Billy Burke

Billy Burke has built a screen career around characters who carry authority, danger or a little of both. Born in Bellingham, Washington, on November 25, 1966, he graduated from Sehome High School in 1984 before establishing himself as an actor across film and television. He is also a musician, screenwriter and film producer. Burke’s early television work included appearances in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Party of Five, Gilmore Girls, Karen Sisco, Fringe and Monk. His film credits grew through projects including Jane Austen’s Mafia!, Along Came a Spider, Ladder 49, Fracture and Feast of Love. In the 2008 thriller Untraceable, he played Detective Eric Box opposite Diane Lane. That same year, Burke took on one of his most widely recognized roles: Charlie Swan in Twilight. As Bella Swan’s father, he brought a grounded presence to the supernatural series and returned for New Moon, Eclipse and both parts of Breaking Dawn. He moved into more overtly threatening territory as Jonah King, the primary antagonist in the 2011 thriller Drive Angry. Television has given Burke room to develop characters over longer stretches. He played attorney Phillip Stroh, a serial rapist and murderer, in The Closer, later returning to the role in Major Crimes. He led the NBC science-fiction series Revolution and starred as veterinary pathologist Mitch Morgan in CBS’s Zoo from 2015 to 2017. His later work includes Chicago P.D., Most Dangerous Game, 9-1-1: Lone Star and the Netflix series Maid. In Fire Country, he plays Vince Leone, Edgewater’s fire chief and a third-generation Cal Fire member. Burke has also voiced Commissioner James Gordon in both parts of Batman: The Long Halloween. Alongside acting, he released the albums Removed in 2010 and The Underkill in 2018. His singles “Burn” and “History” were each featured in episodes of Fire Country, bringing his music and television work onto the same screen.