Eian Burton Was Raised without a Father the First 3 Years of His Life - Facts about Levar Burton's S

In the 1980s, Eian Burton's famous father made headlines after it came to light that he had fathered a son during a one-night encounter. However, the "Roots" actor swiftly assumed responsibility for his child and was once accused of kidnapping him.

Veteran actor LeVar Burton surprised the public when it was revealed that his son spent the first few years of his life without knowing who his father was.

However, that all changed when Eian Burton's father legally claimed him, revealing that his motives were his own experiences of growing up in a single-parent home and not wanting the same for his child.

LeVar Burton at the 2020 Breakthrough Prize Awards on November 3, 2019, in Mountain View, California. | Source: Getty Images

Eian Burton Was Three Years Old When He Met His Father

In 1983, when Eian was three, paternity tests confirmed that LeVar was his biological father. Until then, the "Roots" actor had no idea of Eian's existence and instinctively pursued responsibility for his son.

According to reports, Eian's father asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to grant him joint legal custody and visitation rights. The actor also willingly paid $600 a month in child support in assuming equal responsibility for his son. Eian's dad said:

"I grew up in a broken home, raised by my mother. I would like for (my son) to have the benefits of both parents."

LeVar — commonly known for playing Kunta Kinte in the 1977 television mini-series "Roots," co-starring John Amos and Robert Reed — and Eian's mother had conceived their son during a one-night stand and barely knew each other. According to Eian's father, he had learned that he was a father after the district attorney informed him about Eian.

Eian Burton's Mother Accused His Father of Kidnapping Him

A year after his father entered his life, Eian's mother caught the public's attention when she alleged that Eian's father had kidnapped him. According to his mother, Eian was meant to go on a two-week Midwestern vacation with his dad.

By the end of the holiday, Eian was to be returned to his mother's care in Chicago. However, his mother said she had not heard from her son or his father, who she believed had actually taken Eian to Africa. However, LeVar's agent, Dolores Robinson, later set the record straight and said:

"The kid's all right. He's not in Africa. He's with his grandmother in Sacramento. [...] He (LeVar) flew to Chicago and picked the boy up and brought him back to Los Angeles, and the week before last, he had to go to Africa on a promotional tour."

Eian Burton Has a Half-Sister from His Father

According to his Facebook page, Eian is currently single and lives in his native state of California. He studied Education at Foothill College, serves as a basketball coach, is a Community Base Instructor at Santa Clara County Office of Education, and works in Special Education at Monroe Middle School in San Jose.

He also has a half-sister, Mica Burton, who followed in her father's footsteps and pursued a career in acting. In June 2018, he turned to Instagram to celebrate her father in honor of Father's Day with a picture of the father-daughter duo in traditional Japanese attire.

"Not many dads can rock traditional Japanese clothes this hard [...]. I'm so lucky mine is one of those dads. Happy Father's Day, @levar.burton!" Mica captioned the post in part.

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