LeVar Burton

Burton was born in Landstuhl, West Germany. His mother, Erma Gene (née Christian),{{Cite tweet|title= My Mother, Erma Gene Christian|first=LeVar (verified account)|last=Burton|user=levarburton|number= 597417014760644609|date=May 10, 2015|access-date=December 27, 2016}} was a social worker, administrator, and educator.{{Cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/26/LeVar-Burton.html |title=LeVar Burton Biography (1957–) |publisher=Filmreference.com |access-date=February 26, 2011}} Burton and his two sisters were raised by his mother in Sacramento, California, United States.{{Cite magazine |url= http://www.sactownmag.com/February-March-2012/LeVar-Burton-Q-A/ |title=LeVar Burton Q&A |interviewer-last=Lee |interviewer-first=Elyssa |date=February–March 2012 |magazine=Sactown Magazine |access-date=July 20, 2013|archive-date=November 15, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115202928/https://www.sactownmag.com/levar-burton-qa/|url-status=live}}

• ^a"[Sacramento is] my hometown, my home base. It's where I grew up. I was born in Landstuhl, Germany in '57, came to Sacramento in '59 — we lived in Glen Elder — then went back to [Germany] in '64, then [returned to Sacramento] in '66. My parents split up during [my military father's] second tour of duty when I was in the third or fourth grade. So my mom, my sisters and I settled in West Sacramento, in Broderick. Then we moved to South Sacramento when I was in the sixth grade — St. Anne's Elementary."

Burton's father, also named LeVar, was a photographer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps stationed at Landstuhl at the time of his son's birth.{{Cite news |date=May 18, 1993 |title=Celebrity Q&A: Burton's Background |url=https://www.deseret.com/1993/5/18/19047584/celebrity-q-a-burton-s-background |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201115201811/https://www.deseret.com/1993/5/18/19047584/celebrity-q-a-burton-s-background |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2020 |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |via=The Deseret News |quote=Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. was born Feb. 16, 1957, in Landsthul [sic], Germany. (His father, a career Army man, was stationed there.) |agency=Associated Press}} His paternal grandparents were both educators in rural Arkansas.{{cite episode | title=Fathers and Sons | series=Finding Your Roots | date=16 January 2024 | season=10 | number=3}} His great-great grandfather, Hal B. Burton, was an African-American state legislator in Arkansas after the Reconstruction era that enfranchised African Americans in the South after the American Civil War; he was elected to represent Jefferson County in 1887.{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tRQbAQAAIAAJ|title=Report|first=Arkansas Office of the Secretary of|last=State|date=May 1, 1893|via=Google Books}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rabh_kTq20EC&q=Burton|title=Goodspeed Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Central Arkansas|date=May 1, 1889|publisher=Southern Historical Press|isbn=9780893080792 |via=Google Books}}{{Cite journal|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/40028092|title=African-American Legislators in the Arkansas General Assembly, 1868-1893|author=Wintory, Blake J.|year=2006|journal=The Arkansas Historical Quarterly|volume=65|issue=4|pages=385–434|doi=10.2307/40028092|jstor=40028092 |url-access=subscription}}{{Cite web|url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/african-american-legislators-nineteenth-century-13932/|title=African American Legislators (Nineteenth Century)|website=The Encyclopedia of Arkansas}}

As a teen, Burton, who was raised Catholic,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/11/levar-burton-skeleton/566489/|title=LeVar Burton on Pursuing the Priesthood Before Acting|first=Lola|last=Fadulu|magazine=The Atlantic|date=November 7, 2018|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201115204159/https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/11/levar-burton-skeleton/566489/|url-status=live|access-date=September 30, 2019}} entered St. Pius X Minor Seminary in Galt, California, intending to become a priest.{{cite tweet|first=LeVar|Last=Burton|user=levarburton| number=1137079079214100480| title=Didn't attend a Christian Brothers School.|date=June 7, 2019|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201115204906/https://twitter.com/levarburton/status/1137079079214100480|url-status=live}} "I went to St. Pius X Seminary & Prep in Galt. It was run by SDS actually, Society of the Divine Savior." At the age of 17, questioning the Catholic faith, he changed his vocation to acting; at the age of 19, while an undergraduate at the University of Southern California, he won a starring role in the 1977 television miniseries Roots.

Burton made his acting debut in 1976 with Almos' a Man, a film based on the Richard Wright short story, "The Man Who Was Almost a Man", in which Burton stars alongside Madge Sinclair.{{cite AV media |people=Lee, Leslie (director)|date=1976 |title=Richard Wright's Almos' a Man |medium=VHS |publisher=Monterey Home Video}}

{{Main|Roots (1977 miniseries)}}

Burton's breakthrough role was as the young Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots (1977), based on the novel of the same name by Alex Haley. Burton has described his first day playing Kunta as the start of his professional career.{{cite interview |last=Burton |first=LeVar |interviewer=Lola Fadulu |title=LeVar Burton on Pursuing the Priesthood Before Acting |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/11/levar-burton-skeleton/566489/ |publisher=The Atlantic |date=November 7, 2018 |access-date=July 26, 2020 |quote=My first day as an actor, Cicely Tyson played my mother, Maya Angelou played my grandmother.}} As a result of his performance, he was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series category.{{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/levar-burton|title=LeVar Burton: Awards and Nominations|work=Television Academy|access-date=June 22, 2020}}

He reprised the role of Kunta Kinte in the 1988 television film Roots: The Gift. When asked about the societal influence of Roots, 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."{{Cite news |last=Beale |first=Lewis |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sun_sentinel/access/87945887.html?dids=87945887:87945887&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+29%2C+1987&author=LEWIS+BEALE%2C+Los+Angeles+Daily+News&pub=South+Florida+Sun+-+Sentinel&desc=RESEARCHING+TV%27S+%60ROOTS%27+A+DECADE+LATER&pqatl=google |title=Researching TV's Roots a Decade Later |date=January 29, 1987 |work=Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel |access-date=February 26, 2011 |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |archive-date=April 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415045639/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sun_sentinel/access/87945887.html?dids=87945887:87945887&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+29%2C+1987&author=LEWIS+BEALE%2C+Los+Angeles+Daily+News&pub=South+Florida+Sun+-+Sentinel&desc=RESEARCHING+TV%27S+%60ROOTS%27+A+DECADE+LATER&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }}

{{Main|Reading Rainbow}}

Burton was the host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow starting in 1983 for PBS.{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Fred |title=Learning to Read the Rainbow |date=May 19, 1999 |work=Tacoma Herald}} The series ran for 23 seasons.

After Reading Rainbow went off the air in 2006, Burton and his business partner, Mark Wolfe, acquired the global rights to the brand{{cite web |last1=Rosen |first1=Jake |title=Take a Look: An Oral History of Reading Rainbow |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/93884/take-look-oral-history-reading-rainbow |website=Mental Floss |publisher=Media Minute |access-date=March 5, 2022 |date= May 9, 2017}} and formed RRKIDZ, a new media company for children. Reading Rainbow was reimagined as an all new application for the iPad 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 the Reading Rainbow brand.{{Cite web |url=http://www.rrkidz.com/team |title=Reading Rainbow Team |website=Rrkidz.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628195413/http://www.rrkidz.com/team |archive-date=June 28, 2013 |access-date=June 16, 2013 }}

On May 28, 2014, Burton and numerous coworkers from other past works started a Kickstarter campaign project to bring back Reading 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 new Reading Rainbow be integrated into the classrooms of elementary schools across the country, and for schools in need to have free access.{{Cite episode |title=Burton Calls On 'Star Trek' Fans To Bring 'Reading Rainbow' To The Next Generation |url=https://www.npr.org/2014/05/28/316715135/burton-calls-on-star-trek-fans-to-bring-reading-rainbow-to-the-next-generation |series=All Things Considered |network=NPR |date=May 28, 2014 |credits=Presenter: Melissa Block}} The Kickstarter campaign has since raised more than $5 million, reaching triple its goal in only three days.{{Cite web |url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/readingrainbow/bring-reading-rainbow-back-for-every-child-everywh/ |title=Bring Reading Rainbow Back for Every Child, Everywhere! by LeVar Burton & Reading Rainbow |website=Kickstarter |date=July 28, 2016 |access-date=December 27, 2016}}

In 2017, Burton was sued by the public broadcasting company WNED-TV for alleged copyright infringement for use of the Reading Rainbow brand in marketing the new iPad app and other online media.{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/reading-rainbow-owner-accuses-levar-burton-theft-extortion-lawsuit-1027372 |title='Reading Rainbow' Owner Accuses LeVar Burton of 'Theft and Extortion' in Lawsuit |first=Eriq|last=Gardner|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 7, 2017 |access-date=September 16, 2019}} RRKIDZ later became known as LeVar Burton Kids and the iPad app, Skybrary.{{Cite web |url=https://www.levarburtonkids.com/skybrary |title=Welcome to Skybrary! |publisher=LeVar Burton Kids |access-date=September 16, 2019}}

{{Main|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}

File:BrentSpinerWilliamShatnerLevarBurtonJuly2010.jpg and William Shatner in July 2010]]

In 1986, Gene Roddenberry approached Burton with the role of Lieutenant Junior Grade Geordi La Forge in the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. The character is blind but is granted "sight" through the use of a prosthetic device called a VISOR worn over his eyes. La Forge began as the USS Enterprise's helmsman, and as of the show's second season, had become its chief engineer. At the time, Burton was considerably better known than Patrick Stewart in the United States, due to his roles in Roots and Reading Rainbow. When the show premiered, the Associated Press stated that Burton's role was essentially the "new Spock".{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Dg0VAAAAIBAJ&pg=5563,4967413&dq=levar+burton+spock&hl=en |title=LeVar Burton Cast As The Spock of TV's New 'Star Trek' |date=August 2, 1987 |website=The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) |access-date=February 26, 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In a 2019 interview, Burton laughed in disbelief at the idea, stating "that speculation never came to fruition."{{Cite news |last1=Loughlin |first1=Ryan |url=https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/attheshore/events/oc-con-returns-to-the-music-pier-with-special-guest/article_3cab02bf-57f9-5145-ad15-4bb875e5df85.html |title=OC Con returns to the music pier with special guest LeVar Burton |date=April 2, 2019 |work=Press of Atlantic City |access-date=June 13, 2019 |last2=Cronik |first2=Scott |location=Atlantic City, NJ}} Burton also portrayed La Forge in the subsequent feature films based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, from Star Trek Generations (1994) to Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). He directed two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. He reprised the role of LaForge in the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard (2023).{{cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |title='Star Trek: Picard': LeVar Burton & Michael Dorn Among 6 'Next Generation' Alums Joining Third & Final Season |url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/star-trek-picard-levar-burton-michael-dorn-next-generation-cast-third-final-season-1234994775/ |website=Deadline |access-date=April 5, 2022 |date=April 5, 2022}}

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.{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Brittany |date=2018-04-06 |title=LeVar Burton Would Like to Read You a Story |url=https://lamag.com/celebrity/levar-burton-podcast |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=LAmag – Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles |language=en}} In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic,{{Cite news |date=2020-01-08 |title=LeVar Burton Is Still Reading To Us During The Pandemic |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/07/29/896764696/levar-burton-is-still-reading-to-us-during-the-pandemic |work=NPR}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Abram |title=LeVar Burton Reading Live On Twitter Is Everything We Need Right Now |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/04/03/levar-burton-reading-live-on-twitter-is-everything-we-need-right-now/|date=April 3, 2020 |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

In reviews, the podcast is often described as "Reading Rainbow for adults". Since its launch, LeVar Burton Reads has won favorable reviews, in The New Yorker and elsewhere{{Cite magazine |last=Larson |first=Sarah |date=2017-08-31 |title=LeVar Burton Reads—to Adults |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/podcast-dept/levar-burton-reads-to-adults |access-date=2024-01-04 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}} and numerous awards, including the 2023 Webby Award for Best Art and Culture Podcast. Burton's five-word Webby acceptance speech was: "Be a better person. Read."{{Cite web |date=May 15, 2023 |title=Webby Award Winner: LeVar Burton Reads |url=https://winners.webbyawards.com/2023/podcasts/general-series/arts-culture/246472/levar-burton-reads |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=The Webby Awards}}

In 2023, Burton launched a second podcast, this time for children, called Sound Detectives.{{Cite news |last=Graeber |first=Laurel |date=2023-11-02 |title=LeVar Burton Wants to Be Heard |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/arts/levar-burton-podcast.html |access-date=2024-05-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

Burton played a role as a visitor to Fantasy Island, guest star on The Love Boat, was a participant in Battle of the Network Stars, a guest of The Muppet Show{{'}}s televised premiere party for the release of The Muppet Movie, and a frequent guest on several game shows.

In 1986, he appeared in the music video for the song "Word Up!" by the funk/R&B group Cameo.

In 1987, Burton played Dave Robinson, a journalist (sports writer), in the third season of Murder, She Wrote, episode 16 – "Death Takes a Dive", starring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher.

Burton accepted an invitation to host Rebop, a multicultural series designed for young people aged 9–15, produced by WGBH for PBS.

On television, Burton has helped dramatize the last days of Jim Jones's suicide cult in Guyana, the life and times of Jesse Owens, and the life of the nine-year-old Booker T. Washington. He portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2001 film Ali. He also portrayed Detroit Tiger Ron LeFlore in the television movie One in a Million, The Ron LeFlore Story.

In 1992, a clip of Burton's voice was sampled by DC Talk for the track "Time is..." on their album Free 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 series Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990–1993) and The New Adventures of Captain Planet (1993–1996), Our Friend, Martin (1999), Family Guy, Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles. Burton is on the audio version of books such as The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis.{{cite web | url=https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/listing?Narrator=levar+burton | title=AudioFile, Discover the World of Audiobooks | work=AudioFile Magazine }} Burton has been cast as voice actor for Black Lightning in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies DVD.

Burton appeared several times as a celebrity guest on the Dick Clark-hosted $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramids, from 1982 until 1988. Burton also was the strongest link in the special Star Trek episode of The Weakest Link. He defeated his final opponent Robert 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).

He has made appearances in such sitcoms as Becker.

File:Levar burton.jpg, January 29, 2007]]

Burton is the host and executive producer of a documentary titled The Science of Peace, which was in production as of 2007. It investigates the science and technology aimed at enabling world peace, sometimes called peace science. The film explores some of the concepts of shared noetic consciousness, having been sponsored in part by the Institute of Noetic Sciences.{{Cite web |url=http://www.scienceofpeace.com/document.html |title=Science of Peace |website=scienceofpeace.com}}

He appeared in an April Fool's episode of Smosh pretending to have taken over the channel and making various edits at popular Smosh videos.{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz5IlodOKE8 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/rz5IlodOKE8| archive-date=October 30, 2021|title=LeVar Burton Buys Smosh (April Fools)|date=April 1, 2009 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=February 26, 2011}}{{cbignore}}

He makes occasional appearances on This Week in Tech, where he is a self-proclaimed "nerd", and also participated in the Consumer Electronics Show 2010.{{Cite web |url=http://hackaday.com/2010/01/09/ces-famous-people-at-ces/cimg0987/ |title=James and Levar Burton |first= James|last=Munns|date=January 9, 2010 |website=Hackaday.com |access-date=December 27, 2016}}

In 2010, Burton made an appearance on Tim 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's Community 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 on The 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 the TNT series Perception. 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 channel SciShow, explaining the science behind double, tertiary, and quaternary 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 by Rooster Teeth. Burton has also taped a recycling field trip for YouTube.

File:LeVar Burton 2017 (cropped).jpg

In November 2020, he appeared as himself on The Eric Andre Show. His segment was a callback to Lance Reddick's interview (2013) in which he mentioned LeVar by name and dressed as an amalgam of Kunta Kinte and Geordi La Forge.

Burton served as a guest host on Jeopardy! from July 26 to 30, 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jeopardy.com/jbuzz/news-events/jeopardy-guest-host-schedule|title=Jeopardy! Guest Host Schedule|website=jeopardy.com|date=February 15, 2021}} This came after a petition asking the show's producers to select him was signed by more than 250,000 fans.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/levar-burton-jeopardy-guest-host-petition-credited-77225258|title=LeVar Burton to be 'Jeopardy!' guest host; petition credited|agency=Associated Press|website=ABC News|date=April 21, 2021|author=The Associated Press|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422010219/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/levar-burton-jeopardy-guest-host-petition-credited-77225258|archivedate=April 22, 2021}} The ratings during his appearance were below average due to tapering audience curiosity and forced viewership competition with NBC's coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which trampled syndicated shows across the board.{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/levar-burtons-jeopardy-tv-ratings-were-atrocious-reason-why-1619692|title=LeVar Burton's 'Jeopardy!' Ratings Were Atrocious—Here's Why|website=Newsweek|date=August 16, 2021|first=Ryan|last=Smith}} He has been very critical of the show's guest host process, stating that the show's then executive producer Mike Richards expressed disbelief about Burton wanting the job.{{cite web|url=https://www.theringer.com/tv/2022/6/1/23149944/levar-burton-jeopardy-scripps-national-spelling-bee|title='It Really Wasn't What They Said It Was': LeVar Burton Opens Up About 'Jeopardy!' and Hosting the National Spelling Bee|website=The Ringer|date=June 1, 2022|first=Claire|last=McNear|accessdate=November 19, 2022}} According to Burton, Richards also claimed to have no interest in hosting the show himself even though this was disproven by later events.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/1060186/levar-burton-speaks-on-jeopardy-drama/|title=LeVar Burton Speaks on 'Jeopardy!' Drama|date=September 12, 2022|website=TV Insider|first=Martin|last=Holmes|accessdate=November 19, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://newsweek.com/levar-burton-suggests-mike-richards-misled-him-over-jeopardy-hosting-job-1742094|title=LeVar Burton Suggests Mike Richards Misled Him Over 'Jeopardy!' Hosting Job|website=Newsweek|date=September 12, 2022|first=Ryan|last=Smith|access-date=March 30, 2023}} However, he would later say that the experience taught him that there is a "perfect nature of all things".{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/jeopardy-snub-levar-burton-reaction-interview-quote-1850194357|title=LeVar Burton says Jeopardy snub taught him 'the perfect nature of all things'|website=The A.V. Club|date=March 6, 2023|first=Hattie|last=Lindert|access-date=June 3, 2023}}

In June 2022, Burton hosted the 94th Scripps National Spelling Bee.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/levar-burton-scripps-national-spelling-bee-1235281316/|title=LeVar Burton Joins 'National Spelling Bee' as Owner Scripps Hopes for Buzz|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|website=Variety|date=May 31, 2022}}

Burton also teaches the "Power of Storytelling" in the MasterClass.{{Cite web|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=June 23, 2021|title=LeVar Burton Launches Internet Class Teaching 'Power of Storytelling'|url=https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/levar-burton-masterclass-storytelling-1235003596/|access-date=July 16, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US}}

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Burton directed episodes for each of the various Star Trek series then in production. He has directed more Star Trek episodes than any other former regular cast member.{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000996/ |title=LeVar Burton |website=IMDb |access-date=April 5, 2017}}

He has also directed episodes of Charmed, JAG, Las Vegas, Scorpion, and Soul Food: The Series, as well as the miniseries Miracle's Boys and the biopic The Tiger Woods Story. He also directed the 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie Smart House starring Katey Sagal, Kevin Kilner and Jessica Steen. In August 2020, it was revealed that Burton will sit in the director's chair for Two-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".{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/levar-burton-two-front-war-docuseries-lou-reda-productions-black-soldiers-vietnam-diversity-inclusion-representation-1203003005/|author=Ramos, Dino-Ray |date=August 3, 2020 |title=LeVar Burton To Direct 'Two-Front War' Civil Rights Docuseries On Black Soldiers In Vietnam |website=Deadline |access-date=August 7, 2020}}

His first theatrical film direction was Blizzard (2003), for which he received a "Best of Fest" award from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival,{{cite web |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2004/11/blizzard-storms-chicago-childrens-film-fest/ |title=Blizzard Storms Chicago Children's Film Fest |work=Animation Magazine |last=Ball |first=Ryan |date=November 2, 2004 |access-date=January 22, 2024}} and a Genie Award nomination for his work on the film's theme song, "Center of My Heart".{{cite web |url=https://www.screendaily.com/seducing-dr-lewis-leads-canadas-genie-nods/4017834.article |title=Seducing Dr Lewis leads Canada's Genie nods |work=Screen Daily |date=March 16, 2004 |access-date=January 22, 2024}}

Burton was an alternate board director in 2000{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-feb-01-mn-59922-story.html |title=Debating an Icon's Genius, Racism |last=Welkos |first=Robert W. |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 1, 2000 |access-date=January 22, 2024}} and was elected to the board of directors for the Directors Guild of America in 2005{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2005/scene/markets-festivals/still-in-directors-chair-1117929635/ |title=Still in directors' chair |work=Variety |last=McNary |first=Dave |date=September 23, 2005 |access-date=January 22, 2024}} and re-elected in 2007.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/apted-returns-dga-chair-141418/ |title=Apted returns to DGA chair |work=The Hollywood Reporter |last=Diorio |first=Carl |date=July 2, 2007 |access-date=January 22, 2024}}

For his commitment to public service, Burton was awarded the Common Wealth Awards of Distinguished Service in 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-24 |title=Common Wealth Awards go to Gloria Estefan, LeVar Burton |url=https://delawarebusinessnow.com/2023/04/common-wealth-awards-go-to-estefan-burton/ |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=Delaware Business Now |language=en-US}}

LeVar Burton married Stephanie Cozart, a professional make-up artist, on October 3, 1992.{{cite tweet|first= Levar|last=Burton|user=levarburton|number=1179775167829921794|date=October 3, 2019|access-date=November 15, 2020| title=27 years ago today I jumped the broom with @StephanieCozart|archive-date=October 3, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191003152455if_/https://twitter.com/levarburton/status/1179775167829921794|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.stephaniecozartburton.com/6622637-home |title=Stephanie Cozart Burton Makeup Artistry |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120045022/https://www.stephaniecozartburton.com/6622637-home |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |access-date=November 15, 2020}} Burton has two children, including Mica Burton.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/levar-burton/bio/162007/|title=LeVar Burton Biography|magazine=TV Guide|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=September 11, 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150911074245/http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/levar-burton/bio/162007/|url-status= live}} The family lives in Sherman Oaks, California.{{Cite web|first=LeVar|last=Burton|date=July 5, 2021|title=What is LeVar Burton's net worth? Exploring the actor's fortune as he makes a memorable debut on 'Jeopardy!'|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/what-levar-burton-s-net-worth-exploring-actor-s-fortune-makes-memorable-debut-jeopardy|access-date=July 5, 2021|website=www.sportskeeda.com|language=en-us}}

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."Burton to Stephanie Powell Watts in {{Cite podcast |url=http://www.levarburtonpodcast.com/ |title=Episode 15: 'Unassigned Territory' |work=Levar Burton Reads |host=Levar Burton |date=January 30, 2018 |time=38:52 |access-date=November 20, 2018 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228010806/https://www.levarburtonpodcast.com/ |url-status=dead }}

In 2012, Burton joined the board of directors for the AIDS Research Alliance, a non-profit, medical research organization dedicated to finding a cure for AIDS.{{Cite press release |url=http://www.pr.com/press-release/436088|title=Emmy Award Winner LeVar Burton Joins AIDS Research Alliance's Board of Directors |date= September 11, 2012 |publisher=AIDS Research Alliance |access-date=June 2, 2014|archive-date=December 20, 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161220133046/http://www.pr.com/press-release/436088|url-status=live}}

In 2016, Burton was one of the five inaugural honorees to the Sacramento Walk of Stars.{{Cite web |url=http://sacramentowalkofstars.com/ |title=2016 |last= |date=2016 |publisher=Sacramento Walk of Stars |access-date=June 13, 2019|archive-date=October 20, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201020024028/http://sacramentowalkofstars.com/|url-status=live}} (scroll down to 2016 honorees) 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.{{Cite web |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/585499/sacramento-park-renamed-after-levar-burton-reading-rainbow |title=Sacramento Has Renamed a Local Park After Reading Rainbow Host LeVar Burton |last=Rossen |first=Jake |work=Mental Floss |date=June 12, 2019 |publisher=MentalFloss.com |access-date=June 13, 2019 |archive-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202103055/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/585499/sacramento-park-renamed-after-levar-burton-reading-rainbow |url-status=dead }}

In 2024, while on the show Finding Your Roots, Burton discovered that he has a white, Confederate great-great-grandfather.{{cite web |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/levar-burton-white-confederate-ancestor-finding-your-roots-rcna133422 |title=LeVar Burton learns he's descended from a Confederate soldier on 'Finding Your Roots' |work=Today.com |last=Callahan |first=Chrissy |date=January 17, 2024 |access-date=January 22, 2024}}

{{main|LeVar Burton filmography}}

• 1977: Emmy – Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Performance in a Drama or Comedy Series – Roots (Part 1, "Kunta Kinte")
• 1998, 2001, 2005: Image Awards variously for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series and Outstanding Youth or Children's Series/Special — Reading Rainbow (both as Self and as Executive Producer)
• 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Children's Series – Reading Rainbow (Executive Producer)
• 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – Reading Rainbow (Self)
• 2004: Genie Award – Best Achievement in Music-Original Song – Blizzard (Co-composer "Center of My Heart")
• 2006: Black Reel Award – Best Director-Television – Miracle's Boys

• 1990: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7030 Hollywood Boulevard for television achievement
• 1992: Peabody Award – Reading Rainbow (as executive producer of episode, "The Wall")
• 1994, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2003: Image Award – variously for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series and Outstanding Youth or Children's Series/Special – Reading Rainbow (both as Self and as Executive Producer)
• 2000: Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album – The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.
• 1990, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Children's Series – Reading Rainbow (Executive Producer)
• 2001, 2002: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – Reading Rainbow (Self)
• 2003: Television Critics Association Award – Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming – Reading Rainbow (Executive Producer)
• 2003: Audie Award for Inspirational or Spiritual Title – Conversations with God for Teens{{cite web | url=https://www.audiopub.org/2003-audies | title=2003 Audie Awards |publisher=Audio Publishers Association}}
• 2004: Chicago International Children's Film Festival – Best of Fest – Blizzard (Director)
• 2010: Audie Awards for Audiobook of the Year and Multi-Voiced Performance – Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales{{cite web | url=https://www.audiopub.org/2010-audies | title=2010 Audie Awards | publisher=Audio Publishers Association | access-date=February 27, 2023 | archive-date=February 27, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227212603/https://www.audiopub.org/2010-audies | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=https://www.mandelasfavoritefolktales.com/landing-page/mandelas-favorite-folktales-performers/ | website=Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales |title= Performers | date=August 3, 2020 }}
• 2012: Audie Award for Original Work – METAtropolis: Cascadia{{cite web | url=https://www.audiopub.org/2012-audies | title=2012 Audie Awards |publisher=Audio Publishers Association}}
• 2022: Children's and Family Emmys – Lifetime Achievement Award{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/levar-burton-lifetime-achievement-award-childrens-family-emmys-1235273705/ |title=LeVar Burton to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Inaugural Children's & Family Emmys |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=December 11, 2022 |date=December 1, 2022 |first1=Hilton |last1=Dresden}}
• 2023: National Humanities Medal - For literacy work{{cite web|url=https://www.neh.gov/award/levar-burton |title=LeVar Burton, National Humanities Medal, 2023|publisher=National Endowment for the Humanities}}
• 2024: Saturn Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award – The Cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation{{Cite web |last=Pascale |first=Anthony |date=February 4, 2024 |title='Star Trek: Picard' Wins 4 Saturn Awards, 'Strange New Worlds' Wins 1 |url=https://trekmovie.com/2024/02/04/star-trek-picard-wins-4-saturn-awards-strange-new-worlds-wins-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205055005/https://trekmovie.com/2024/02/04/star-trek-picard-wins-4-saturn-awards-strange-new-worlds-wins-1/ |archive-date=February 5, 2024 |website=TREKMOVIE.com}}{{efn|"The Lifetime Achievement Award is usually presented to an individual for their contributions to genre entertainment. Top luminaries like Stan Lee and Leonard Nimoy, Mr. Spock himself, have received this top honor. It's not new, but we extended this award to cover the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, due to its continued influence on the face of general television. It was originally doomed to failure since it was following in the footsteps of the original Star Trek, yet it carved its own identity, and its diverse cast was light years ahead of its time!" —Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films}}
• 2024: 9th Shorty Impact Awards – Changemaker of the Year

• Aftermath, 1997, {{ISBN|0-446-67960-7}}
• The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, 2014, {{ISBN|0-990-53950-4}}
• A Kids Book About Imagination, 2021, {{ISBN|978-1-953955-44-9}}

• {{Portal inline|Speculative fiction}}
• {{Portal inline|Television}}

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• Nishikawa, Kinohi. "LeVar Burton". The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature. Ed. Hans Ostrom and J. David Macey Jr., 5 vols. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. 219.

{{commons}}

{{wikiquote}}

• {{Official website}}
• [http://www.rrkidz.com/team/ RRKIDZ (Reading Rainbow) – LeVar Burton, Co-Founder, Curator-in-Chief] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906205824/http://www.rrkidz.com/team |date=September 6, 2015 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130415043932/http://www.burtonwolfeentertainment.com/ Burton / Wolfe Entertainment] (production company)
• {{IMDb name}}
• {{Tcmdb name}}
• {{emmytvlegends name}}

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{{succession box| title=Guest host of Jeopardy! |before=Robin Roberts |years=July 26–30, 2021 |after=David Faber}}

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{{Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming}}

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{{#related:Kunta Kinte}}

{{#related:Geordi La Forge}}

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