Actor LeVar Burton will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement award in children’s television at the first-ever annual Children’s and Family Emmy Awards later this year for his influential role as the host of the nostalgic PBS show Reading Rainbow, the Emmys announced Tuesday.
The 1st Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards ceremony, Dec. 11 in Los Angeles, will honor @levarburton. The longtime literacy advocate and host of “Reading Rainbow,” who taught a generation about the joys of reading, has won more than 20 Emmy Awards. #EmmyIcons pic.twitter.com/J0u9yLPtur
— The Emmys (@TheEmmys) April 26, 2022
Burton, who has won over 20 Emmy Awards, is known for teaching the love of reading to children for decades. And he’s still a literary advocate through his podcast LeVar Burton Reads, only he’s reading to adults on it.
On top of Reading Rainbow, Burton has been in Star Trek as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge and on Roots as Kunta Kinte.
Once virtual in 2020 due to COVID, the Emmys also announced that the ceremonies would be in-person and live. The Children’s & Family Emmy Wards ceremony will take place on Dec. 11 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Lost Angeles.
Alongside Burton, six honorees are receiving the Lifetime Achievement award in other categories: innovator Yvette Kanouff, sportscaster Lesley Visser, instructional program This Old House, performer John Aniston, journalist Judy Woodruff, and presenter Sir David Attenborough.
“Seven honorees. Generations of immeasurable impact,” the Emmys tweeted. “And a full year of once-again in-person, live ceremonies to properly celebrate their achievements. We hope you will join us in saluting these true #EmmyIcons.”
Seven honorees. Generations of immeasurable impact. And a full year of once-again in-person, live ceremonies to properly celebrate their achievements. We hope you will join us in saluting these true #EmmyIcons. pic.twitter.com/jo17odEskD
— The Emmys (@TheEmmys) April 26, 2022
The prestigious award show first announced its expansion of the award competition with the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards debut on Nov. 17, 2021.
“NATAS (the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) has always been a leader in recognizing and celebrating excellence in our industry, and nothing is excelling and expanding more dramatically than the children’s and family community,” president and CEO of NATAS Adam Sharp said in the announcement. “Recent years have seen explosive growth in the quantity and quality of children’s and family programming, and now is the perfect time to acknowledge and honor this impactful content with a dedicated competition and celebration.”
