LeVar Burton

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LeVar Burton Photo Op GalaxyCon Raleigh 2023

American actor, presenter, director, and author

LeVar Burton

Name	LeVar Burton
Birth name
Birth date	Birth date -1st March 1966
Birth place	Landstuhl, West Germany
Death date
Death place
Alma mater
Occupation	Actor, television presenter, director, author
Years active	1976–present
Organization
Known for
Notable works
Spouse(s)	Stephanie Cozart Burton (m. 1992)
Website

LeVar Burton (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, television presenter, director, and author. He is best known for his roles as Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots, Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and as the host of the long-running PBS children's series Reading Rainbow.

Early life

LeVar Burton was born Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. in Landstuhl, West Germany, where his father was stationed as a photographer for the United States Army. He was raised in Sacramento, California, and attended Christian Brothers High School. Burton later studied at the University of Southern California's School of Theatre.

Career

Roots

Burton's breakthrough role came in 1977 when he was cast as Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots. The series was a critical and commercial success, earning Burton widespread acclaim and a nomination for an Emmy Award.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

In 1987, Burton began his role as Geordi La Forge in the syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. He portrayed the character, who is blind and uses a VISOR to see, for the series' entire run until 1994, and reprised the role in subsequent Star Trek films.

Reading Rainbow

From 1983 to 2006, Burton hosted Reading Rainbow, a PBS children's series that encouraged reading among young viewers. The show won numerous awards, including multiple Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.

Directing

In addition to his acting career, Burton has directed episodes of various television series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. He has also directed episodes of Charmed, JAG, and NCIS: New Orleans.

Writing

Burton is also an accomplished author. He has written several books, including the children's book The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm.

Personal life

Burton married Stephanie Cozart Burton, a professional makeup artist, in 1992. They have two children together.

Awards and honors

Burton has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

See also

• List of Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members
• List of Reading Rainbow episodes