Gil Birmingham Nominated for Outstanding Actor in the North American Indigenous Image Awards April 29

Los Angeles, CA, April 23, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Gil Birmingham (Comanche), known for his poignant portray of Billy Black in The Twilight Saga films, has been nominated for Outstanding Actor in Film/TV in the North American Indigenous Image Awards (NAIIA), for his role in The Twilight Saga Eclipse. Fans recognize him for the poignant telling of the legends scene in Eclipse and his memorable portrayal of Jacob Black’s father in all of the Twilight movies. Birmingham will return as Billy Black in the fourth Saga film, Breaking Dawn, due out later this year.

Birmingham will attend the NAIIA show to be held at 7 p.m. on Friday April 29th, 2011 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the Pueblo Reservation. The NAIIA recognizes and promotes the advancement of indigenous artists in film, television, news, music, comedy, and photography.

In addition to his roles in the Twilight Saga series, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, award-winning actor Gil Birmingham, has appeared in more than 40 film and television productions. His TV and screen credits include appearances in films such as End of the Spear, Dreamkeeper, Skins, Gentle Ben, The Doe Boy, and Love's Long Journey, as well as TV shows including Castle, The Mentalist, Nip/Tuck, 10 Items or Less, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Veronica Mars. His powerful portrayal of Dogstar in Steven Spielberg's six-part TV miniseries, Into the West, captured the attention of audiences worldwide. Gil recently starred in The Love Ranch with Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci, directed by Taylor Hackford. Rango, an animated film with Johnny Depp, led the box office when it opened in March of this year.

Tickets to the NAIIA show can be purchased online at www.indigenousimageawards.com. VIP tickets entitle the purchaser to attend the Awards Show, as well as the VIP After-Party, which Gil Birmingham and other celebrities will be attending.

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