Joe Penny
ActorBorn 1956Active 2005–2008
View on IMDb
View on TMDBCareer at a glance
8Hallmark films
Audience rating6.2 / 10
across 8 rated films
Weirdness3.5 / 10
Mostly standard issue
Best reviewed
Joe Penny did not float between projects so much as settle into one. All eight of his films here are the same job, a tight run from 2005 to 2008 with the exact same faces every time. William R. Moses, Zack Shada, Lea Thompson and Jessy Schram each share all eight with him, which makes this a true ensemble rather than a string of one-off gigs. The work lives in the big city, never under any holiday snow, and it plays things straight rather than chasing the strange. The high points are the Jane Doe mysteries, with Eye of the Beholder and The Wrong Face both landing at 6.3, a hair above his 6.2 average. If you like a familiar cast solving a case in town, this is a steady little corner of the catalog to sink into.
Follow & about Joe
- From
- London
Joseph Edward Penny Jr. is a retired American actor best known for his roles as Nick Ryder on Riptide from 1984 to 1986, and as Jake Styles in Jake and the Fatman from 1987 to 1992.
Joe’s signature
Across 8 films, Joe usually plays a police officer and is usually set in the big city.
- the big city5 films
- a police officer4 films
- mistaken identity3 films
8 films
Joe has shared more Hallmark sets with Lea Thompson than with anyone else.
8 films, one enduring on-screen pairing.
Known for
Jane Doe: Vanishing Act6.1
as Frank Darnell · 2005
Weirdness 3/10
Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part6.2
as Frank Darnell · 2005
Weirdness 3/10
Jane Doe: The Wrong Face6.3
as Frank Darnell · 2005
Weirdness 4/10
Jane Doe: Yes, I Remember It Well6.1
as Frank Darnell · 2006
Weirdness 3/10
Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss6.2
as Frank Darnell · 2007
Weirdness 7/10
Jane Doe: Eye of the Beholder6.3
as Frank Darnell · 2008
Weirdness 3/10
On-screen partners
On-screen couple
Joe’s most frequent on-screen partner is Lea Thompson, with 8 films together — top-billed alongside each other in 6 of them.
Recurring roles
Joe is a recurring face in Jane Doe.
All 8 movies
Newest first2000s
8 films- 2008Jane Doe: Eye of the BeholderActor as Frank Darnell · Misunderstanding6.3Weird 3/10
- 2007Jane Doe: How to Fire Your BossActor as Frank Darnell · Big City6.2Weird 7/10
- 2007
Jane Doe: Ties That BindActor as Frank Darnell · Big City6.0Weird 3/10 - 2006
Jane Doe: The Harder They FallActor as Frank Darnell · Big City6.3Weird 2/10 - 2006Jane Doe: Yes, I Remember It WellActor as Frank Darnell · Big City6.1Weird 3/10
- 2005Jane Doe: The Wrong FaceActor as Frank Darnell · Big City6.3Weird 4/10
- 2005Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us PartActor as Frank Darnell · Big City6.2Weird 3/10
- 2005Jane Doe: Vanishing ActActor as Frank Darnell · Suburb6.1Weird 3/10
Joe’s standouts
In pictures
A quick look at Joe’s Hallmark run — headshot and the posters fans know best.
- Joe Penny
Joe’s creative circle
Most directed by
- James A. Contner3 films
- Armand Mastroianni2 films
- Lea Thompson2 films
Most written by
- Dean Hargrove8 films
- Ethlie Ann Vare5 films
- Stephen Niver5 films
- Adam Armus2 films
- Nora Kay Foster2 films
Who Joe works with
The cast and crew Joe keeps ending up on set with — the regular faces you’ll recognise from one film to the next.
Movies by year
Ratings profile
Average 6.2 across 8 rated movies — each dot is one film.
People also ask
- How many Hallmark movies has Joe Penny been in?
- We have 8 Hallmark movies on file for Joe Penny, spanning 2005–2008.
- What kind of Hallmark movies is Joe Penny known for?
- Joe is best known for romances set in the big city, often with mistaken identity.
- What is Joe Penny's highest-rated Hallmark movie?
- Jane Doe: Eye of the Beholder (2008) is Joe's best-reviewed Hallmark film, with a 6.3/10 audience rating.
- What is Joe Penny's most popular Hallmark movie?
- Jane Doe: Vanishing Act (2005) has more audience votes than any other Joe Penny Hallmark film, so it's the one most people have actually seen.
- Who does Joe Penny usually star with?
- Joe's most frequent on-screen partner is Lea Thompson — the two have led 8 films together as a Hallmark romantic pairing.
- Is Joe Penny still making Hallmark movies?
- The newest Joe Hallmark credit we have is from 2008; nothing later has turned up yet.
- What was Joe Penny's first Hallmark movie?
- The earliest Joe Hallmark title we have is Jane Doe: Vanishing Act (2005).
- Where is Joe Penny from?
- Joe is from London.
- What does Joe Penny do in Hallmark movies?
- Joe Penny works on Hallmark films as actor.
Data & sources
Joe’s filmography, credits and ratings are compiled from IMDb, TMDB and Wikipedia, then checked and tidied by the Talking Hallmark team. Last updated August 2026.
Catalogue curated by Alanna of Talking Hallmark. About the project
Talking Hallmark
Love talking about these as much as watching them?
So do we. Come hang out on the Talking Hallmark channel, where we dig into movies just like this one, episode after episode.
Watch the latest episode
“This romance movie gave me secondhand embarrassment”