Tenney made his acting debut in a touring production of
Mike Nichols'
The Real Thing. He worked steadily
on and
off-Broadway, and in
regional theater. In
New York City, his stage credits include
Biloxi Blues,
The Substance of Fire and
The Heiress. He began working on television, starring in a number of short-lived series, including
Steven Bochco's
Brooklyn South,
Kristin Chenoweth's sitcom
Kristin, and guest appearances on
Cybill,
Will & Grace,
Murphy Brown,
Spenser: for Hire and
Get Real. Series with Tenney as a regular were canceled on all four major networks. From 2005 to 2012, Tenney played Special Agent
Fritz Howard, the husband of Deputy Chief
Brenda Leigh Johnson (
Kyra Sedgwick) in
TNT's
The Closer. For the 4th season of Lifetime's
The Division in 2004, he played Hank Riley. When
The Closer ended he continued to act in its spin-off,
Major Crimes, from 2012 to 2018, with Howard becoming an LAPD deputy chief in the third season. Later, he portrayed Dr. Simon Craig, a love interest of
Nora Walker (
Sally Field) in
Brothers & Sisters. In 2013, he starred with
Rebecca Romijn in TNT's
King & Maxwell, as Sean King, a former Secret Service agent and lawyer who works as a private investigator. The series was canceled after one season. In 2014, he was cast in a recurring role on
Shonda Rhimes' drama series
Scandal. Tenney appeared in several films, including the villainous CEO of Benbrook Oil Company in
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home and the friend of Alex Whitman (
Matthew Perry) in
Fools Rush In. He also starred in small roles for some films, including
Tombstone,
Beverly Hills Cop III,
Nixon,
Music from Another Room and the 2009 horror film remake of
The Stepfather. He also appeared in
John Cameron Mitchell's film,
Rabbit Hole. He portrayed Martin Jordan in the 2011 superhero film
Green Lantern. == Personal life ==