Billy Burke Had a Major ‘Twilight’ Role Before Joining ‘Fire Country’

Billy Burke once played Charlie Swan in the ‘Twilight’ films.

August 30, 2023, 4:48pm

"Get Your Hopes Up" – A box truck crashes into the station, causing a power outage and triggering a dangerous fire. Meanwhile, Sharon and Bode's ex-girlfriend, Cara (Sabina Gadecki), face multiple medical emergencies, on FIRE COUNTRY, Friday, Jan. 13 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*. Pictured: Billy Burke as Vince Leone. Photo: Bettina Strauss/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Before Billy Burke was leading the charge as Battalion Fire Chief Vince Leone on CBS’ hit series, he actually appeared in The Twilight Saga. Beginning in 2008, Burke portrayed Charlie Swan in the . As Bella’s father and Forks police chief, he’s pretty protective of his daughter. Although Bella had moved to Arizona with her mother after her parents got divorced, she moved to Forks with her father after her mom remarries.

He’s definitely overprotective of his daughter, especially in the first movie, and not trusting of Edward. However, towards the end, he later accepts him, that is, until New Moon. Bella falls into a deep depression after Edward leaves her and claims he doesn’t love her, making Charlie trying to move his daughter to Jacksonville to be with her mother. She doesn’t budge and instead starts to hang out more with Jacob as Charlie’s growing hate for Edward deepens. By Eclipse, Charlie still mistrusts Edward and still likes Jacob over him. After Bella chooses Edward, Charlie is forced to accept the choice.

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Breaking Dawn sees Charlie disapprove of their engagement but is forced to accept it and comes to terms with it. Later, coming to terms with his granddaughter after finding out the truth about the mythical world. Throughout the films and the books, Charlie really only wanted what was best, even if it may not have been the right thing. He may not have had the biggest role in the movies in terms of the Cullens and the Wolf Pack, but he definitely had an impact on Bella’s life.

Aside from his Twilight days, Billy Burke has quite the impressive filmography. He starred in the series Zoo and Revolution and has appeared in movies such as Breaking In, Lights Out, Highland Park, and more. Before starring as fire chief of Cal Fire, he served as the Deputy Fire Chief for the Austin Fire Department on 9-1-1: Lone Star. Even getting decked by Rob Lowe’s Owenon a few different occasions.

Now fans can see him as Vince Leone on Fire Country. The series is currently on hiatus for who knows how long due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that have no end in sight. Hopefully, the CBS drama will come back soon, but the good news is that the entire Twilight Saga is streaming on Peacock, so Billy Burke isn’t going away anytime soon.