Birney gained acclaim in 2016 for his role in The Humans winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
After moving to New York City, he attended classes sponsored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
[8][9] He appeared off-Broadway in the play by Tracy Letts, Man from Nebraska, which opened in January 2017 in previews at the Second Stage Theatre.
His television performances include Matthew Lester in Kane & Abel, Mr. Prescott on Gossip Girl, Donald Blythe on the Netflix series House of Cards,[8][11] Tom Connolly in The Blacklist and Dr. Adamson on Titans.
His movie roles included Louie in Four Friends (1981), the Merchant Prince in A Perfect Murder (1998), Governor Willis in Morning Glory (2010), J. Whitman in The 40-Year-Old Version, Pa in The Hunt (both 2020), Peter Bloom in Strawberry Mansion, and Richard in Mass (both 2021).