American actor LeVar Burton is active in the industry for more than 5 decades and he is also a director, and children’s television personality known for his role as Kunta Kinte. Apart from this, he recently gained widespread fame after appearing as a guest host in Jeopardy!, one of the most liked game shows in the country. In addition to his roles in the ABC miniseries Roots (1977), Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in the Star Trek: The Next Generation franchise (1987–1994). He is a recipient of the Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television. Aside from being extremely intelligent, he also has a highly appealing personality.
Early Life
In the West German town of Landstuhl, on the 16th of February 1957, Levaris Robert Martyn Burton Jr. was born. His mother, Erma Gene (née Christian), worked as a social worker, administrator, and educator. In contrast, Gene Gene worked as a photographer for the United States government and was the inspiration for his given name. At the time of his son’s birth, he was a member of the Army Signal Corps stationed at Landstuhl. Burton and his two sisters were reared by Burton’s mother in Sacramento, California, where they currently reside.
Burton, who was reared as a Roman Catholic, enrolled in St. Pius X Minor Seminary in Galt, California, when he was a teenager with the goal of becoming a priest. When he was 17, he began to have doubts about his Catholic religion and decided to pursue a career in acting. He landed a leading role in the 1977 television miniseries Roots while still a student at the University of Southern California when he was 19.
LeVar Burton Career
Levar Burton started his professional career through 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 he stars alongside Madge Sinclair. Burton’s breakthrough role was in the ABC miniseries Roots (1977), based on Alex Haley’s novel of the same name. It was the start of his professional career, according to Burton. His performance earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Series.
Widespread Fame
On May 28, 2014, Burton and a group of former co-workers launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring Reading Rainbow back. 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. He wants the new Reading Rainbow in every elementary school in the country, and he wants it free for those in need. The campaign raised over $5 million in three days, doubling its goal. From Generations (1994) until Nemesis (2001), Burton portrayed La Forge (2001). (2002). He directed episodes of TNG, DSN, Voyager, and Enterprise.
Burton portrayed Dave Robinson, a journalist, in the third season’s episode “Death Takes a Dive” (sportswriter). Then in late 2014, he appeared on Rooster Teeth’s 24-hour Extra Life, a fundraiser televised via CMC. YouTube recycle field trip by Burton. Burton launched LeVar Burton Reads in 2017 to read short stories. During the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Burton will continue to read on his podcast and do live readings on Twitter three times a week for children, teens, and adults. In the Master Class, Burton also teaches “Power of Storytelling.” During the 1990s and early 2000s, Burton directed all Star Trek series. He’s helmed the most Star Trek episodes.
Social Media
With 188 posts, LeVar Burton has 215K followers and 230 followings on Instagram, where he is now the most followed person on the platform. He has also been active on Twitter since December 2008, where he currently has 2 million followers and 1,011 followings, respectively. His popularity can be seen by his followers.
LeVar Burton Biography |
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| Real Name | Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. |
| Birth Date | 16 February 1957 |
| Age (as of 2021) | 64 Years |
| Birth Place | Landstuhl, Germany |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actor |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Sun sign | Aquarius |
Physical Statistics |
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| Height | in feet inches – 5’ 7” – in Centimeters – 170 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 73 kg – in Pounds – 161 lbs |
| Shoe Size | 8.5 (U.S.) |
| Hair Color | Salt and Pepper |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Body Type | Average |
Family |
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| Father | Levardis Robert Martyn Burton |
| Mother | Erma Jean Burton |
| Sister | Letitia, Valencia |
| Brother | None |
Qualification/Education |
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| School | St. Pius X Minor Seminary |
| College | University of Southern California |
Relationship Status |
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| Marital Status | Married |
| Affair | No |
| Wife | Stephanie Cozart Burton |
| Children | Michaela Jean Burton, Eian Burton |
Personal Life
On October 3, 1992, LeVar Burton tied the knot with Stephanie Cozart, who worked as a professional makeup artist. In addition to his son Eian Burton Smith and daughter Michaela “Mica” Jean Burton, Burton is the father of two children. He is content in his home with his family.
LeVar Burton Net Worth
LeVar Burton has a total net worth of $6 million dollars, all of which comes from his work as an actor, presenter, director, and author. He has no other sources of income. He has put forth a lot of effort into his profession, as seen by his accomplishments and celebrity.
Trivia
- Blizzard (2003) was Levar Burton’s first theatrical film direction, and it earned him a “Best of Fest” award from the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival as well as a nomination for a Genie Award for his work on the film’s theme song, “Center of My Heart.”
- Robert Burton now serves on the board of directors of the Directors Guild of America.
- In 2000, he received a Grammy Award for The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr., which was nominated for Best Spoken Word Album.
- As a result of his work on Reading Rainbow, he received the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Programming (Executive Producer)
- In 2006, he received the Black Reel Award for Best Director-Television for his work on the television series “Miracle’s Boys.”
- He is most known for his 2014 book, “The Rhino who swallowed the storm,” which was published by Penguin Random House.
