Lots of great stuff in this piece…read on at The Daily Beast.
The Roots remake is showing on the History channel and stars Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, Anna Paquin, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Matthew Goode, and Anika Noni Rose.
Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte in the 2016 remake of the legendary miniseries Roots
LeVar Burton at the Disney Social Media Conference in 2014. Photo Credit: Josh Hallett
Click here to read at Vulture.com.
Cast includes Mekhi Phifer (Jerusalem, Torchwood, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Dawn of the Dead (2004), Divergent series), Malachi Kirby (Fallen, Jekyll and Hyde, Doctor Who), Anna Paquin (True Blood, X-Men movies), Forest Whitaker (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Amazing Stories, Species), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Dracula, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones), Anika Noni Rose (Vixen, Bates Motel, The Princess & the Frog, Bag of Bones), Matthew Goode (Magik, Watchmen), and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix movies, Hannibal, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Cherry 2000).
Actor, philanthropist, director, producer and author LeVar Burton first jumped into the spotlight in 1977 when he portrayed young Kunta Kinte on the revolutionary and award-winning ABC miniseries Roots. Nailing his first audition ever, Burton was given his first professional role — by portraying this Alex Haley hero he became a part of a national and generational consciousness.
In 1983, Burton became host and executive producer of PBS’ Reading Rainbow, kicking off the show’s impressive 23-year run and setting the standards that would eventually lead to over 200 broadcast awards. Accolades for Reading Rainbow include a Peabody Award and 26 Emmys, a dozen of which Burton won as host and producer.
In 1987, Burton took on the role of Geordi La Forge for Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek: The Next Generation which ran until 1994 and basically restarted the Star Trek franchise as a going concern on television. He went on to portray La Forge in the subsequent Star Trek: TNG films and as a guest star on several of the series’ spin-offs.
In 2014, Burton’s Kickstarter campaign to relaunch Reading Rainbow blew up the internet, basically overnight, taking in $5 million in three days.
Along with a continuing career in acting, Burton has remained an active advocate for literacy, AIDS research, civil rights and education. A touchstone and icon for multiple generations, LeVar’s accomplishments go far beyond those listed here. He is a generous, compelling force in American popular culture and a truly unpretentious humanitarian. We love him. 5eva.
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