Gil Birmingham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gil Birmingham
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| Born | July 13, 1953 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1986–present |
Gil Birmingham is an American actor born on July 13, 1953. He is famous for playing important characters in popular TV shows and movies. You might know him as Thomas Rainwater in the TV series Yellowstone. He also played Billy Black in The Twilight Saga movies. He appeared in other shows like Banshee and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Early Life
Gil Birmingham was born in San Antonio, Texas. His dad was from the Comanche tribe, and his mom had Spanish family. Because his dad was in the military, Gil's family moved around a lot when he was a kid. He learned to play the guitar early and loves music. Before becoming an actor, he studied engineering and worked as a petrochemical engineer.
Acting Career
First Roles
Gil Birmingham started acting in the early 1980s. A talent scout saw him at a gym where he was bodybuilding. This led to his first acting job: a music video for Diana Ross's song "Muscles" in 1982.
After the music video, Gil decided to become a full-time actor. He even played Conan the Barbarian in a show at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.
Television Roles
Gil Birmingham's first TV appearance was in an episode of Riptide. Later, he had a regular role as Oz in the medical show Body & Soul. In 2005, he played an older character named Dogstar in the miniseries Into the West.
In 2018, he began playing Chief Thomas Rainwater in the TV series Yellowstone. His character is the leader of a fictional Native American reservation.
He has also appeared in many other TV shows, including:
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Veronica Mars
- Nip/Tuck
- Castle
- The Mentalist
- House of Cards
- Animal Kingdom
- Siren
In 2022, Gil played Detective Bill Taba in the miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven. In 2024, he voiced the superhero Forge in the animated series X-Men '97.
Film Roles
In 2001, Gil Birmingham appeared in his first movie, The Doe Boy. He played Manny Deadmarsh in this film.
A big role for him came in 2008 when he was cast as Billy Black in The Twilight Saga film series. He appeared in all five movies.
After Twilight, he got more major film roles. He played Sheriff Johnny Cortez in Love Ranch and Cal Bishnik in Shouting Secrets. In 2011, he was in the movie Crooked Arrows as Ben Logan.
Gil has also done voice work for animated films and TV shows. He voiced Wounded Bird in the movie Rango. He also voiced an Inuit elder in The Wild Thornberrys TV series.
In 2016, he played a Texas Ranger alongside Jeff Bridges in the movie Hell or High Water. He also played Thomas Benjamin 'T.B.' Thompson in the film Te Ata.
In 2017, he appeared as Shaman Neka in The Space Between Us. He also played Martin Hanson in the film Wind River, about a girl who dies on an Arapaho reservation.
In 2021, Gil was cast as Charlie Bass in the Netflix thriller series Pieces of Her.
Awards and Recognition
- 2001: The movie The Doe Boy, starring Gil, won the Sundance International Filmmaker's Award.
- 2002: He received the First Americans in the Arts (FAITA) award for his role as Oz in Body & Soul.
- 2005: He won the American Indian LA Film and Television Award for his supporting role as Sam in Dreamkeeper.
