Acting Burns's first acting role was in
SAF3, an American action-drama television series that follows the daily challenges of the Sea, Air, and Fire ("SAF") divisions of the
Malibu Fire Department. He appeared in eight episodes of the drama as lifeguard
Chase Robertson.
SAF3 was primarily filmed in South African locations such as
Cape Town and
Camps Bay Beach, and the series premiered on
The CW in September 2013. Burns later relocated to the United States to further his acting career, auditioning for roles in films such as
The Fault in Our Stars (2014), and
Terminator Genisys (2015), but was unsuccessful. On 30 October 2014, the
Neighbours official website announced that Burns had been cast as
Tyler Brennan, the younger brother of established character
Mark Brennan (
Scott McGregor). Burns, who was based in the United States at the time, was asked to audition for the part in early 2014. After securing the role, he relocated to Australia. Speaking about his casting, Burns said: "When you score a role on a show as iconic as
Neighbours, you don't say no. It's especially cool to be joining the show in its 30th-anniversary year. I feel like I've arrived at the perfect time." Complementing his role in
Neighbours, Burns has appeared as Tyler in three spin-offs of the series;
Summer Stories,
Pipe Up, and
Neighbours vs Time Travel. In December 2017, Fiona Byrne of the
Herald Sun reported that Burns would be leaving
Neighbours in the coming months to pursue other acting roles in the United States. His exit scenes aired on 27 February 2018, but he reprised the role for a brief return in October 2018. Following his exit from
Neighbours, Burns made a short film with his former co-star
Felix Mallard called
Money Is Just a Barbell. Burns then appeared in the 2019 romance drama film
Sunrise in Heaven, an adaptation of the Jan Gilbert Hurst novel
His Sunrise My Sunset. That same year, he starred in
The Wrong Boy Next Door on the
Lifetime Movie Network, alongside
Vivica A. Fox who also produced the film, and played the role of Prince Jack in
A Christmas Princess, alongside Shein Mompremier. In 2020, Burns starred in
The Christmas Listing, his second holiday film and first to air on
Lifetime. The following year, he starred in the romance film
Save the Wedding with Kacey Landoll; appeared in three episodes of the romance series
Trevor and the Virgin; and starred in Jacob Johnston's horror thriller
Dreamcatcher. The film features an ensemble cast, including
Zachary Gordon, whose characters attempt to avenge the death of their friend at a music festival, but find themselves being stalked by the same killer. Burns next appeared in two more films for Lifetime, the holiday-themed thriller mystery ''It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Murder
(2022), and Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas (2023), opposite Taylor Ann Thompson, Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills, and Nicollette Sheridan. In 2024, he portrayed the fictional rockstar David Ferris as the male lead in the Passionflix romance film Lick'', an adaption of the Kylie Scott novel of the same name.
Modelling Aside from acting, Burns is a model by profession. Later that month, Burns was listed as one of
Cleo magazine's top–30 "Bachelor of the Year" nominees for 2015. ==Personal life==