Inside PBS Blog

Welcome to the first in our “Where are they now?” series, where we catch you up on the lives and careers of PBS personalities from days of yore .

First up: Levar Burton, creator, executive producer and host of that classic children’s program, Reading Rainbow. The show introduced Burton, already a well-known actor from his acclaimed performance in the award-winning television series Roots, to a whole new generation of television viewers.  By the time production stopped in 2005, the series had won a Peabody award and 26 Emmy awards. (Old episodes of Reading Rainbow still air on some stations, and the series website remains popular.)

Burton has continued to work in film and television, performing in roles like Geordi LaForge on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and directing episodes of shows like Charmed and JAG. Burton has also branched out in recent years. In December 2008, he joined Twitter after wresting control of @levarburton from an impostor. In just over six months he has amassed over 650,000 followers. In January, Burton launched a personal blog, “because 140 characters isn’t always enough” (a reference to Twitter’s tight character limit), where he writes about everything from President Obama to his efforts to quit smoking (the blog was last updated in February). Burton also recently played the lead role in a Los Angeles production of The Caterer.

Burton often mentions Reading Rainbow on Twitter. We’re glad he has fond memories of being on PBS and we will always be grateful for his dedication to helping kids discover the joy of reading.

If you remember people on PBS and wonder where they are now, let us know. We’ll try to catch up with more of your favorite personalities here.

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