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    Brendan Penny headshot

    Brendan Penny

    Actor·Active 2015–2025
    View on IMDbView on TMDB

    Career at a glance

    20Hallmark films

    8 at Christmas

    Audience rating6.5 / 10

    across 16 rated films

    Weirdness4.3 / 10

    Mostly standard issue

    Best reviewed

    Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas7.2

    Most recent

    Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!2025

    Brendan Penny is the kind of actor Hallmark plugs in when a film needs to feel safe in good hands, even if the marquee rarely says so. Across twenty films since 2015 he has been the lead exactly once, working most of the time as the steady presence inside the ensemble. Winter and small towns are his element, the setting for ten of those titles, and eight are Christmas movies that he plays straight without ever winking at the camera. His high point is Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas from 2021 at 7.2, with The Wedding Cottage close behind at 7.1. Laura Soltis turns up in four of his films, the nearest thing he has to a regular partner. For a cozy December night, he is a familiar face you already trust.

    Follow & about Brendan

    • X@BrendanJPenny
    From
    Ottawa
    Brendan James Penny is a Canadian film and television actor who first became well known to TV audiences as A.J. Varland in the first season of Whistler that aired in Canada from 2006 to 2008. He is perhaps best known as Detective Brian Lucas in Motive, a Canadian crime drama centred on a team of Vancouver homicide detectives, also starring Kristin Lehman, Louis Ferreira and Lauren Holly, which aired from 2013 to 2016. Brendan currently stars as Kevin O'Brien in the Hallmark Channel family drama series Chesapeake Shores, which premiered on August 14, 2016. He has also been the hero of a number of Hallmark originals.
    From Wikipedia

    Brendan’s signature

    Across 20 films, Brendan often leans into Christmas and is usually set in small towns.

    • Christmas8 films
    • small towns10 films
    • a marketing3 films

    12 hours

    12 hours of Hallmark Christmas movies, and counting.

    Adds up across 8 festive titles.

    Known for

    A Dash of Love poster
    A Dash of Love6.6

    as Paul Dellucci · 2017

    Weirdness 3/10

    Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe poster
    Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe6.2

    as Luke · 2018

    Weirdness 3/10

    Autumn in the Vineyard poster
    Autumn in the Vineyard6.5

    as Nate DeLuca · 2016

    Weirdness 4/10

    Certified weirdTis the Season for Love poster
    Tis the Season for Love6.3

    as Dean · 2015

    Weirdness 8/10

    Certified weirdMagical Christmas Ornaments poster
    Magical Christmas Ornaments6.3

    as Nate · 2017

    Weirdness 9/10

    A Little Christmas Charm poster
    A Little Christmas Charm6.8

    as Greg Matthews · 2020

    Weirdness 4/10

    On-screen partners

    Rachael Leigh Cook headshot
    On-screen couple

    Brendan’s most frequent on-screen partner is Rachael Leigh Cook, with 3 films together — top-billed alongside each other in 3 of them.

    • Valentine in the Vineyard (2019)·
    • Summer in the Vineyard (2017)·
    • Autumn in the Vineyard (2016)
    • Laura Soltis4
    • Marcus Rosner3
    • Aadila Dosani2
    • Cardi Wong2
    • Drew Henderson2

    Recurring roles

    Brendan is a recurring face in In the Vineyard.

    • In the Vineyard3 films

    Where Brendan fits in

    The corners of the Hallmark universe Brendan keeps turning up in. Each one is a full ranked guide.

    • 🧁Baking & cooking movies
    • ❄️Winter movies
    • 🏘️Small-town movies
    • 🎄Christmas movies
    • ⭐Best Christmas movies
    • 💢Enemies to lovers

    All 20 movies

    Newest first

    2020s

    12 films
    • 2025Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!Actor · Small TownNot ratedWeird 4/10
    • 2025The More the MerrierActor as Brian · Small TownNot ratedWeird 3/10
    • 2024A Novel NoelActor as Sawyer Lambert · ChristmasNot ratedWeird 5/10
    • 2024Family Practice Mysteries: Coming HomeActor as Jack · Misunderstanding6.8Weird 3/10
    • 2024Love on the Danube: Kissing StarsActor as Tripp Nelson · InternationalNot ratedWeird 5/10
    • 2023A Season for FamilyActor as Paul · Christmas7.0Weird 4/10
    • 2023The Wedding CottageActor as Evan Stanford · Small Town7.1Weird 5/10
    • 2022In Merry MeasureActor as Adam · Christmas6.4Weird 5/10
    • 2021Beverly Hills WeddingActor as Cory · Valentine's Day5.6Weird 4/10
    • 2021Time for Them to Come Home for ChristmasActor as Paul Bennett · Christmas7.2Weird 4/10
    • 2020A Little Christmas CharmActor as Greg Matthews · Christmas6.8Weird 4/10
    • 2020The Secret IngredientActor as Andrew York · Valentine's Day6.8Weird 4/10

    2010s

    8 films
    • 2019Easter Under WrapsActor as Bryan Bailey · Easter6.4Weird 4/10
    • 2019Valentine in the VineyardActor as Nate DeLuca · Valentine's Day6.2Weird 3/10
    • 2018Pride, Prejudice and MistletoeActor as Luke · Christmas6.2Weird 3/10
    • 2017A Dash of LoveActor as Paul Dellucci · Valentine's Day6.6Weird 3/10
    • 2017Magical Christmas OrnamentsActor as Nate · Christmas6.3Weird 9/10
    • 2017Summer in the VineyardActor as Nate DeLuca · Rural/Farm6.2Weird 3/10
    • 2016Autumn in the VineyardActor as Nate DeLuca · Small Town6.5Weird 4/10
    • 2015Tis the Season for LoveActor as Dean · Christmas6.3Weird 8/10

    Brendan’s standouts

    • Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas poster
      Highest ratedTime for Them to Come Home for Christmas (2021)

      Best-reviewed of the 20, at 7.2/10

      7.2
    • Beverly Hills Wedding poster
      Most divisiveBeverly Hills Wedding (2021)

      Lowest-rated of the 20 — every filmography has one

      5.6
    • Magical Christmas Ornaments poster
      WeirdestMagical Christmas Ornaments (2017)

      The strangest of the bunch — 9/10 on our weirdness scale

      6.3

    In pictures

    A quick look at Brendan’s Hallmark run — headshot and the posters fans know best.

    • Brendan Penny headshotBrendan Penny
    • Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper! poster
    • The More the Merrier poster
    • A Novel Noel poster
    • Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home poster
    • Love on the Danube: Kissing Stars poster
    • A Season for Family poster
    • The Wedding Cottage poster
    • In Merry Measure poster
    • Beverly Hills Wedding poster
    • Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas poster
    • A Little Christmas Charm poster
    • The Secret Ingredient poster

    Beyond Hallmark

    Where else you might recognise Brendan from — notable roles outside the Hallmark catalogue.

    • Fifty Shades Freedas Co-Pilot Beighley (Grey Jet)
      2018
    • The A-Teamas C130J Pilot #1
      2010
    • Tooth Fairyas Josh
      2010
    • I Love You, Beth Cooperas Sean
      2009
    • John Tucker Must Dieas Teammate #1
      2006
    • Supernaturalas Steve
      2005 · TV
    • Stargate Atlantisas Male Wraith
      2004 · TV
    • Smallvilleas Wagner
      2001 · TV

    Brendan’s creative circle

    Most directed by

    • Peter Benson3 films
    • Terry Ingram3 films
    • Don McBrearty2 films
    • Michael Robison2 films

    Most written by

    • Marina Adair3 films
    • Judith Berg2 films
    • Nina Weinman2 films
    • Sandra Berg2 films
    • Steven Sessions2 films

    Who Brendan works with

    The cast and crew Brendan keeps ending up on set with — the regular faces you’ll recognise from one film to the next. Bigger circle, more films together.

    Brendan Penny's most frequent co-stars, sized by shared filmsLaura Soltis: 4 films togetherLaura Soltis4 filmsMarcus Rosner: 3 films togetherMarcus Rosner3 filmsRachael Leigh Cook: 3 films togetherRachael Leigh C…3 filmsAadila Dosani: 2 films togetherAadila Dosani2 filmsCardi Wong: 2 films togetherCardi Wong2 filmsDrew Henderson: 2 films togetherDrew Henderson2 filmsGwynyth Walsh: 2 films togetherGwynyth Walsh2 films

    Movies by year

    Brendan Penny Hallmark movies by release year1201512016320171201822019220202202112022220233202422025

    Ratings profile

    Average 6.5 across 16 rated movies — each dot is one film.

    Rating distribution for this filmography1510mean 6.5Beverly Hills Wedding: 5.6Valentine in the Vineyard: 6.2Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe: 6.2Summer in the Vineyard: 6.2Magical Christmas Ornaments: 6.3Tis the Season for Love: 6.3In Merry Measure: 6.4Easter Under Wraps: 6.4Autumn in the Vineyard: 6.5A Dash of Love: 6.6Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home: 6.8A Little Christmas Charm: 6.8The Secret Ingredient: 6.8A Season for Family: 7.0The Wedding Cottage: 7.1Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas: 7.2

    People also ask

    How many Hallmark movies has Brendan Penny been in?
    We have 20 Hallmark movies on file for Brendan Penny, spanning 2015–2025.
    What kind of Hallmark movies is Brendan Penny known for?
    Brendan is best known for Christmas movies and romances set in small towns.
    What is Brendan Penny's highest-rated Hallmark movie?
    Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas (2021) is Brendan's best-reviewed Hallmark film, with a 7.2/10 audience rating.
    What is Brendan Penny's most popular Hallmark movie?
    A Dash of Love (2017) has more audience votes than any other Brendan Penny Hallmark film, so it's the one most people have actually seen.
    Who does Brendan Penny usually star with?
    Brendan's most frequent on-screen partner is Rachael Leigh Cook — the two have led 3 films together as a Hallmark romantic pairing.
    Is Brendan Penny still making Hallmark movies?
    Yes — the most recent Brendan Hallmark film we have is from 2025, so the credits keep coming.
    How many Hallmark Christmas movies has Brendan Penny made?
    Brendan Penny turns up in 8 Hallmark Christmas movies.
    What was Brendan Penny's first Hallmark movie?
    The earliest Brendan Hallmark title we have is Tis the Season for Love (2015).
    Where is Brendan Penny from?
    Brendan is from Ottawa.
    What does Brendan Penny do in Hallmark movies?
    Brendan Penny works on Hallmark films as actor.

    Data & sources

    Brendan’s filmography, credits and ratings are compiled from IMDb, TMDB and Wikipedia, then checked and tidied by the Talking Hallmark team. Last updated June 2026.

    Catalogue curated by Alanna of Talking Hallmark. About the project

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