What We Know About Hallmark Hunk Brendan Penny's Private Family Life

Hallmark's star Brendan Penny's filmography includes fan favorites like "Chesapeake Shores" in 2016, "Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas" in 2021, and "The Wedding Cottage" in 2023. These movies were immensely popular and gained Penny many fans, but Penny chose to keep his family life private throughout his growing fame.

Many Hallmark fans have no idea that Penny joined the channel in 2014, four years after he married. In a chat with Just Jared, he dished that his 2010 wedding was a small and private affair. "We actually got married in the Okanagan, which is in the interior of British Columbia in the summer, on a family friend's place." He added that they wedded on the water in a beautiful and romantic wedding.

So, who is Penny's wife? Fans know little about her apart from her name, Lisa Gerrard. The actor rarely posts pictures of his family, and although his very first Instagram post in October 2013 was about his wife, it didn't contain her picture. Instead, it was a screenshot of her telling him she was overwhelmed. His reply was understanding and sweet, and he captioned the post: "I love my wife." 

Brendan Penny and Lisa Gerrard have two children together. We don't know their names or ages, but we do know that they are adorably cute. Despite keeping his family off social media, there's no doubt that Penny is quite the family man. In 2015, he posted an incredibly adorable baby picture of his younger child to X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: "I never tweet family pics ... but come on!" Later that year, he posted a picture of his older toddler on X and captioned it, "What's up now? #favoriteperson." 

Brendan's social media also reveals a heartwarming relationship with his mother and two other siblings. In November 2017, the father of two posted a photo with two others, captioning it, "Brothers and sister at our finest! #family." In August 2018, Penny posted an Instagram picture of a lovely older lady reeling in a line on a boat and captioned it: "Nothing like putting mom into some fish. #tofinolife #momsvacation #healthyeats."

Brendan Penny is an absolute favorite — and not just for giving us one of the best Hallmark Movies of 2023. Although his family seldom appears on his social media pages, the Penny family pets are regulars, and it's obvious that the actor has a weakness for rescues. "The Wedding Cottage" actor's cute Boston Terrier made an Instagram debut in September 2016. Penny shared that the brown and white pooch loved walks and was partial to sunny spots. Sadly, in a December 2018 Instagram post, he updated that "little roo" had passed away after 14 years of companionship.

The actor has also shared pictures of his cats and even revealed how they felt about "Chesapeake Shores." "She's so excited about #chesapeakeshores she can barely contain it," he wrote of his black kitten in September 2016. He also captioned a photo of another cat sleeping: "Also ... can't contain her excitement! #chesapeakeshores."

A year after Penny's dog passed, he adopted another, a 4-month-old Shepherd/Lab cross named Griffin. Amidst the pictures of Griffin engaging in the most puppy-like adventures, Brendan posted in 2020 that he had adopted another kitten from a group he found abandoned in a box at the gas station. Two years later, he shared a photo of another stray cat who was "playing hard to get." Thanks to Penny, we're pretty certain that the only thing better than a Hallmark hunk is an animal-loving Hallmark hunk.