Ben Vereen Ben Vereen is the actor , dancer , and singer who played Commander Edward M . La Forge , MD , in the seventh season episode in . His character was the father of Geordi La Forge , played by LeVar Burton , and the husband of Silva La Forge , played by Madge Sinclair . Interestingly , in the acclaimed , ground - breaking 1977 mini - series " Roots " , Vereen portrayed " Chicken " George Moore , the grandson of Kunte Kinte , originally played by Burton , and Bell , who was played by Sinclair . Vereen is a veteran of film , television , and the Broadway stage . He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as Judas Iscariot in the original Broadway production of the musical " Jesus Christ Superstar " and won a Tony Award for playing the Leading Player in " Pippin " . He has also been nominated for three Emmy Awards , two Golden Globes , and a CableACE Award for some of his film and television roles . Early life and career . Vereen was born Benjamin Augustus Middleton in Dade County , Florida , USA , and was adopted as a baby , facts he did not learn until the 1960s when he was applying for a passport . ( " The Fayetteville Observer " , Apr . 29 , 2006 ) He began singing and dancing when he was a child , ultimately graduating from the High School of Performing Arts in New York . He made his New York stage in the off - off - Broadway production of " The Prodigal Son " in 1965 , when he was 18 years old . He then joined the cast of a production of " Sweet Charity " , which toured from 1966 through 1967 . He made his film debut in the 1969 screen adaptation of " Sweet Charity " , playing one of the " Frug dancers . " Fellow " Star Trek " alum Ricardo Montalban had a supporting role in this film . Vereen ' s Broadway debut came when he played the role of Claude in the original production of the musical " Hair " . Vereen also understudied for the role of Hud for " Hair " . In late 1970 , Vereen shot his second film , the Roger Corman science fiction satire " Gas ! - Or - It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It " . In 1971 , Vereen was cast as Judas Iscariot in the original Broadway production of the hit musical " Jesus Christ Superstar " . He received a Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as Jusas , and also won a Theatre World Award . In 1972 , Vereen left " Jesus Christ Superstar " to portray the Leading Player in " Pippin " , in which veteran " Star Trek " guest actor John Rubinstein played the title role . For his performance in " Pippin " , Vereen won the 1973 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the 1973 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance . Film work . Vereen ' s first major film role was that of Bert Robbins in the 1975 musical " Funny Lady " , which also featured Lilyan Chauvin . For his performance in this film , Vereen received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture – Male , despite the fact he had already appeared in two films before this one . Vereen ' s next film was the Academy Award - winning 1979 musical " All That Jazz " , directed by , who previously directed Vereen in the film " Sweet Charity " and in the play " Pippin " . actress Cathie Shirriff had a role in this film as a nurse . In the 1987 comedy " Buy & Cell " , Vereen worked opposite fellow " Trek " actors Malcolm McDowell and Tony Plana . In 1993 , Vereen voiced the role of the preacher bird Phineas in the animated film " Once Upon a Forest " , which also featured the voice of Paul Eiding . Vereen later had supporting roles in such films as " Why Do Fools Fall in Love " ( 1998 ) , " I ' ll Take You There " ( 1999 , with John Pyper - Ferguson ) , " The Painting " ( 2001 , with Bumper Robinson ) , and " Idlewild " ( 2006 ) . Vereen ' s further film credits include the romance " And Then Came Love " ( 2007 , starring Vanessa Williams ) , the comedy " Tapioca " ( 2009 ) , the war drama " 21 and a Wake - Up " ( 2009 , with Ed Begley , Jr . ) , and the musical " Mama I Want to Sing " ( 2011 ) . More recently , he lent his voice to the animated family film " Khumba " ( 2012 , with Greg Ellis ) . Television work . 1975 – 1985 . In 1975 , Vereen was the host of his own variety series on NBC called " Ben Vereen . . . Comin ' at Ya " . The show served as a summer replacement on the network , and only four episodes were produced . The following year , Vereen starred in his own TV special , " Ben Vereen : Showcase for a Man of Many Talents " . Vereen portrayed musician Louis Armstrong in the 1976 TV movie " Louis Armstrong – Chicago Style " . guest actress Janet MacLachlan played Armstrong ' s wife , Lil Hardin Armstrong . In 1977 , Vereen was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of " Chicken " George in the mini - series " Roots " . He was also nominated for his performance in the NBC TV special " The Bell Telephone Jubilee " . Joel Grey participated in this event , as well . Vereen was a regular opposite on the short - lived detective / comedy series " Tenspeed and Brown Shoe " opposite Jeff Goldblum . Produced through Paramount Television , this series ran for 14 episodes from January through June 1980 . Vereen then reprised his stage role as the Leading Player in the TV special " Pippin : His Life and Times " , which earned Vereen a nomination from the CableACE Awards . Vereen appeared with his TNG and " Roots " co - star LeVar Burton in a 1983 episode of the children ' s educational series " Reading Rainbow " , which is hosted by Burton . They then co - starred together in the 1984 TV movie " The Jesse Owens Story " . TNG guest actor Ronny Cox , actor James B . Sikking , and TOS guest actor Vic Tayback also had roles in this movie , which was executive produced by Harve Bennett and photographed by Charles Correll . Vereen received his second Golden Globe nomination for his role in the 1984 mini - series " Ellis Island " , which also starred Alice Krige . In 1984 and 1985 , Vereen had a recurring role as Uncle Phillip Long on the comedy series " Webster " . Among the actors Vereen worked with on this series were Eugene Roche ( who was a regular during the show ' s second and third season ) and Robert DoQui . In the 1985 mini - series " A . D . " , Vereen co - starred with such performers as Richard Kiley and Anthony Zerbe . Vereen also played the role of Puss in the " Faerie Tale Theatre " production of " Puss in Boots " , working with director Robert Iscove and fellow performers Brock Peters and Alfre Woodard . 1986 - present . In 1986 , Vereen appeared as Mayor Ben the leopard on the children ' s series " Zoobilee Zoo " . He then became a regular on the short - lived 1987 NBC adventure series " J . J . Starbuck " . From 1991 through 1993 , Vereen had a recurring role as Capt . Ben Hitchinson on the series " Silk Stalkings " . He received his third Emmy nomination for his performance in the 1992 TV movie " Intruders " , which also starred guest performers Daphne Ashbrook , Steven Berkoff , and Rosalind Chao . In addition to his appearance on " Star Trek : The Next Generation " , Vereen had guest spots on several other television shows during the 1990s . Among the shows on which he has guest - starred are " Lois & Clark : The New Adventures of Superman " ( starring Teri Hatcher , Tracy Scoggins , and K Callan ) , " The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air " ( starring James Avery ) , " Touched by an Angel " ( with Heidi Swedberg ) , " Second Noah " ( with Daniel Hugh Kelly ) , and " Promised Land " . More recently , Vereen has made guest appearances on the HBO prison drama " Oz " , the ABC medical drama " Grey ' s Anatomy " , and the NBC crime drama " " . He won a Prism Award for Performance in a Drama Series Episode for his appearance on " Grey ' s Anatomy " . Further television guest roles include episodes of " House of Payne " ( 2010 ) and " How I Met Your Mother " ( 2010 ) . Later Broadway work . Vereen returned to Broadway for the first time in over a decade when he played the role of Leroy in " Grind " in 1985 . He then played the Chimney Man in " Jelly ' s Last Jam " in 1993 . Vereen and fellow TNG guest star Bebe Neuwirth were among those who performed in the Tony Award - winning musical revue " Fosse " . In 2002 , Vereen played Midge in a revival of Herb Gardner ' s " I ' m Not Rappaport " . Most recently , Vereen had two stints playing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the Tony Award - winning musical " Wicked " . This role was originated by aforementioned guest star Joel Grey .