
Acting
LeVar Burton
Born 1957-02-16 · Landstuhl, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany
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.
Acting credits
7.0Two love-starved strangers crash into each other on the one night of the year when single people are allowed to have sex.
One Night Only
2026
7.3The Borg, a relentless race of cyborgs, are on a direct course for Earth. Violating orders to stay away from the battle, Captain Picard and the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise E pursue the Borg back in time to prevent the invaders from changing Federation history and assimilating the galaxy.
Star Trek: First Contact
1996
6.7In 1964, a brash, new pro boxer, fresh from his Olympic gold medal victory, explodes onto the scene: Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self-confidence and his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. Yet at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test.
Ali
2001
6.3En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself.
Star Trek: Nemesis
2002
6.5When an alien race and factions within Starfleet attempt to take over a planet that has "regenerative" properties, it falls upon Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to defend the planet's people as well as the very ideals upon which the Federation itself was founded.
Star Trek: Insurrection
1998
4.2When zombies overrun San Francisco, a desperate group survives by locking themselves inside Alcatraz Prison. When the undead breach the island, our heroes are forced to return to the mainland overrun with the undead.
Rise of the Zombies
2012
6.5Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.
Star Trek: Generations
1994
7.1United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming trajectory of a Kryptonite meteor to frame Superman and declare a $1 billion bounty on the heads of the Man of Steel and his ‘partner in crime’, Batman. Heroes and villains alike launch a relentless pursuit of Superman and Batman, who must unite—and recruit help—to try and stave off the action-packed onslaught, stop the meteor Luthors plot.
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
2009
3.8The Space Channel celebrates the 40th anniversary of the original STAR TREK. Produced by Mark Askwith, hosted by Jonathan Llyr and featuring interviews with George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, William Shatner, Peter David, Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, F. Murray Abraham, Lawrence Montaigne, Leonard Nimoy, Garrett Wang, France Nuyen, Michael Reeve, George Clayton Johnson, Denise Crosby, Marc Scott Zicree, Garfield Reeves-Stevens, D.C. Fontana, Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, DeForest Kelley, LeVar Burton, Dr. Mae Jemison, Rob Salem, Walter Koenig, J.G. Hertzler, Dean Devlin, Harlan Ellison, Richard Arnold, Jeffrey Combs, Rick Berman, Bjo Trimble, Jim Lee, Alice Cooper, and Robert Picardo.
40 Years of Star Trek
2006
6.2Kermit the Frog throws a glamorous party at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub to celebrate the premiere of the Muppets' first feature film, The Muppet Movie. Hosts Dick van Dyke and Rita Moreno interview the wide array of celebrities and Muppets who attend the event. Gary Owens serves as off-camera announcer, and appears on-screen to introduce Miss Piggy.
The Muppets Go Hollywood
1979
6.0A young girl's aunt tells her the tale of a young ice skater and an enchanted reindeer.
Blizzard
2003
6.3A short, unhappy affair with a married man leads a dedicated schoolteacher into the alcohol-and-drug fueled underworld of singles’ bars, where she begins to engage in a pattern of dangerous sexual activity.
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
1977
5.3Based on the actual events of the 1991 brush fires that swept across Northern California, which left countless people without homes. A rookie fire chief, who just started his new job, must deal with the raging fires.
Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland
1993
7.5CENTRAL PARK is a film about the famous New York City landmark and the variety of ways in which people make use of it: running, boating, walking, skating, music, theatre, sports, picnics, parades and concerts. The film also illustrates the complex problems the New York City Parks Department deals with in order to maintain and preserve the park and keep it open and accessible to the public.
Central Park
1990
5.9During his long career, bounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson has caught over 5,000 criminals. Now, while he is working on apprehending fugitives in Illinois, Texas and Nebraska, he himself is being hunted by a psychotic killer.
The Hunter
1980
5.7A college reunion turns into a tangled web of passion, romance and intrigue as old friends and enemies catch up with each other's lives. Includes a long list of stars.
Parallel Lives
1994
7.1Two teens are sent back in time to meet Martin Luther King Jr. at several points during his life.
Our Friend, Martin
1999
5.3550 artists were interviewed over ten years. At some point during those interviews, they were asked a question and told to answer with one word only. Some stuck to one, some said more, some answered quickly, some thought it through, and some didn't answer at all. That question… Lennon or McCartney?
Lennon or McCartney
2014
5.9Friends, family, co-stars and admirers of actor Steve McQueen talk about his life and his movie career.
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool
2005
NRThe cast and crew of Roots (1977) recall its phenomenal success on its 25th anniversary.
Remembering Roots
2002
4.1A comedy centered on a failed horse trainer who desperately wants to be back in the winner's circle.
And They're Off
2011
5.9Phil, Melissa, Mitch, Mary, and Vinnie are high school friends, who unwittingly raise the dead on Halloween night. Once the dead have returned, Pitchford Cove will never be the same again....or will it?
The Midnight Hour
1985
6.3Denise Crosby takes a first look at the huge fans of "Star Trek" from around America and how the series has affected and shaped their lives.
Trekkies
1997
7.0Your destination: the 24th century. Your mission: to voyage where few have gone before--behind the scenes of Star Trek: The Next Generation! Join Jonathan Frakes, Next Generation's Commander William Riker, for this fascinating chronicle of Gene Roddenberry's beloved, Emmy Award-winning series. You'll explore the Enterprise, meet the show's stars (and some villainous guest stars), learn special-effects secrets and makeup magic, and finally get the answer to that nagging question, "Where is the bathroom on the Enterprise?" Other highlights include a visit to a Star Trek convention, and a stop at the scoring stage to watch Marina Sirtis (Lt. Commander Deanna Troi) lead the orchestra in a recording session. This program concludes with a special look at the series' thrilling final episode ("All Good Things . . .") and a sneak peak at the crew's movie debut, Star Trek: Generations. So set a course for an adventure like no other.
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
1994
Behind the camera
6.0A young girl's aunt tells her the tale of a young ice skater and an enchanted reindeer.
Blizzard
2003
5.9Ben Cooper and his family are struggling to get a grip on household chores, school and work. So when Ben sees that a Smart House is being given away, he enters the competition as often as he can, until they eventually win the house (named Pat). After moving in, Pat's personality radically begins to change, turning the Coopers against her.
Smart House
1999
4.3With his father coaching him and his mother providing a strong spiritual influence, Tiger Woods rose to fame and fortune. But his success came at a price, as he endured personal struggles with racism, self-doubt and cultural identity.
The Tiger Woods Story
1998
2.8Old and bitter, Alvin just wants some peace and quiet in his last days. His wish, however, is not granted when a young, vibrant and ironically full of life Kevin becomes Alvin's hospice roommate. Through this "odd couple" relationship, Alvin learns that its not the minutes in our life, its the moments in your life that matter.
Reach for Me
2008