History of LeVar Burton in Timeline
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. is a celebrated American actor, director, and television host best known for his iconic roles as Geordi La Forge in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and Kunta Kinte in the miniseries "Roots." His enduring legacy also includes 23 years as the host of the beloved children's educational program "Reading Rainbow," for which he received numerous accolades including 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.
February 16, 1957: Birth of LeVar Burton
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. was born on February 16, 1957.
1976: Acting Debut in "Almos' a Man"
LeVar Burton made his acting debut in "Almos' a Man", a film based on the Richard Wright short story "The Man Who Was Almost a Man," in 1976.
1977: Role in "Looking for Mr. Goodbar"
LeVar Burton played Cap Jackson in the film "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" in 1977.
1977: Role in "Roots"
LeVar Burton played Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries "Roots" in 1977.
1977: Beginnings in Acting
While attending the University of Southern California, LeVar Burton landed a starring role in the television miniseries "Roots" in 1977.
1979: Role in "Dummy"
LeVar Burton played Donald Lang in the film "Dummy" in 1979.
1980: Role in "The Hunter" and NAACP Image Award
LeVar Burton played Tommy Price in the film "The Hunter" in 1980, earning him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.
1982: First Appearance on *Pyramid*
LeVar Burton started making guest appearances on the game show *Pyramid*, hosted by Dick Clark, in 1982.
1983: Reading Rainbow Begins
LeVar Burton began hosting and executive producing "Reading Rainbow" for PBS in 1983.
1986: Cast in "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
Gene Roddenberry approached LeVar Burton for the role of Geordi La Forge in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in 1986.
1986: Appearance in Cameo Music Video
LeVar Burton appeared in the music video for the song "Word Up!" by the group Cameo in 1986.
1987: Guest Appearance on "Murder, She Wrote"
LeVar Burton appeared in an episode of "Murder, She Wrote" in 1987.
1987: Star Trek: The Next Generation Debut
LeVar Burton began playing Geordi La Forge in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in 1987.
1988: Final Appearance on *Pyramid*
After several years, LeVar Burton made his last celebrity guest appearance on the game show *Pyramid* in 1988.
1988: Role in "Roots: The Gift"
LeVar Burton reprised his role as Kunta Kinte in the 1988 television film "Roots: The Gift".
1990: Voice Acting in *Captain Planet and the Planeteers*
LeVar Burton began voicing the character of Kwame in the animated series *Captain Planet and the Planeteers* in 1990.
1990: Hollywood Walk of Fame Star
LeVar Burton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990.
October 3, 1992: Marries Stephanie Cozart
LeVar Burton married Stephanie Cozart, who works as a professional makeup artist, on October 3, 1992. The couple lives in Sherman Oaks, California.
1992: Voice Acting and Sample in DC Talk Song
In 1992, LeVar Burton's voice was sampled by the Christian rap group DC Talk for their song "Time is..." on the album *Free at Last*. The sample features Burton saying, "Whoa, wait a minute." This same year, he also did voice acting for various animated projects, including *Captain Planet and the Planeteers*.
1993: Continued Voice Acting in *Captain Planet*
LeVar Burton continued his voice acting role as Kwame in *The New Adventures of Captain Planet*, which aired in 1993.
1994: End of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
LeVar Burton's time playing Geordi La Forge in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" ended in 1994.
1994: "Star Trek Generations" Released
The film "Star Trek Generations", in which LeVar Burton stars, was released in 1994.
1996: Conclusion of *The New Adventures of Captain Planet*
The animated series *The New Adventures of Captain Planet*, in which LeVar Burton voiced the character Kwame, concluded in 1996.
1999: Directs Disney Channel Original Movie
LeVar Burton directed the Disney Channel Original Movie *Smart House*, starring Katey Sagal, Kevin Kilner, and Jessica Steen, in 1999.
1999: Voice Acting in *Our Friend, Martin*
LeVar Burton provided his voice acting talents to the animated film *Our Friend, Martin*, released in 1999.
2000: Becomes Alternate Board Director for Directors Guild of America
LeVar Burton took on the position of an alternate board director for the Directors Guild of America in 2000.
2001: Role in "Ali"
LeVar Burton portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2001 film "Ali".
2001: Various Television and Film Roles
LeVar Burton portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the film "Ali" and Detroit Tiger Ron LeFlore in the television movie "One in a Million, The Ron LeFlore Story" in 2001.
2002: "Star Trek: Nemesis" Released
The film "Star Trek: Nemesis", in which LeVar Burton stars, was released in 2002.
2003: Directs Theatrical Film *Blizzard*
LeVar Burton's directorial debut for a theatrical film was with *Blizzard* in 2003. The film 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.
2005: Elected to Directors Guild of America Board of Directors
In 2005, LeVar Burton was elected to the board of directors for the Directors Guild of America.
2006: RRKIDZ Founded
Following the end of "Reading Rainbow", LeVar Burton and Mark Wolfe founded RRKIDZ, a new media company for children, in 2006.
2006: Reading Rainbow Ends
After 23 seasons, LeVar Burton's time hosting "Reading Rainbow" came to an end in 2006.
2007: Production of *The Science of Peace* Begins
In 2007, LeVar Burton was involved in the production of a documentary titled *The Science of Peace*. In the film, he investigates the scientific and technological advancements aimed at promoting world peace.
2007: Re-elected to Directors Guild of America Board of Directors
LeVar Burton was re-elected to serve on the board of directors for the Directors Guild of America in 2007.
2010: Appearance at Consumer Electronics Show
LeVar Burton, a self-proclaimed "nerd," participated in the Consumer Electronics Show in 2010.
2010: Guest Appearance on *Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!*
Playing a humorous, ghostly version of himself, LeVar Burton made an appearance on the Adult Swim show *Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!* in the episode "Greene Machine" in 2010.
February 2011: Guest Appearance on *Community*
LeVar Burton appeared as himself on the NBC sitcom *Community* in the episode "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" in February 2011.
November 2012: First Guest Appearance on *The Big Bang Theory*
LeVar Burton made his first appearance on the sitcom *The Big Bang Theory* in the episode "The Habitation Configuration", which aired in November 2012. He returned for two more guest appearances on the show in later seasons.
2012: Joins Board of Directors for AIDS Research Alliance
LeVar Burton became a member of the board of directors for the AIDS Research Alliance in 2012. The non-profit organization is committed to finding a cure for AIDS through medical research.
2012: Recurring Role on TNT's *Perception*
LeVar Burton took on the recurring role of Dean Paul Haley in the TNT drama series *Perception* in 2012.
2012: Reading Rainbow iPad App Release
LeVar Burton's company, RRKIDZ, released a new "Reading Rainbow" app for iPad in 2012.
2013: Lance Reddick Impersonates Burton on *The Eric Andre Show*
Actor Lance Reddick made an appearance on *The Eric Andre Show* in 2013, during which he dressed as a mashup of LeVar Burton's characters Kunta Kinte and Geordi La Forge.
2013: Joins Main Cast of *Perception*
LeVar Burton's role as Dean Paul Haley on the TNT series *Perception* transitioned from a recurring character to a main cast member in 2013.
January 2014: Second Guest Appearance on *Community*
LeVar Burton made a second guest appearance on NBC's *Community*, this time in the January 2014 episode titled "Geothermal Escapism."
May 2014: Guest Appearance on SciShow
In May 2014, LeVar Burton appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel SciShow. During his guest appearance, he explained the science behind different types of rainbows, including double, tertiary, and quaternary rainbows.
May 28, 2014: Reading Rainbow Kickstarter Launched
LeVar Burton launched a Kickstarter campaign on May 28, 2014, to revive "Reading Rainbow" as a web-based program.
November 2014: Third Guest Appearance on *The Big Bang Theory*
In November 2014, LeVar Burton returned to the sitcom *The Big Bang Theory* for his third guest appearance, this time appearing in the episode "The Champagne Reflection."
2016: Honored on Sacramento Walk of Stars
LeVar Burton was among the first five individuals to be honored on the Sacramento Walk of Stars in 2016.
2017: "LeVar Burton Reads" Begins
LeVar Burton began the podcast, "LeVar Burton Reads" in 2017.
2017: LeVar Burton Reads Podcast Launch
LeVar Burton created and began hosting the podcast "LeVar Burton Reads" in 2017.
2017: Lawsuit for Copyright Infringement
LeVar Burton was sued by WNED-TV in 2017 over alleged copyright infringement related to the use of the "Reading Rainbow" brand.
2019: Interview about "Star Trek" Role
LeVar Burton gave an interview in 2019 where he discussed his role in "Star Trek".
2019: Park Renamed in Burton's Honor
Richfield Park in Sacramento, California, was renamed LeVar Burton Park in 2019. The park is located in the Meadowview neighborhood, close to where Burton grew up.
August 2020: Directs Docuseries *Two-Front War*
In August 2020, it was announced that LeVar Burton would be directing a docuseries titled *Two-Front War*. The series, produced by Lou Reda Productions, focuses on the connection between the civil rights movement in America and the experiences of Black soldiers fighting for equality in Vietnam.
November 2020: Guest Appearance on *The Eric Andre Show*
LeVar Burton made a guest appearance on the surreal comedy talk show *The Eric Andre Show* in November 2020. His appearance was a callback to an earlier episode featuring Lance Reddick, who had dressed up as a combination of Burton's characters Kunta Kinte and Geordi La Forge.
2020: Live Readings During Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, LeVar Burton began doing live readings three times a week on Twitter livestream.
2020: Tokyo Summer Olympics Impact *Jeopardy!* Ratings
NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo during 2020 had a negative impact on the ratings of several syndicated shows, including *Jeopardy!*.
2021: Guest Hosts *Jeopardy!*
After a fan petition garnered over 250,000 signatures, LeVar Burton served as a guest host on the game show *Jeopardy!* for a week in 2021. Despite the initial excitement, his time on the show faced challenges, including lower-than-average ratings due in part to the Olympics being broadcast during the same time slot. Burton has since been critical of the guest host selection process at *Jeopardy!*.
2023: "Sound Detectives" Podcast Launched
LeVar Burton launched his second podcast, "Sound Detectives", in 2023.
2023: Returns to "Star Trek" Franchise
LeVar Burton reprised his role as Geordi La Forge in the third and final season of "Star Trek: Picard" in 2023.
2023: Receives Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service
LeVar Burton was honored with the Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service in 2023 as recognition for his commitment to public service.
2023: Webby Award for "LeVar Burton Reads"
LeVar Burton's podcast, "LeVar Burton Reads" won a Webby Award in 2023.
2024: Discovers Ancestry on *Finding Your Roots*
LeVar Burton appeared on the show *Finding Your Roots* in 2024, where he learned about his family history. During the show, he discovered that one of his great-great-grandfathers was a white Confederate while another, Hal B. Burton, was a Black member of the Arkansas House of Representatives.