Gil Birmingham’s career, from Billy Black to Thomas Rainwater
A source-linked guide to Gil Birmingham’s major roles in Twilight, Yellowstone, Hell or High Water, Wind River and Marshals.
By Celeb Pages · Updated November 1, 2026
Gil Birmingham is an American actor of Comanche heritage whose signature roles include Billy Black in the Twilight films and Thomas Rainwater in Yellowstone. His career also includes the crime dramas Hell or High Water and Wind River, alongside comedy and voice work. In 2026, he continues playing Rainwater in Marshals. (Television Academy profile; CBS biography)
How his acting career began
Birmingham’s route into acting was unusual: he was working as a petrochemical engineer and bodybuilding when he was scouted at a gym for Diana Ross’s 1982 “Muscles” music video. That experience prompted him to study acting. Television work followed, including appearances in Falcon Crest, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (USA Today interview; Television Academy)
His career spans both historical and contemporary Indigenous characters. Speaking to the Television Academy, Birmingham described a growing commitment to realistic, contemporary representation rather than the narrow stereotypes he encountered earlier in his career.
The major roles to know
Billy Black — The Twilight Saga
Birmingham plays Billy Black, the father of Jacob Black, played by Taylor Lautner. The first film, released in 2008, brought him to a younger audience. FX’s biography credits him in the first four films: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn – Part 1, rather than across all five. (USA Today; FX biography)
Alberto Parker — Hell or High Water (2016)
He plays Texas Ranger Alberto Parker, the partner of Jeff Bridges’s Marcus Hamilton. Their relationship provides a counterpoint to the brothers committing the film’s bank robberies. This is a useful starting point for viewers who want to see Birmingham in a substantial film role outside Twilight. (BFI cast record and review) David Mackenzie directed the film from Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay. (Lionsgate film record)
Martin Hanson — Wind River (2017)
Birmingham reunited with Sheridan for Wind River, playing Martin Hanson, the grieving father of a young Native American woman whose death is being investigated. Unlike the law-enforcement role in Hell or High Water, this part places him on the family’s side of a murder investigation. (FX biography; USA Today interview)
Thomas Rainwater — Yellowstone and Marshals
Rainwater is a leader of the Confederated Tribes of Broken Rock and a casino owner determined to protect his people’s land. In Yellowstone, that makes him a significant adversary to Kevin Costner’s John Dutton—not simply a supporting figure in the Dutton family story. (Television Academy)
The role continues in Marshals. CBS’s August 2026 series description lists Birmingham as Rainwater and identifies the character, alongside Mo, as a confidant of Kayce Dutton, played by Luke Grimes. (CBS series record)
Detective Bill Taba — Under the Banner of Heaven
In the FX limited series, Birmingham plays a seasoned detective who moves from Las Vegas to the Salt Lake Valley. Taba knows murder investigations; navigating the local influence and systems of the LDS Church presents a different challenge. This is another substantial television role beyond Rainwater. (Official FX character profile)
Beyond the dramatic roles
Birmingham’s credits are broader than Westerns and crime stories. He plays Jacqueline’s father in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and voices Wounded Bird in Rango (2011). His more recent voice work includes Forge in Marvel’s X-Men ’97. Those credits offer a different starting point for viewers interested in his comedy and animation work. (FX biography; CBS biography, August 2026)