Gil Birmingham is an American actor of
ComancheThe Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
ancestry, known for his portrayal of Billy Black in the
The Twilight SagaThe Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...
film series.
Personal background
Birmingham was born in San Antonio. His family moved frequently during his childhood, due to his father's career in the military. He learned to play the guitar at an early age and considers music his "first love." After obtaining a
bachelor of scienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from the
University of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
he worked as a petrochemical engineer before becoming an actor.
Music videos
In the early 1980s, a talent scout spotted Birmingham at a local gym, where he had been bodybuilding and entering bodybuilding contests. This led to his first acting experience, in
Diana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
's 1982 music video for the song "
Muscles"Muscles" is a 1982 soul single written and produced by Michael Jackson and performed by American R&B/soul singer Diana Ross.The single reached number ten on the pop singles chart and number four on the R&B singles chart upon its release and was the first single from her gold-certified album, Silk...
".
Theme park appearances
After appearing in Ross' music video, Birmingham began to pursue acting as his primary career. He studied acting with
Larry MossLarry Moss is a world-renowned actor and acting coach. Now based out of New York, Larry has taught celebrities all over the world including Helen Hunt, Hilary Swank, Michael Clark Duncan, Hank Azaria, Jim Carrey, Toby Maguire, and Leonardo Di Caprio....
and
Charles ConradCharles Erich Conrad was an American actor, best known for his work as a film acting coach.-Early years:Born in New York City, the only child of German immigrants, Charles Conrad spent his early years growing up in New York City’s upper east side...
. He portrayed the character of
Conan the BarbarianConan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
in
Universal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
's theme park attraction
The Adventures of Conan: A Sword and Sorcery SpectacularThe Adventures of Conan: A Sword and Sorcery Spectacular was an attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood that ran from 1983 to 1993. It was a 20-minute live-action stage show, similar to the theme park's other "action spectaculars," that took place in an indoor theater and was loosely based on the...
.
Television roles
In 1986, Birmingham made his television debut on an episode of the series
RiptideRiptide is a TV detective series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray. Riptide was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter...
. By 2002, he had a recurring role as the character Oz in the medical drama
Body & Soul, starring
Peter StraussPeter Strauss is an American television and movie actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...
. In 2005, he was cast as the older Dogstar in the Steven Spielberg six-part miniseries
Into the WestInto the West is a 2005 miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks, with six two-hour episodes . The series was first broadcast in the U.S. on Turner Network Television on six Fridays starting on June 10, 2005...
.
He has appeared in a number of television series, including
Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Veronica MarsVeronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
,
10 Items or Less,
Nip/TuckNip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
,
CastleCastle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
, and
The MentalistThe Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
. He has also had roles in several television films, such as
Gentle BenGentle Ben is a children's novel by author Walt Morey, first published in 1965. The book concerns the friendship between the title character, a bear, and a young boy named Mark...
(with
Dean CainDean Cain is an American actor. He is most widely known for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the popular American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
) and
Gentle Ben 2: Danger on the Mountain,
DreamkeeperDreamkeeper is a 2003 film written by John Fusco and directed by Steve Barron. The main plot of the film is the conflict between a Lakota elder and storyteller named Pete Chasing Horse and his Lakota grandson, Shane Chasing Horse...
,
The Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger was an attempt by The WB to revive the Lone Ranger franchise in a new generation. The film starred Chad Michael Murray as the Lone Ranger and Nathaniel Arcand as Tonto.-Plot:...
, and
Love's Long JourneyLove's Long Journey is a 2005 Christian Drama made for TV movie based on a series of books by Janette Oke. It was directed by Michael Landon Jr...
(with
Erin CottrellErin Cottrell is an American actress, who has appeared in the role of Missie Davis-LaHaye in 5 of the 8 films in the Love Comes Softly series. She also played Caroline Ingalls in the 2005 miniseries Little House On The Prairie...
and
Irene BedardIrene Bedard is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Native American characters in a variety of films. Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska...
).
Feature films
In 2001, Birmingham appeared in his first feature film,
The Doe BoyThe Doe Boy is a 2001 independent drama film written and directed by Randy Redroad. It was selected as the United States winner of the Sundance Film Festival/NHK International Filmmakers Award in 2000...
, in which he portrayed the character of Manny Deadmarsh.
In 2008, Birmingham was cast as the character Billy Black in
The Twilight Saga film seriesThe Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...
and has appeared in all four of the films.
The Twilight series has led to roles in other major film roles, including that of Sheriff Johnny Cortez in
Love RanchLove Ranch is a 2010 drama film directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci.-Background:The film is based on the lives of Joe and Sally Conforte, a married couple who opened the first legal brothel in the United States, the Mustang Ranch in Storey County, Nevada. Violence...
(with
Joe PesciJoseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician.He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks...
and
Helen MirrenDame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
), and Cal Bishnik in
Shouting Secrets (with
New MoonThe Twilight Saga: New Moon, commonly referred to as New Moon, is a 2009 American romance fantasy-vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's 2006 novel New Moon. It is the second film in The Twilight Saga film series and is the sequel to 2008's Twilight. Summit Entertainment greenlit the sequel in...
castmate
Chaske SpencerChaske Spencer is an American actor of Native American heritage.-Life and career:Spencer was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and grew up in Montana, Kooskia, Lapwai, and Lewiston, Idaho. His heritage includes Lakota, Nez Perce, Cherokee, Creek, French, and Dutch. He has two younger sisters...
). In September 2011, Birmingham appeared in the film
Crooked Arrows, cast in the role of Ben Logan.
In addition to his work in front of the camera, Birmingham voiced the character of Wounded Bird in the animated film
RangoRango is a 2011 American computer-animated Western Comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Graham King. In the film, a chameleon named Rango accidentally ends up in the town of Dirt, an outpost that is in desperate need of a new sheriff...
(starring
Johnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
), and provided voice work for the television series
The Wild ThornberrysThe Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon. It was rerun in the USA on Nickelodeon and occasionally The N until 2009 and Nicktoons until 2007...
and the film
Night at the MuseumNight at the Museum is a 2006 fantasy adventure-comedy film based on the 1993 children's book The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc. It follows a divorced father trying to settle down, impress his son, and find his destiny...
.
Filmography
| Year |
Film or TV program |
Role |
Notes |
| 1986 |
RiptideRiptide is a TV detective series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray. Riptide was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter...
|
cop |
Episode #3.20 "Chapel of Glass" |
| 1987 |
House II: The Second Story House II: The Second Story is the 1987 sequel to the 1986 film, House. While it is a sequel, this film ignores the storyline and characters from the first film, in favor of a new supernatural comedy. Also, the film's tone was much lighter than the original film and the other following sequels...
|
|
Falcon CrestFalcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced....
|
|
Episode #6.28 "Desperation" |
| 1996 |
Le Jaguar Le Jaguar is a 1996 French film directed by Francis Veber starring Jean Reno, Patrick Bruel, Harrisson Lowe, and Patricia Velásquez. A shaman from the South American rain forest visits France for a public relations campaign. In a hotel's elevator in Paris he meets a French good-for-nothing named...
|
|
TV movie |
| Night Man Night Man is an American action/adventure/sci-fi series that aired in syndication from September 15, 1997 to May 17, 1999. The series is loosely based on a comic book published by Malibu Comics and was created by Steve Englehart and developed for television by Glen A...
|
Vargus |
Episode #1.4 "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" |
| 1997 |
Buffy The Vampire Slayer |
The Bodygard |
Episode #2.4 "Inca Mummy Girl" |
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
|
Brave #1 |
Episode #6.11 "Safe Passage" |
| Night Man Night Man is an American action/adventure/sci-fi series that aired in syndication from September 15, 1997 to May 17, 1999. The series is loosely based on a comic book published by Malibu Comics and was created by Steve Englehart and developed for television by Glen A...
|
Vargus |
Episode #1.4 "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" |
| 1999 |
The Wild ThornberrysThe Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon. It was rerun in the USA on Nickelodeon and occasionally The N until 2009 and Nicktoons until 2007...
|
Jim's dad |
voice over, Episode #2.10 "Tamper Proof Seal" |
| 2001 |
Family Law Family Law is a television drama starring Kathleen Quinlan as divorced lawyer Lynn Holt, who attempted to start her own law firm after her lawyer husband took all their old clients...
|
Bernard |
Episode #2.21 "Americans" |
V.I.P.V.I.P. is an American action/comedy-drama series starring Pamela Anderson. Created by J. F...
|
Roland |
Episode #4.7 "Uncle from V.A.L." |
| The Doe Boy The Doe Boy is a 2001 independent drama film written and directed by Randy Redroad. It was selected as the United States winner of the Sundance Film Festival/NHK International Filmmakers Award in 2000...
|
Manny Deadmarsh |
|
| 2002 |
Gentle Ben |
Pete |
TV movie |
| Skins |
Sonny Yellow Lodge |
|
| Body & Soul |
Oz |
recurring character, 8 episodes |
| 2003 |
Gentle Ben 2: Danger on the Mountain |
Pete |
TV movie |
| Dreamkeeper Dreamkeeper is a 2003 film written by John Fusco and directed by Steve Barron. The main plot of the film is the conflict between a Lakota elder and storyteller named Pete Chasing Horse and his Lakota grandson, Shane Chasing Horse...
|
Sam |
TV movie |
| The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger was an attempt by The WB to revive the Lone Ranger franchise in a new generation. The film starred Chad Michael Murray as the Lone Ranger and Nathaniel Arcand as Tonto.-Plot:...
|
One Horn |
TV movie |
| 2005 |
Love's Long JourneyLove's Long Journey is a 2005 Christian Drama made for TV movie based on a series of books by Janette Oke. It was directed by Michael Landon Jr...
|
Sharp Claw |
TV movie |
| Into the West Into the West is a 2005 miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks, with six two-hour episodes . The series was first broadcast in the U.S. on Turner Network Television on six Fridays starting on June 10, 2005...
|
Dogstar |
TV miniseries |
| Medical Investigation Medical Investigation was an American medical drama television series that began September 9, 2004, on NBC. It ran for 20 one-hour episodes before being cancelled in 2005...
|
Walter Shepard |
|
| End of the Spear End of the Spear is a 2006 docudrama film that recounts the story of Operation Auca, in which five American Christian missionaries attempted to evangelize the Huaorani people of the jungle of Ecuador...
|
Moipa |
uncredited |
| 2006 |
Night at the MuseumNight at the Museum is a 2006 fantasy adventure-comedy film based on the 1993 children's book The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc. It follows a divorced father trying to settle down, impress his son, and find his destiny...
|
Voice over |
CharmedCharmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
|
Indian Chief |
TV |
| 2006 |
Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
|
Leonard Lobo |
TV |
| 2007 |
Cosmic Radio |
Tribal Council leader |
|
| 2008 |
Turok: Son of Stone |
Nashoba |
Voice over |
| California Indian |
Chi Thomas |
|
TwilightTwilight is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series...
|
Billy Black |
|
| 2009 |
10 Items or Less |
John Greene |
"Dances with Groceries" |
Nip/TuckNip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
|
Shaman |
Episode #5.20 "Budi Sabri" |
| Love Ranch Love Ranch is a 2010 drama film directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci.-Background:The film is based on the lives of Joe and Sally Conforte, a married couple who opened the first legal brothel in the United States, the Mustang Ranch in Storey County, Nevada. Violence...
|
Sheriff Johnny Cortez |
|
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon |
Billy Black |
|
| 2010 |
The MentalistThe Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
|
Markham Willis |
Episode "Aingavite Baa" |
| The Twilight Saga: Eclipse |
Billy Black |
|
| Castle Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
|
Cacaw Te |
Episode "Wrapped up in Death" |
| 2011 |
Rango Rango is a 2011 American computer-animated Western Comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Graham King. In the film, a chameleon named Rango accidentally ends up in the town of Dirt, an outpost that is in desperate need of a new sheriff...
|
Wounded Bird (a Chihuahuan raven) |
|
| Shouting Secrets |
Cal Bishnik |
In post-production |
| Crooked Arrows |
Ben Logan |
In post-production |
Awards
- 2001: The Doe Boy
The Doe Boy is a 2001 independent drama film written and directed by Randy Redroad. It was selected as the United States winner of the Sundance Film Festival/NHK International Filmmakers Award in 2000...
(in which Birmingham starred as Manny Deadmarsh) wins the Sundance International Filmmaker's AwardThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- 2002: First Americans in the Arts
First Americans in the Arts is a non-profit organization based in Beverly Hills, California. According to its website, the organization was created "to recognize, honor and promote American Indian participation in the powerful arena of the entertainment industry, incorporating the areas of film,...
(FAITA) award for an Outstanding Performance in a Recurring Role as Oz in Body & Soul
- 2005: American Indian LA Film and Television Award
The American Indian LA Film and TV Awards, first created by Roscoe Pond in 2004, are a collection of film and television awards aimed at Native American actors and productions. The award ceremony is held in Los Angeles...
for Outstanding Supporting Role as Sam in DreamkeeperDreamkeeper is a 2003 film written by John Fusco and directed by Steve Barron. The main plot of the film is the conflict between a Lakota elder and storyteller named Pete Chasing Horse and his Lakota grandson, Shane Chasing Horse...
External links