LeVar Burton — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Recipient of 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as host and executive producer of *Reading Rainbow*.
Awarded a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for his narration of *The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.*
Founder of LeVar Burton Entertainment since 2019.
Host and Executive Producer of the PBS Kids series *Reading Rainbow* for 23 years (1983–2006).
Host of the podcast *LeVar Burton Reads* (2017–2024) and *Trivial Pursuit* game show (since October 2024).
Played Kunta Kinte in the 1977 ABC miniseries *Roots* and Geordi La Forge in *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (1987–1994).
Honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990.

Biography

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. is a German-born American actor, director, and television host. He gained early recognition for his breakthrough role as the young Kunta Kinte in the 1977 ABC miniseries *Roots*.

Burton later became widely known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge in *Star Trek: The Next Generation* from 1987 to 1994. His career also includes directing numerous television episodes and films.