Line #38 Creator/LeVarBurton


1	[[quoteright:347:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/levar-burton04_resized_7787.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:347:''"[[Series/TheEricAndreShow I wish I was]] Creator/LanceReddick!"'']]
3	->"''As long as we are engaged in storytelling that moves the culture forward, it doesn't matter what format it is."''
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5	Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor famous for starring as Starfleet engineer Geordi La Forge on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' and its subsequent films.
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7	He first became famous for his StarMakingRole as the young Kunta Kinte in the 1977 miniseries ''Series/{{Roots\|1977}}'', based on the novel by Alex Haley, before he went on to host the children's educational show ''Series/ReadingRainbow'' [[LongRunners from 1983 to 2009]][[note]]the last new episode was made in 2006[[/note]] (which has been brought back in the form of an iOS app in 2012; thanks to a successful [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/readingrainbow/bring-reading-rainbow-back-for-every-child-everywh/posts Kickstarter campaign]] during the summer of 2014, it's been revived as a web resource and school supplement).
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9	However, then [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/reading-rainbow-owner-accuses-levar-burton-theft-extortion-lawsuit-1027372 the TV station that previously produced Reading Rainbow came and sued LeVar]], claiming that they themselves are working on a revival of the series, and that [=LeVar=] was mistaken -- that they didn't sell the entire franchise to him lock, stock and barrel, but just licensed it to him. While [=LeVar=] lost the lawsuit, the worst that happened was that his project was just rebranded. In the meantime, time will tell if [=WNED=]'s action would result in backlash against the relaunched show (like what happened after the producers of ''The Lone Ranger'' [[TheRemake remake]] in TheEighties tried to pull trademark violation on Clayton Moore), when and if it happens -- one thing that is clear, though: [[FalseReassurance the so-called retool]] has been stuck in DevelopmentHell as of 2019.
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11	Burton also launched the podcast "[=LeVar=] Burton Reads" in 2018, which is... ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. In each episode, he reads a piece of short fiction accompanied by sound effects and music. The podcast has fairly been called "Reading Rainbow for adults", although [=WNED=] got tacky about him describing it that way himself, as well as for using his {{Catchphrase}}s "you don't have to take my word for it" and "I'll see you next time." (The settlement for the lawsuit allowed him to keep saying them on the podcast.) Typically, the stories featured are some form of SpeculativeFiction, whether it's fantasy, scifi, or fantastic realism, but other genres are sprinkled in too, and range in tone from heartbreaking to hilarious.
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13	He's also a well-respected TV director, having started out on ''The Next Generation'' before moving onto ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'', ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'', ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'', and episodes of non-Trek series like ''Series/{{Charmed\|1998}}'', ''Series/{{JAG}}'' and ''Series/LasVegas'', as well as the 1999 Creator/DisneyChannel Original Movie ''Film/SmartHouse''. He also has done some [[VoiceActors voice acting]], of which includes his role as Kwame in ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers''. He is also now producing a remake of ''Roots'' using new historical information about Kunta Kinte's life.
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15	He lent his voice to ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRescueBots'' as Doc Greene, ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow'' as James Rhodes/War Machine, and ''WesternAnimation/MilesFromTomorrowland'' as Dr. Consilium. He's also dabbled in writing with the racial thriller ''Aftermath'' and the childrens book ''The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm''.
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17	After Creator/AlexTrebek passed away in 2020, there was a concerted fan campaign to have him become the new host of ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'' in 2021. While Burton did guest host, he did not get the job. He had previously competed on "Celebrity ''Jeopardy!''" in 1995, winning $14,500 for the Somalia Foundation. The enthusiasm for Burton as a game show host did not go unnoticed, however, and it was later announced Burton would host a TV iteration of ''TabletopGame/TrivialPursuit''.
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19	He has two children, Ian and Michaela 'Mica' Burton, the latter of whom worked for Creator/RoosterTeeth Productions for a time, now better known for her association with ''WebVideo/CriticalRole''.
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21	!!Notable television credits:
22	* ''Series/{{Roots\|1977}}'' (1977) - young Kunta Kinte
23	* ''Series/ReadingRainbow'' (1983-2009)
24	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': Lt./Lt. Cmdr./Commodore Geordi La Forge
25	** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' (1987-94)
26	** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' - "Timeless" (1998), also directed.
27	** ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' (2023)
28	* ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'' (2021) - Guest host
29	* ''Series/TomSwift2022'' - Barclay
30	!!Notable film credits:
31	* ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'' (1994)
32	* ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' (1996)
33	* ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection'' (1998)
34	* ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'' (2002)
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36	!!Tropes applying to [=LeVar Burton=]'s career:
37	* AsHimself: Has played himself twice on ''Series/{{Community}}'', on which Troy was written to be a big fan.
38	* EnforcedMethodActing: He has stated in interviews that his VISOR [[note]] Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement [[/note]] on TNG was so uncomfortable he pretty much had a seven-year headache. However, it oddly fits since it's stated the visor also gives Geordi extreme headaches. Amusingly, going even further, after the second season, producers planned to establish that Geordi had undergone an experimental medical procedure to permanently restore his natural eye sight and eliminate use of his visor. Burton, however, firmly rejected the idea, claiming it to be a major disservice to blind people in real life. He did finally get rid of it in time for the second TNG movie - Film/StarTrekFirstContact - in favour of ocular implants which served the same function, but did manage to power through seven seasons and a movie before switching over.
39	* EpicFail: His daughter once described a tale where he tried to dry off his phone by ''microwaving it''. The results were predictably explosive.
40	* ExcitedKidsShowHost: He was a Type 3 on ''Reading Rainbow''.
41	* IAmNotLeonardNimoy[=/=]IAmNotSpock: ZigZagged. To many people, he will always be Geordi La Forge, but even before TNG, he was extremely noteworthy, having starred in ''Roots'' and hosting ''Reading Rainbow''. In fact, when TNG first premiered, ''he'' was the biggest name in the cast (at least in the US; in the UK, Creator/PatrickStewart was the biggest name).

Context Creator / LeVarBurton