Brendan Penny recently came off 4 seasons of the award winning CTV/ABC crime-drama series “Motive” from the producers of “Dexter” and “The Mentalist.” Brendan played Detective Brian Lucas opposite Kristin Lehman, Louis Ferreira and Lauren Holly. On the film front, Penny can be seen in “The Virginian” [Revelation Media, Vivendi Entertainment], opposite Ron Perlman and Trace Adkins.
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Penny was raised between London and Ottawa throughout his childhood. From an early age Penny loved entertainment. Obsessed with “Star Wars,” he would record it from television onto VHS tapes, and hit mute to recite all the lines from the entire movie. Penny was always the class clown, he loved to make people laugh. He practiced his comedic skills doing skits for assemblies in high school, and thought about becoming a stand-up comedian after graduation. After high school his father strongly encouraged him to attend college, which he did. Penny obtained his degree in Accounting from Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. Penny knew deep down he was not meant to be an accountant, however he had no idea what he wanted to do for a living. At his father’s suggestion he decided to give acting a try.
Penny worked at a restaurant for about five months, saved up $3,000.00 and bought a one-way ticket from Ottawa to Vancouver, not knowing anything about acting, or anyone in the business. On his third day in Vancouver Penny overheard a conversation at the gym about an acting school. He jumped right into the chat, meeting established Canadian actors Erin Karpluk, and Kevin Durand. The two helped him get started with the Lyric School of Acting, where Penny studied for two years.
In 2003, he booked his first real job, a guest star role on “Jake 2.0” for UPN. In 2006 Penny hit a hot streak, booking “The L Word” for Showtime, “Kyle XY” for ABC Family, “Smallville” for the WB, and his first series regular role, on “Whistler” for CTV. “Whistler” also aired on The N Network in the US, and showcased Penny’s developing acting chops. He played A.J. Varland, a wealthy kid who ends up a drug addict, and ultimately commits suicide. In 2009, Penny landed a series regular role on “The Assistants” for The N Network, opposite Meaghan Rath, and Michael B. Jordan. He also appeared on the Lifetime movie, “Held Hostage.” In 2012, Penny appeared in the Reelz Channel mini-series “Ring of Fire” opposite Michael Vartan, Terry O’Quinn, and Lauren Lee Smith, and in 2013 he has been working on a web series entitled “The Heroines.” Additional television credits for Penny include guest star roles on “Blade: The Series” [Spike TV], “Flashpoint” [CBS], “The Killing” [AMC], “Stargate: Atlantis” [Syfy] and “Supernatural” [WB]. Penny has also been busy on the film front, holding supporting roles in films such as: “The A- Team;” “Tooth Fairy;” “I Love You, Beth Cooper;” and “John Tucker Must Die” for Twentieth Century Fox, and “Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage” for Lionsgate.
Brendan can currently be seen in the Hallmark series “Chesapeake Shores” opposite Jesse Metcalfe, Treat Williams and Meghan Ory.
When not working, Brendan loves to surf, go fly fishing, and hang out with this family. He currently lives on Vancouver Island.
