My mom sat me down in front of Roots back in the day. One of the only things I can remember was the iconic whipping scene. Was several decades before I realized he was the same actor on one of my favorite shows, ST:TNG.
"Mom, I thought this was Reading Rainbow."
"It is."
"But it's ST:TNG openings credits!"
"... huh. It is."
"And it's 330pm - ST:TNG isn't on until 7pm!"
And then Mr Burton comes on all Reading Rainbow about ST:TNG. Glitter in a glass of water, the whole deal.
"Oh, ok. I get it."
And then, of course, there was his classic guest shot on Community.