Today is...LeVar Burton's Birthday

Today is LeVar Burton’s birthday. Burton is best known for his roles in Roots and Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as hosting Reading Rainbow. What is your favorite educational program?

LeVar Burton was born on February 16, 1957 in Landstuhl, West Germany, but was raised in Sacramento, California.

Burton rose to fame by playing Kunta Kinte in the 1997 drama series Roots. He earned a Best Actor in a Drama Emmy nomination for it.

Starting in 1983, Burton was the host and executive producer for Reading Rainbow on PBS. It ran for 23 seasons, all of which Burton hosted.

Reading Rainbow has won a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards.

LeVar Burton is on the board of directors for the Directors Guild of America. He has directed episode of shows such as Charmed, JAG, and Las Vegas, along with Disney Channel movie Smart House and indie film Blizzard, which earned Best of Fest at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival.