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.
as Self - Host(4 eps)
as Rick
as (voice)(1 ep)
as Flexspecs (voice)(1 ep)
as Great Grandpa Wallace (voice)(1 ep)
as Self - Host(46 eps)
as Self
as (voice)(1 ep)
as Self(3 eps)
as Commodore Geordi La Forge
as Barclay (voice)(10 eps)
as Narrator (voice)
as Self(1 ep)
as Undead Thordak (voice)(2 eps)
as Self(1 ep)
as Mr. Blanche(1 ep)
as Suit AI (voice)(2 eps)
as LeVar Burton
as Commodore Geordi La Forge(5 eps)
as Self - Guest(1 ep)
as Self(1 ep)
as Dr. Negari(4 eps)
as Self(2 eps)
as LeVar Burton
as Narrator (voice)(1 ep)
as Kwame(1 ep)
as Ephraim(1 ep)
as Self
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
as Himself (voice)(1 ep)
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (archive footage)
as Dr. Dan Halpern
as Paul Haley(35 eps)
as Self(1 ep)
as Doc Green (voice)(104 eps)
as Self
as Kendrick
as Bubble (voice)(1 ep)
as Mike Timbrook
as Black Lightning (voice)
as LeVar Burton(2 eps)
as Self - Guest(1 ep)
as Self(1 ep)
as Nathanial
as LeVar Burton(3 eps)
as Self(1 ep)
as Self
as Self - Restaurant Patron(1 ep)
as Night Watchman Elf (uncredited)
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
as Marvin Lloyd(1 ep)
as Self
as Martin Luther King, Jr.
as Unlicensed Hologram of LeVar Burton (voice)(1 ep)
as Vern (voice)(1 ep)
as LeVar Burton (voice)(1 ep)
as Martin at Age 26 (voice)
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
as Mr. Haller(1 ep)
as Self
as Self - Guest(2 eps)
as Self(1 ep)
as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
as Self(1 ep)
as Winstrom
as Self(1 ep)
as Murray (voice)(1 ep)
as Mr. Metcalf(1 ep)
as The Monk (voice)(1 ep)
as Captain Geordi La Forge(1 ep)
as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
as Anansi/Poacher 2 (voice)(1 ep)
as Dr. Franklin Carter
as Daniel Scott(7 eps)
as Fire Chief J. Allan Mather
as Geordi La Forge
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
as Hayden Sloane (voice)(1 ep)
as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
as Kwame (voice)(113 eps)
as Self
as Kunta Kinte
as Geordi La Forge(176 eps)
as Ben Sumner
as Jason Evans(1 ep)
as Robert Johnson
as Pvt. Michael Osgood
as Vinnie Davis
as Glenn Scott
as Davis
as Reporter Dave Robinson(1 ep)
as Self - Host(5 eps)
as Self(1 ep)
as Professor Preston
as Ray Walden
as Self - Host(155 eps)
as Self
as Charles 'Tank' Smith
as Rodney
as Tommy Price
as Richard Jefferson(2 eps)
as Donald Lang
as Self (uncredited)
as Self
as Ron LeFlore
as Andrew Sinclair
as Cap Jackson
as Darnell Hall(1 ep)
as Billy Peoples
as Self
as Kunta Kinte(2 eps)
as Kunta Kinte(1 ep)
as Self(1 ep)
as Dave
as Self(1 ep)