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), 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.
Available on CineVibes
Full Filmography
All Credits (127)
Scripps National Spelling Bee
as Self - Host
Strip Law
as (voice)
Weather Hunters
as Flexspecs (voice)
Weather Hunters
as Great Grandpa Wallace (voice)
To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager
as Self
Trivial Pursuit
as Self - Host
Butterfly in the Sky
as Self
Carol & the End of the World
as (voice)
100 Years of Warner Bros.
as Self
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
as Commodore Geordi La Forge
Tom Swift
as Barclay (voice)
Secrets of Sacred Architecture
as Narrator (voice)
The Shuttlepod Show
as Self
The Legend of Vox Machina
as Undead Thordak (voice)
The Problem with Jon Stewart
as Self
Leverage: Redemption
as Mr. Blanche
INVINCIBLE
as Suit AI (voice)
Beyond the Spotlight
as Unknown
Definition Please
as LeVar Burton
Star Trek: Picard
as Commodore Geordi La Forge
The Tamron Hall Show
as Self - Guest
The Kelly Clarkson Show
as Self
Weird City
as Dr. Negari
The Ready Room
as Self
Brentwood
as LeVar Burton
Explained
as Narrator (voice)
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
as Kwame
Transformers: Rescue Bots - Rescue Family
as Unknown
School of the Future
as Unknown
Roots
as Ephraim
Lennon or McCartney
as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con
as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
PBS News Weekend
as Himself (voice)
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
as Self
Rise of the Zombies
as Dr. Dan Halpern
Perception
as Paul Haley
The Eric Andre Show
as Self
Finding Your Roots
as Unknown
Transformers: Rescue Bots
as Doc Green (voice)
And They're Off
as Self
The Jensen Project
as Kendrick
Adventure Time
as Bubble (voice)
Taken in Broad Daylight
as Mike Timbrook
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
as Black Lightning (voice)
Community
as LeVar Burton
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
as Self - Guest
Shatner's Raw Nerve
as Self
Reach for Me
as Nathanial
The Big Bang Theory
as LeVar Burton
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
as Self
40 Years of Star Trek
as Self
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool
as Self
Hell's Kitchen
as Self - Restaurant Patron
Blizzard
as Night Watchman Elf (uncredited)
Star Trek: Nemesis
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Boomtown
as Marvin Lloyd
Remembering Roots
as Self
Ali
as Martin Luther King, Jr.
Futurama
as Unlicensed Hologram of LeVar Burton (voice)
Family Guy
as Vern (voice)
Family Guy
as LeVar Burton (voice)
Our Friend, Martin
as Martin at Age 26 (voice)
Star Trek: Insurrection
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Becker
as Mr. Haller
Trekkies
as Self
The View
as Self - Guest
The View
as Self
Star Trek: First Contact
as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
as Self
The Daily Show
as Self
Yesterday's Target
as Winstrom
MADtv
as Self
Pinky and the Brain
as Murray (voice)
Deadly Games
as Mr. Metcalf
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
as The Monk (voice)
Star Trek: Voyager
as Captain Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: Generations
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Gargoyles
as Anansi/Poacher 2 (voice)
Parallel Lives
as Dr. Franklin Carter
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
as Self
Christy
as Daniel Scott
Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland
as Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
as Geordi La Forge
Batman: The Animated Series
as Hayden Sloane (voice)
Star Trek: Federation Science
as Unknown
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
as Self
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
as Kwame (voice)
Central Park
as Self
Roots: The Gift
as Kunta Kinte
The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next
as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation
as Geordi La Forge
A Special Friendship
as Ben Sumner
Houston Knights
as Jason Evans
Liberty
as Robert Johnson
The Supernaturals
as Pvt. Michael Osgood
The Midnight Hour
as Vinnie Davis
And the Children Shall Lead
as Glenn Scott
Booker
as Davis
Murder, She Wrote
as Reporter Dave Robinson
Jeopardy!
as Self - Host
Jeopardy!
as Self
The Jesse Owens Story
as Professor Preston
Emergency Room
as Ray Walden
Reading Rainbow
as Self - Host
I Love Liberty
as Self
The Acorn People
as Rodney
The Hunter
as Tommy Price
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
as Richard Jefferson
Trapper John, M.D.
as Unknown
Dummy
as Donald Lang
The Muppets Go Hollywood
as Self (uncredited)
Mickey's 50
as Self
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
as Ron LeFlore
Battered
as Andrew Sinclair
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
as Cap Jackson
The Love Boat
as Darnell Hall
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
as Billy Peoples
US Against the World
as Self
Roots
as Kunta Kinte
The Captain and Tennille
as Self
Almos' a Man
as Dave
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self