Matinee Classics - LeVar Burton Biography & Filmography

LeVar Burton ACTOR

PHOTOS

LEVAR BURTON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

LeVar Burton was born on February 16th, 1957 in Landstuhl, Rhineland-Palarinate in Germany with birth name Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. born to Erma Jean and Levardis Robert Martyn Burton. He was raised in Sacramento, California and at the age of thirteen he enrolled at St. Pius X Seminary with the intention of pursuing a career as a Catholic priest. After graduating from Christian Brothers High School he went on to earn a college degree from the University of Southern California School of Theatre.

He is most well known for his role on, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987) as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge. Other well known roles he added to his resume were as the host of, "Reading Rainbow" (1983), "How I Met Your Mother", "Fantasy Island" and the television movies, "One in a Million: The Ron Leflore Story" (1978), "Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones" (1980) and the breakthrough TV mini-series about the life of Alex Haley "Roots" (1977), for which he received a nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series.

"Reading Rainbow" ran for twenty one seasons and won twenty six Emmy Awards, ten of which were in the, "Outstanding Children's Series".

Along with his career as an actor he has also worked on the other side of the industry as a director and has directed more than two-dozen episodes of Star Trek and has also worked as an assistant director on such series as, "Profiler", "Providence", "Crossing Jordon", "Las Vegas", "Charmed", "JAG" and "Baywatch". He remains on the board of directors for the, Directors Guild of America.

Burton is also a published author with the science fiction novel, "Aftermath" and is also a strong supporter of literacy in children. He has also worked on a variety of voice over projects such as lending his voice to, "Captain Planet and the Planeteers", "Family Guy", "Batman: The Animated Series", "Gargoyles" and "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies".

More recently, Burton has focused on directing working on the television series, "Karen Sisco" (2003) and "Sleeper Cell" (2005). He also made an appearance on the television series, "Big Bang Theory" (2011).

LeVar Burton has married only once to Stephanie Cozart in 1992 and they have one daughter and remain together today residing in Sherman Oaks, California.