LeVar Burton

Long before becoming a part of the Star Trek universe himself, LeVar Burton watched the original series, impressed to see an African-American character in Nichelle Nichols’s Uhura: “I was a huge Star Trek fan when I was a kid.  I loved science fiction literature and it was rare for me to see… heroes in the pages of those novels who looked like me.  Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future said to me, you— you little black kid from Sacramento, California, reading science fiction books— when the future comes, there’s a place for you.”  LeVar Burton became an instant star with his television debut, playing Kunta Kinte in Roots , but he is just as well known in children’s television as the Daytime Emmy-winning host of Reading Rainbow , and in sci-fi television as the visor-wearing Lt. Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation .  In his Archive interview, Burton describes his drama studies at the University of Southern California (USC), an intense regimen that left little free time.  He chronicles his participation in the groundbreaking miniseries Roots: his casting, his immersion into the role he played, and his work with the all-star cast.  He comments on the legacy of Roots and speaks fondly of writer Alex Haley.  For Star Trek: The Next Generation, he recalls meeting and getting to know show creator Gene Roddenberry, describes the character he played (and the challenges in playing him), and comments on his role as one of the series directors.  He recalls his reaction to the concept of Reading Rainbow: “The idea of using television to steer children back in the direction of literature and the written word just made so much sense to me…. the idea was to do a magazine-formatted show that highlighted the joys of reading… that you could pick up a book and travel anywhere in the universe, really, by using your imagination.” Lastly, he talks about his work as a voice-over artist and a director in television and features.  LeVar Burton was interviewed in North Hollywood, CA on January 27, 2009; Steven Wishnoff conducted the two-and-a-half-hour interview.