LeVar Burton

Burton in 2013, photo by s_bukley/Bigstock.com

Birth  Name: Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr.

Place of Birth: Landstuhl, West Germany (now Germany)

Date of Birth: February 16, 1957

Ethnicity: African-American

LeVar Burton is an American actor, director, and television host. He is known for playing Kunta Kinte on Roots and Geordi on Star Trek: The Next Generation and for hosting Reading Rainbow, as well as for his roles in the films Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Dummy, The Hunter (1980), The Midnight Hour, The Supernaturals, Parallel Lives, and Ali.

LeVar was born in Landstuhl, West Germany, to American parents, Erma Gene (Christian), a social worker, administrator, and educator, and Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, a photographer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. His parents are both African-American. His father was in the military when he was born. LeVar was raised in Sacramento, California. LeVar is married to make-up artist Stephanie Cozart-Burton, and has two children, including actress, cosplayer, and host Mica Burton. His nephew (wife’s sister’s son) is actor Omar Benson Miller.

According to a DNA test taken by LeVar, he has ancestry from the Hausa people of Nigeria. He has also said:

I was surprised to discover that fully 25 percent of my genetic code, my DNA, comes from Britain and Ireland…

LeVar’s maternal grandfather was named Willis W. Ward (the son of Pearl T. Bradshaw and Mary). Willis was born in Arkansas.

LeVar’s maternal grandmother was named Estelle Ward. Estelle was born in Mississippi.

Source: Genealogy of LeVar Burton (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com