Dreamcatcher 13th Annual Gala Arts and Culture - Gil Birmingham

DREAMCATCHER AWARD WINNER 2017
ARTS AND CULTURE | GIL BIRMINGHAM

Gil Birmingham is an American actor of Comanche ancestry, best known for playing Billy Black in The Twilight Saga films. The San Antonio native and star of the recent thriller Wind River has appeared in everything from Transformers: The Last Knight to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to House of Cards. Before acting, he was a bodybuilder and petrochemical engineer and was scouted to be in the video for Diana Ross’ 1982 hit Muscles, written by Michael Jackson. “I had a great time on it and my girlfriend at the time said, ‘Why don’t you study acting?’ " recalls Birmingham, who became fascinated with creative expression. “I love examining the human condition. It’s of never-ending interest to me.” His breakthrough was in 2008 playing Billy Black, the father of werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner). The franchise, in which the Quileute people play an important part, also gave Native American actors a platform to reach a larger audience: “We have been able to transition the excitement of that whole profile into deeper native stories.” He has appeared in a number of television series, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Veronica Mars, Nip/Tuck, and has also had roles in The Lone Ranger, and recently played opposite Jeff Bridges in the 2016 bank robbery film Hell or High Water.