Rise to Success: Career Highlights of LeVar Burton
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how LeVar Burton made an impact.
LeVar Burton, born in 1957, is an accomplished American actor, director, and television host. He gained prominence for his role as Kunta Kinte in the miniseries *Roots*, portraying Geordi La Forge in *Star Trek: The Next Generation*, and most notably as the host of the educational children's program *Reading Rainbow* for 23 years. Burton's work on *Reading Rainbow* earned him 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, recognizing his contributions to children's literacy and education. His career spans various genres and mediums, solidifying his status as a significant figure in entertainment and education.
1983: Hosting Reading Rainbow
In 1983, LeVar Burton became the host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow for PBS. The series ran for 23 seasons.
1986: Casting as Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation
In 1986, Gene Roddenberry approached LeVar Burton for the role of Lieutenant Junior Grade Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
1986: Appearance in Cameo's "Word Up!" Music Video
In 1986, LeVar Burton appeared in the music video for the song "Word Up!" by the funk/R&B group Cameo.
1987: Role in Murder, She Wrote
In 1987, LeVar Burton played Dave Robinson, a journalist, in the Murder, She Wrote episode "Death Takes a Dive".
1988: Appearance on $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramids
From 1982 until 1988, LeVar Burton appeared several times as a celebrity guest on the Dick Clark-hosted $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramids.
1988: Reprising Kunta Kinte in Roots: The Gift
In 1988, LeVar Burton reprised his role as Kunta Kinte in the television film Roots: The Gift.
1990: Role in Captain Planet and the Planeteers
From 1990, LeVar Burton voiced Kwame in the cartoon series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
1990: Hollywood Walk of Fame Star
In 1990, LeVar Burton was honored for his accomplishments in television with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1992: Voice Sampled by DC Talk
In 1992, a clip of LeVar Burton's voice was sampled by DC Talk for the track "Time is..." on their album Free at Last.
1999: Directing Smart House
In 1999, LeVar Burton directed the Disney Channel Original Movie "Smart House" starring Katey Sagal, Kevin Kilner and Jessica Steen.
2000: Alternate Board Director
In 2000, LeVar Burton became an alternate board director.
2003: Theatrical Film Direction and Awards
In 2003, LeVar Burton's first theatrical film direction, "Blizzard", earned him a "Best of Fest" award from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, and a Genie Award nomination for his work on the film's theme song, "Center of My Heart".
2005: Election to the Board of Directors
In 2005, LeVar Burton was elected to the board of directors for the Directors Guild of America.
2006: Reading Rainbow Goes Off Air
In 2006, Reading Rainbow went off the air, after which LeVar Burton and his business partner acquired the global rights to the brand and formed RRKIDZ.
2007: Production of The Science of Peace Documentary
As of 2007, LeVar Burton was the host and executive producer of a documentary titled The Science of Peace, investigating science and technology for world peace.
2007: Re-election to the Board of Directors
In 2007, LeVar Burton was re-elected to the board of directors for the Directors Guild of America.
2010: Appearance on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
In 2010, LeVar Burton made an appearance on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as the ghost of himself in the episode "Greene Machine".
2010: Participation in Consumer Electronics Show
In 2010, LeVar Burton participated in the Consumer Electronics Show.
February 2011: Appearance on Community
In February 2011, LeVar Burton made an appearance as himself on NBC's Community in the episode "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking".
November 2012: Appearance on The Big Bang Theory
In November 2012, LeVar Burton appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on The Big Bang Theory episode "The Habitation Configuration", appearing on "Fun With Flags" in exchange for lunch and gas money.
2012: Recurring Role on Perception
In 2012, LeVar Burton had a recurring role as dean Paul Haley on the TNT series Perception.
2012: Joins the board of directors for the AIDS Research Alliance
In 2012, LeVar Burton joined the board of directors for the AIDS Research Alliance, a non-profit, medical research organization dedicated to finding a cure for AIDS.
2012: Reading Rainbow Reimagined as iPad App
In 2012, Reading Rainbow was reimagined as an all new application for the iPad, becoming the number-one educational application within 36 hours.
May 2014: Guest on SciShow YouTube Channel
In May 2014, LeVar Burton appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel SciShow, explaining the science behind double, tertiary, and quaternary rainbows.
May 28, 2014: Kickstarter Campaign for Reading Rainbow
On May 28, 2014, LeVar Burton and coworkers started a Kickstarter campaign to bring back Reading Rainbow, raising over $5 million, triple its goal in three days, to create a web-based program integrated into elementary school classrooms.
November 2014: Return to The Big Bang Theory
In the November 2014 episode of The Big Bang Theory, "The Champagne Reflection", LeVar Burton returned for the 232nd episode of "Fun With Flags" in exchange for Sheldon deleting his contact details.
2017: Starting LeVar Burton Reads Podcast
In 2017, LeVar Burton began a podcast, LeVar Burton Reads, featuring him reading short fiction and sharing his thoughts.
August 2020: Directing Two-Front War docuseries
In August 2020, LeVar Burton was revealed to be directing "Two-Front War" from Lou Reda Productions, a docuseries providing 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.
November 2020: Appearance on The Eric Andre Show
In November 2020, LeVar Burton appeared as himself on The Eric Andre Show, referencing Lance Reddick's 2013 interview.
2020: Live Readings During COVID-19 Pandemic
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, LeVar Burton continued his podcast and gave live readings three times a week via a Twitter livestream.
2021: Guest Host on Jeopardy!
In 2021, LeVar Burton served as a guest host on Jeopardy! from July 26 to 30 after a fan petition, but ratings were below average, and he criticized the guest host process.
June 2022: Host of Scripps National Spelling Bee
In June 2022, LeVar Burton hosted the 94th Scripps National Spelling Bee.
2023: Launch of Sound Detectives Podcast
In 2023, LeVar Burton launched a second podcast called Sound Detectives, this time for children.
2023: Awarded the Common Wealth Awards of Distinguished Service
In 2023, LeVar Burton was awarded the Common Wealth Awards of Distinguished Service for his commitment to public service.
October 2024: Hosting Trivial Pursuit Game Show
In October 2024, LeVar Burton became the host of the Trivial Pursuit game show on The CW.
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