Levar Burton

LeVar Burton’s career spans iconic roles, celebrated literacy advocacy, and influential directing, establishing him as a prominent figure in entertainment and education. After securing a lead role as Kunta Kinte in the 1977 television miniseries ‘Roots,’ LeVar Burton earned an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor. Debuting in ‘Almos’ a Man’ (1976), he continued his acting career with films such as Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and The Hunter (1980), receiving an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.

His directorial credits include the 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie Smart House and the theatrical film Blizzard (2003). In 2005, he was elected to the board of directors for the Directors Guild of America. Following Reading Rainbow’s original run, he acquired the brand rights with his business partner, launching RRKIDZ to develop digital educational content, including the Skybrary app, after a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014. From 2017 to 2024, Burton hosted the podcast ‘LeVar Burton Reads.’ In 2022, Burton hosted the 94th Scripps National Spelling Bee and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Children’s and Family Emmys.

He reprised his role as Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: Picard in 2023, the same year he launched the children’s podcast ‘Sound Detectives’ and was honored with the National Humanities Medal for his contributions to literacy and storytelling. In 2024, Burton hosted Trivial Pursuit on The CW, and was celebrated with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 51st Saturn Awards and the Changemaker of the Year award at the 9th Shorty Impact Awards.