Emmy-winning actor, director and educator LeVar Burton has been announced as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the first-ever Children’s and Family Emmys, taking place Dec. 11 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. The award will be presented by acclaimed Emmy and Tony-winning actor, director, writer and producer Laurence Fishburne.
Burton is perhaps best known for his work spreading a message of the joys of literature on Reading Rainbow as the show’s host for more than 23 years. He’s also highly associated with his role as Geordi La Forge on the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. He has 13 Emmys, three NAACP awards, a Grammy and a Peabody, to name just a few of his accolades. As a celebrated author, Burton has written titles including The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, A Kids Book About Imagination, and Aftermath, which was nominated for a Grammy award. He also hosts the popular podcast LeVar Burton Reads, on which Fishburne has appeared as a guest.
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In addition to podcast conversations, Burton’s longtime friendship with Fishburne has spawned numerous artistic collaborations, notably including the 2016 television reboot of Roots, which Burton executive produced and Fishburne narrated (both received Emmy nods for their respective work on the series). Burton was one of the Emmy-nominated stars of the original 1977 series.
The Children’s and Family Emmys will be hosted by 30 Rock alum Jack McBrayer and available to stream. A Creative Arts ceremony will take place the night prior, on Dec. 10, and is to be hosted by pop star Jojo Siwa.
