LeVar Burton is an African-American actor who began his career as Kunta Kinte on the miniseries Roots (1977) before hosting PBS Read Rainbows (1983-2009).
Read on to learn more about the talented actor, director and writer, also known as the writer of the Star Trek series, first as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge and then as director of some episodes.
Who is LeVar Burton?
LeVar Burton was born Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. to Erma Gene (née Christian) and Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Sr. on February 16, 1957 at the US Army Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in West Germany. His father worked as a photographer at the military base while his mother was an English teacher, social worker and administrator.
After his parents divorced when he was just three years old, Burton moved to Sacramento, California, where he and his sisters were raised by their mother. His mother was a strong Catholic who encouraged her children to attend a Catholic school, believing it provided a quality education.
At the age of thirteen, LeVar Burton enrolled at St. Pius X Seminary in Galt, California, with hopes of becoming a priest. He left school at 17 after having doubts about religion after reading works by philosophers such as Søren Kierkegaard and Laozi.
Burton made his acting debut, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series, as the series broke all audience records when it aired. After making the talk of the town, Burton received a number of offers. He appeared in a number of television films, including ‘Dummy’ (1979) and ‘Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones’ (1980), before hosting and producing (executive producer) PBS’ 1983 ‘Reading Rainbow’.
The show, which aimed to teach young people how LeVar Burton himself did, received 12 personal Emmys for his work as the show’s host and producer.
In 1987, LeVar Burton starred as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was also given the opportunity to direct a few episodes of the series in 1993, in which he portrayed the first African American female astronaut, Dr. Mae C. Jemison, cast as a guest star. Burton reprized his role as La Forge in other Star Trek productions.
Lately LeVar Burton has been in the TNT series “Perception” and also as a fictionalized version of himself on “The Big Bang Theory”. He continues to direct extensively and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Directors Guild of America.
His capital
LeVar Burton is said to have an estimated net worth around $6 million in earnings from his nearly four-decade career as an actor, director and TV host in Hollywood. He is also a businessman who has a significant interest in the media company RRKIDZ, which acquired the worldwide rights to the “Reading Rainbow” brand.
wife, daughter
LeVar Burton is married to professional makeup artist Stephanie Cozart-Burton. It’s not clear when or how the two met, but they married in 1992 and currently live together in Sherman Oaks, California, where they have a home.
Together, the couple have a daughter named Michaela “Mica” Burton, who works for a news division of media and entertainment company Rooster’s Teeth. Burton has a son named Eian Burton who was born in 1980 from a previous relationship.
Height, weight and other facts
Birth name: Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr.
Place of birth: US Army Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in western Germany
DOB : February 16, 1957
Occupation(s): Actor, TV director, author, presenter, TV producer, voice actor, film director
Nationality: United States of America
Height: 5 ft 7 in (1.702 m)
Weight: 73kg