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 science degree from the University of Southern California he worked as a petrochemical engineer before becoming an actor.Professional background
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 Ross's 1982 music video for the song "Muscles".Theme park appearances
After appearing in Ross' music video, Birmingham began to pursue acting as his primary career. He studied acting with Larry Moss and Charles Conrad. He portrayed the character of Conan the Barbarian in Universal Studios Hollywood's theme park attraction The Adventures of Conan: A Sword and Sorcery Spectacular.Television roles
In 1986, Birmingham made his television debut on an episode of the series Riptide. By 2002, he had a recurring role as the character Oz in the medical drama Body & Soul, starring Peter Strauss. In 2005, he was cast as the older Dogstar in the Steven Spielberg six-part miniseries Into the West.He has appeared in a number of television series, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Veronica Mars, 10 Items or Less, Nip/Tuck, Castle, and The Mentalist. He has also had roles in several television films, such as Gentle Ben (with Dean Cain) and Gentle Ben 2: Danger on the Mountain, Dreamkeeper, The Lone Ranger, and Love's Long Journey (with Erin Cottrell and Irene Bedard).
Feature films
In 2001, Birmingham appeared in his first feature film, The Doe Boy, in which he portrayed the character of Manny Deadmarsh.In 2008, Birmingham was cast as the character Billy Black in The Twilight Saga film series 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 Ranch (with Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren), and Cal Bishnik in Shouting Secrets (with New Moon castmate Chaske Spencer). 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 Rango (starring Johnny Depp), and provided voice work for the television series The Wild Thornberrys and the film Night at the Museum.[citation needed]
Filmography
| Year | Film or TV program | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Riptide | cop | Episode #3.20 "Chapel of Glass" |
| 1987 | House II: The Second Story | ||
| Falcon Crest | Episode #6.28 "Desperation" | ||
| 1996 | Le Jaguar | TV movie | |
| Night Man | 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 | Brave #1 | Episode #6.11 "Safe Passage" | |
| Night Man | Vargus | Episode #1.4 "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" | |
| 1999 | The Wild Thornberrys | Jim's dad | voice over, Episode #2.10 "Tamper Proof Seal" |
| 2001 | Family Law | Bernard | Episode #2.21 "Americans" |
| V.I.P. | Roland | Episode #4.7 "Uncle from V.A.L." | |
| The Doe Boy | 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 | Sam | TV movie | |
| The Lone Ranger | One Horn | TV movie | |
| 2005 | Love's Long Journey | Sharp Claw | TV movie |
| Into the West | Dogstar | TV miniseries | |
| Medical Investigation | Walter Shepard | ||
| End of the Spear | Moipa | uncredited | |
| 2006 | Night at the Museum | Voice over | |
| Charmed | Indian Chief | TV | |
| 2006 | Veronica Mars | Leonard Lobo | TV |
| 2007 | Cosmic Radio | Tribal Council leader | |
| 2008 | Turok: Son of Stone | Nashoba | Voice over |
| California Indian | Chi Thomas | ||
| Twilight | Billy Black | ||
| 2009 | 10 Items or Less | John Greene | "Dances with Groceries" |
| Nip/Tuck | Shaman | Episode #5.20 "Budi Sabri" | |
| Love Ranch | Sheriff Johnny Cortez | ||
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Billy Black | ||
| 2010 | The Mentalist | Markham Willis | Episode "Aingavite Baa" |
| The Twilight Saga: Eclipse | Billy Black | ||
| Castle | Cacaw Te | Episode "Wrapped up in Death" | |
| 2011 | Rango | Wounded Bird (a crow) | |
| Shouting Secrets | Cal Bishnik | In post-production | |
| Crooked Arrows[8] | Ben Logan | In post-production | |
| The Lying Game | Ben Whitehorse | 5 Episodes |
