2003, 2005–2007: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – Reading Rainbow (Self)
- 2004: Genie Award – Best Achievement in Music-Original Song – Blizzard
- 2006: Black Reel Award – Best Director-Television – Miracle's Boys
Wins
- 1990: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television achievement
- 1992: Peabody Award – Reading Rainbow (as executive producer)
- 1994, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2003: Image Award – Reading Rainbow (as Self and Executive Producer)
- 2000: Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album – The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.
- 1990, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Children's Series – Reading Rainbow (Executive Producer)
- 2001, 2002: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – Reading Rainbow (Self)
- 2003: Television Critics Association Award – Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming – Reading Rainbow (Executive Producer)
- 2003: Audie Award for Inspirational or Spiritual Title – Conversations with God for Teens
- 2004: Chicago International Children's Film Festival – Best of Fest – Blizzard (Director)
- 2010: Audie Awards for Audiobook of the Year and Multi-Voiced Performance – Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales
- 2012: Audie Award for Original Work – METAtropolis: Cascadia
- 2022: Children's and Family Emmys – Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2023: National Humanities Medal - For literacy work
- 2024: Saturn Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award – The Cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation
- 2024: 9th Shorty Impact Awards – Changemaker of the Year
See also
In Spanish: LeVar Burton para niños
