LeVar Burton To Debut As 'Jeopardy!' Guest-Host Beginning Monday Evening
CULVER CITY (CBSLA) — Actor LeVar Burton will debut as guest-house of "Jeopardy!" for five episodes beginning Monday evening.
Burton said he was "more than nervous" while guest-hosting.
"I was absolutely petrified," said Burton, "I don't know that that feeling ever went away."
Burton said his wife, Stephanie, and daughter, Mica, kept telling him, "You've got this, breathe, slow down, you know how to do what it is that you do."
The actor is best known for his portrayals of the young slave Kunta Kinte on the groundbreaking 1977 ABC miniseries "Roots" and Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge in the 1987-94 syndicated science fiction series "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
He described himself as a fan of "Jeopardy!" dating back to its original incarnation when it aired weekday mornings on NBC and was hosted by Art Fleming.
"When this opportunity came by I could not pass it up," Burton said in an interview posted on the show's website.
"Jeopardy!" has turned to guest hosts to fill the role held by the late Alex Trebek since its syndicated revival began in 1984. The show has been matching the amount of money won by the contestants to a charity of each host's choice.
Burton selected Reading is Fundamental, the nation's largest children's literacy nonprofit organization, as the charity to benefit from his stint as guest host.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
