LeVar Burton | |
|---|---|
 Burton at the 2023GalaxyCon Raleigh | |
| Born | Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (1957-02-16)February 16, 1957 (age 69) Landstuhl, West Germany |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupations | Actor, television host, director, author |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingMica[1] |
| Awards | See Awards |
| Website | levarburton |
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957)[2][3] is an American actor, director, and television host. He playedGeordi La Forge inStar Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)[4] andKunta Kinte in theABC miniseriesRoots (1977), and was the host of thePBS Kids educational television seriesReading Rainbow for 23 years (1983–2006). Burton received 12Daytime Emmy Awards and aPeabody Award as host and executive producer ofReading Rainbow.[5]
His other roles include Cap Jackson inLooking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Donald Lang inDummy (1979), Tommy Price inThe Hunter (1980), which earned him anNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, andMartin Luther King Jr. inAli (2001). Burton received theGrammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album at the42nd Annual Grammy Awards for his narration of the bookThe Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1990, he was honored for his accomplishments in television with a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.
From 2017 until 2024, Burton created and hosted the podcastLeVar Burton Reads,[6][7] which has been described as "Reading Rainbow for adults".[8] Since October 2024, Burton has hosted theTrivial Pursuit game show onThe CW.[9]
Burton was born inLandstuhl, West Germany.[2][3] His mother, Erma Gene (née Ward),[10] was a social worker, administrator, and educator.[3] Burton and his two sisters were raised by his mother inSacramento,California, United States.[11]
Burton's father, also named LeVar, was a photographer for theU.S. Army Signal Corps stationed at Landstuhl at the time of his son's birth.[2] His paternal grandparents were both educators in ruralArkansas.[12] His great-great grandfather,Hal B. Burton, was anAfrican-American state legislator in Arkansas after theReconstruction era that enfranchised African Americans in the South after the American Civil War;[12] he was elected to representJefferson County in 1887.[13][14][15][16]
As a teen, Burton, who was raisedCatholic,[17] entered St. Pius X Minor Seminary inGalt, California, intending to become a priest.[18] At the age of 17, questioning the Catholic faith, he changed his vocation to acting. At the age of 19, while an undergraduate at theUniversity of Southern California, he received a starring role in the 1977 television miniseriesRoots.[17]
Burton made his acting debut in 1977 withAlmos' a Man, a television film based on theRichard Wright short story, "The Man Who Was Almost a Man", in which Burton stars alongsideMadge Sinclair.[19] He also played Cap Jackson inLooking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Donald Lang inDummy (1979), and Tommy Price inThe Hunter (1980), which earned him anNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. In the late 1970s, Burton accepted an invitation to hostRebop, a multicultural television series designed for young people aged 9–15, produced by WGBH forPBS.
Burton's breakthrough role was as the youngKunta Kinte in theABC miniseriesRoots (1977), based on thenovel of the same name byAlex Haley. Burton has described his first day playing Kunta as the start of his professional career.[20] As a result of his performance, he was nominated for anEmmy in theOutstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series category.[21]
He reprised the role of Kunta Kinte in the 1988 television filmRoots: The Gift. When asked about the societal influence ofRoots, Burton is quoted as saying: "It expanded the consciousness of people. Blacks and whites began to see each other as human beings, not as stereotypes. And if you throw a pebble into the pond, you're going to get ripples. I think the only constant is change, and it's always slow. Anything that happens overnight is lacking in foundation.Roots is part of a changing trend, and it's still being played out."[22]
Burton was the host and executive producer ofReading Rainbow starting in 1983 forPBS.[23] The series ran for 23 seasons.
AfterReading Rainbow went off the air in 2006, Burton and his business partner, Mark Wolfe, acquired the global rights to the brand[24] and formed RRKIDZ, a new media company for children. Reading Rainbow was reimagined as an all new application for theiPad in 2012, and was an immediate success, becoming the number-one educational application within 36 hours. At RRKIDZ, Burton serves as co-founder and curator-in-chief, ensuring that the projects produced under the banner meet the high expectations and trust of theReading Rainbow brand.[25]
On May 28, 2014, Burton and numerous coworkers from other past works started aKickstarter campaign project to bring backReading Rainbow. To keep with the changing formats to which young children are exposed, his efforts are being directed at making this new program web based, following the success of the tablet application he helped create in recent years. His desire is to have the newReading Rainbow be integrated into the classrooms of elementary schools across the country, and for schools in need to have free access.[26] The Kickstarter campaign has since raised more than $5 million, reaching triple its goal in only three days.[27]
In 2017, Burton was sued by the public broadcasting companyWNED-TV for alleged copyright infringement for use of the Reading Rainbow brand in marketing the new iPad app and other online media.[28] RRKIDZ later became known as LeVar Burton Kids and the iPad app, Skybrary.[29]
In 1986,Gene Roddenberry approached Burton with the role of Lieutenant Junior GradeGeordi La Forge in theStar Trek: The Next Generation television series. The character isblind but is granted "sight" through the use of aprosthetic device called aVISOR worn over his eyes. La Forge began as theUSSEnterprise'shelmsman, and as of the show's second season, had become its chief engineer. At the time, Burton was considerably better known thanPatrick Stewart in the United States, due to his roles inRoots andReading Rainbow. When the show premiered, theAssociated Press stated that Burton's role was essentially the "newSpock".[30] In a 2019 interview, Burton laughed in disbelief at the idea, stating "that speculation never came to fruition."[31] Burton also portrayed La Forge in the subsequent feature films based onStar Trek: The Next Generation, fromStar Trek Generations (1994) toStar Trek: Nemesis (2002). He directed two episodes ofStar Trek: The Next Generation and several episodes ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,Star Trek: Voyager, andStar Trek: Enterprise. He reprised the role of LaForge in the third and final season ofStar Trek: Picard (2023).[32]
In 2017, Burton began a podcast,LeVar Burton Reads. Each 30-45-minute episode features Burton reading a piece of short fiction and sharing his thoughts on it.[33] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic,[34] he continued to read on his podcast and also gave live readings three times a week during a Twitter livestream focused at different times to different children, young adults, and adult audiences.[35]
In reviews, the podcast is often described as "Reading Rainbow for adults".[8] Since its launch,LeVar Burton Reads has won favorable reviews, inThe New Yorker and elsewhere[36][6][8] and numerous awards, including the 2023Webby Award for Best Art and Culture Podcast. Burton's five-word Webby acceptance speech was: "Be a better person. Read."[37]
In 2023, Burton launched a second podcast, this time for children, calledSound Detectives.[38]
On October 3, 2024, Burton began hosting a revival of the game showTrivial Pursuit onThe CW.[39] A second season is expected to premiere in 2026.[40]
On television, Burton played a visitor toFantasy Island, guest starred onThe Love Boat, was a participant inBattle of the Network Stars, and a guest ofThe Muppet Show's televised premiere party for the release ofThe Muppet Movie. He was also frequent guest on several game shows, including a celebrity guest on theDick Clark-hosted$25,000 and $100,000 Pyramids, from 1982 until 1988.
Buron also appeared in several television movies. He portrayed Detroit TigerRon LeFlore inOne in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story (1978), helped dramatize the last days ofJim Jones's suicide cult inGuyana inGuyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980), appeared theJesse Owens biographical filmThe Jesse Owens Story (1984), and was in the nine-year-oldBooker T. Washington biographical filmBooker (1984).
In 1986, he appeared in the music video for the song "Word Up!" by thefunk/R&B groupCameo.
In 1987, Burton played Dave Robinson, a journalist (sports writer), in the third season ofMurder, She Wrote, episode 16 – "Death Takes a Dive", starringAngela Lansbury asJessica Fletcher.
In 1992, a clip of Burton's voice wassampled byDC Talk for the track "Time is..." on their albumFree at Last. The sample is at the very end of the song, in which Burton can be heard saying: "Whoa, wait a minute." He has also lent his voice to several animated projects, including Kwame in the cartoon seriesCaptain Planet and the Planeteers (1990–1993) andThe New Adventures of Captain Planet (1993–1996),Our Friend, Martin (1999),Family Guy,Batman: The Animated Series andGargoyles. Burton is on the audio version of books such asThe Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963 byChristopher Paul Curtis.[41] Burton has been cast as voice actor forBlack Lightning inSuperman/Batman: Public Enemies DVD.
In the 2000s, Burton made appearances in such sitcoms asBecker. He also portrayedMartin Luther King Jr. in the 2001 filmAli.
In 2001, Burton also was the strongest link in the specialStar Trek episode ofThe Weakest Link. He defeated his final opponentRobert Picardo and won $167,500 for his charity,Junior Achievement of Southern California, a record for the show at that time and the largest amount won in any Celebrity Edition of the show (it was later surpassed by a $188,500 win in a "Tournament of Losers" episode).
Burton is the host and executive producer of a documentary titledThe Science of Peace, which was in production as of 2007. It investigates the science and technology aimed at enablingworld peace, sometimes calledpeace science. The film explores some of the concepts of sharednoetic consciousness, having been sponsored in part by theInstitute of Noetic Sciences.[42]
He appeared in an April Fool's 2009 episode ofSmosh pretending to have taken over the channel and making various edits at popular Smosh videos.[43]
He makes occasional appearances onThis Week in Tech, where he is a self-proclaimed "nerd", and also participated in theConsumer Electronics Show 2010.[44]
In 2010, Burton made an appearance onTim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as the ghost of himself in the episode "Greene Machine". In February 2011, he made an appearance as himself on NBC'sCommunity in the episode "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking", and then again in January 2014's "Geothermal Escapism".
Burton has appeared as a fictionalized, humorous version of himself onThe Big Bang Theory, first appearing in the episode "The Toast Derivation", in which he almost attends a party thrown by Sheldon (before swearing off Twitter), in November 2012 in the episode "The Habitation Configuration", in which he appears on "Fun With Flags" in exchange for lunch and gas money, and again in the November 2014 episode "The Champagne Reflection", in which he returns for the 232nd episode of "Fun With Flags" in exchange for Sheldon deleting his contact details.
In 2012, he had a recurring role as dean Paul Haley on theTNT seriesPerception. For the second season (2013), he became part of the regular cast.
In 2014, he had a guest appearance in an introduction section for the 200th episode of Achievement Hunter's show,Achievement Hunter Weekly Update (AHWU). In May 2014, he appeared as a guest on the YouTube channelSciShow, explaining the science behinddouble,tertiary, andquaternary rainbows. Late in 2014, he had another guest appearance on a 24-hour Extra Life, a fundraising organization for Children's Miracle Network hospitals, stream byRooster Teeth. Burton has also taped a recycling field trip for YouTube.
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In November 2020, he appeared as himself onThe Eric Andre Show. His segment was a callback toLance Reddick's interview (2013) in which he mentioned LeVar by name and dressed as an amalgam ofKunta Kinte andGeordi La Forge.
Burton served as a guest host onJeopardy! from July 26 to 30, 2021.[45] This came after a petition asking the show's producers to select him was signed by more than 250,000 fans.[46] The ratings during his appearance were below average due to tapering audience curiosity and forced viewership competition with NBC's coverage of the2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which trampled syndicated shows across the board.[47] He has been very critical of the show's guest host process, stating that the show's then executive producerMike Richards expressed disbelief about Burton wanting the job.[48] According to Burton, Richards also claimed to have no interest in hosting the show himself even though this was disproven by later events.[49][50] However, he would later say that the experience taught him that there is a "perfect nature of all things".[51]
In June 2022, Burton hosted the94th Scripps National Spelling Bee.[52]
Burton also teaches the "Power of Storytelling" in theMasterClass.[53]
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Burton directed episodes for each of the variousStar Trek series then in production. He has directed moreStar Trek episodes than any other former regular cast member.
He has also directed episodes ofCharmed,JAG,Las Vegas,Scorpion, andSoul Food: The Series, as well as the miniseriesMiracle's Boys and the biopicThe Tiger Woods Story. He also directed the 1999Disney Channel Original MovieSmart House starringKatey Sagal,Kevin Kilner andJessica Steen. In August 2020, it was revealed that Burton will sit in the director's chair forTwo-Front War from Lou Reda Productions, a multi-perspective docuseries will give "an emotionally raw look at the connection between the fight for civil rights in America and the struggle for equality of Black soldiers in Vietnam".[54]
His first theatrical film direction wasBlizzard (2003), for which he received a "Best of Fest" award from theChicago International Children's Film Festival,[55] and aGenie Award nomination for his work on the film's theme song, "Center of My Heart".[56]
For theDirectors Guild of America, Burton was an alternate board director in 2000,[57] elected to the board of directors in 2005[58] and re-elected in 2007.[59]
For his commitment to public service, Burton was awarded the Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service in 2023.[60]
LeVar Burton has engaged in advocacy work on multiple causes includingliteracy,book censorship, andAIDS research. He has served on the board of directors for theAIDS Research Alliance, a non-profit, medical research organization dedicated to finding a cure for AIDS, since 2012.[61] In 2023, he led theAmerican Library Association'sBanned Books Week as an honorary chair and organized signature campaign,Artists Against Book Bans.[62][63] He also served as the executive producer for the documentary,The Right to Read, a film focused on promoting literacy as a civil-rights issue.[64]
LeVar Burton married Stephanie Cozart, a professional make-up artist, on October 3, 1992.[65][66] Burton has two children, includingMica Burton.[67] The family lives inSherman Oaks, California.[68]
Burton does not identify with any religion, saying: "I walked away from the seminary, I walked away from Catholicism, I walked away from organized religion because I felt that there was more for me to explore in the world, and that I could do that without adhering to one specific belief system or another."[69]
In 2016, Burton was one of the five inaugural honorees to the Sacramento Walk of Stars.[70] In 2019, Councilmember Larry Carr, representing the Meadowview neighborhood, led the renaming of Richfield Park to LeVar Burton Park in his honor. The park is in the Meadowview neighborhood, near the house where Burton and his sisters grew up.[71]
In 2024, while on the showFinding Your Roots, Burton discovered that he has a white,Confederate great-great-grandfather.[72]
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. was born Feb. 16, 1957, in Landsthul [sic], Germany. (His father, a career Army man, was stationed there.)
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)My first day as an actor, Cicely Tyson played my mother, Maya Angelou played my grandmother.
