Luke Macfarlane
Canadian actor (born 1980)
title: "Luke Macfarlane" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1980-births", "20th-century-canadian-lgbtq-people", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "21st-century-canadian-lgbtq-people", "21st-century-canadian-male-actors", "american-gay-actors", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-stage-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "canadian-emigrants-to-the-united-states", "canadian-gay-actors", "canadian-gay-musicians", "canadian-lgbtq-singers", "canadian-male-film-actors", "canadian-male-stage-actors", "canadian-male-television-actors", "gay-singers", "juilliard-school-alumni", "living-people", "male-actors-from-london,-ontario", "naturalized-citizens-of-the-united-states"] description: "Canadian actor (born 1980)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_Macfarlane" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Canadian actor (born 1980) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Luke Macfarlane |
| image | Luke Macfarlane at San Diego Comic Con 2025.jpg |
| alt | |
| caption | Macfarlane in 2025 |
| birth_name | Thomas Luke Macfarlane |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | London, Ontario, Canada |
| citizenship | {{plainlist |
| education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| occupation | |
| years_active | 2003–present |
| partner | Hig Roberts (2020–present) |
| children | 1 |
| :: |
| name = Luke Macfarlane | image = Luke Macfarlane at San Diego Comic Con 2025.jpg | alt = | caption = Macfarlane in 2025 | birth_name = Thomas Luke Macfarlane | birth_date = | birth_place = London, Ontario, Canada | citizenship = {{plainlist|
- Canada
- United States (since 2018)}} | education = Juilliard School (BFA) | occupation = | years_active = 2003–present | partner = Hig Roberts (2020–present) | children = 1 Thomas Luke Macfarlane (born 19 January 1980) is a Canadian actor and former singer. He is known for playing Scotty Wandell on the ABC television drama Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011), RAC Agent D'avin Jaqobis on the Space television science fiction series Killjoys (2015–2019), the romantic lead in a number of Hallmark Channel movies, and Aaron Shepard in the gay romantic comedy film Bros (2022).
Early life and education
Thomas Luke Macfarlane was born on 19 January 1980, in London, Ontario. His father Thomas was the director of student health services at the University of Western Ontario, and his mother Penny is a mental health nurse at a London hospital. Macfarlane attended London Central Secondary School with twin sister, Ruth, and older sister Rebecca. Macfarlane went to school at the Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts, then later studied drama at Juilliard in New York City.
Career
Macfarlane had an early role playing opposite Cynthia Nixon in Robert Altman's miniseries Tanner on Tanner on the Sundance Channel. He subsequently had leading roles on the 2005 FX series Over There (playing PV2 Frank "Dim" Dumphy) and in the 2009 two-part miniseries titled Iron Road.
His first notable role was as Scotty Wandell on ABC's Brothers & Sisters, husband to Kevin Walker (played by Matthew Rhys), one of the "brothers" of the show. Macfarlane's other notable television roles include Jason Howell in the Canadian sitcom Satisfaction, Rick Lincoln on NBC's The Night Shift, Chaplain Hopkins on PBS's Mercy Street. Macfarlane guest starred on an episode (Episode 12, Season 2) of Shifting Gears on 28 January 2026 as Sam Parker.
Macfarlane starred as D'avin Jaqobis in Syfy's Killjoys.
Macfarlane has also starred in TV movies, such as Hallmark Channel's The Memory Book, Christmas Land,* Maggie's Miracle Christmas*, The Birthday Wish, and The Mistletoe Promise (2016).
He co-starred in a major film release, Bros, with Billy Eichner in 2022, which was noted for the principal cast being all LGBTQ+, even for heterosexual and cis-gender characters. In a 2025 interview, MacFarlane said his contract with the Hallmark Channel changed many times since he started working for the company in 2014.
Stage
Macfarlane was one of the four leads in Juvenilia at the Playwrights Horizons Theater from 14 November – 21 December 2003. He played the lead role in the American premiere of the play Where Do We Live, staged at the Vineyard Theatre in May 2004. The production was cited by the 2005 GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding New York Theatre: Broadway and Off-Broadway. He also appeared with Jill Clayburgh and Hamish Linklater in the off-Broadway production of The Busy World is Hushed, again at Playwrights Horizons, in Summer 2006. He reprised his role of Thomas for the L.A. Premiere at the Skirball Cultural Center from 7–11 February 2007.
Macfarlane was part of the one-night celebrity performed staging of Howard Ashman's unproduced musical Dreamstuff. The musical was re-imagined by Howard's partners Marsha Malamet and Dennis Green and performed one night only at Los Angeles' Hayworth Theatre as part of the Bruno Kirby celebrity reading series, directed by actor Michael Urie. Luke starred in the show alongside Eden Espinosa, Vicki Lewis, Fred Willard and David Blue.
Macfarlane starred in the world premiere of stage drama Reverberation in February 2015 at Hartford Stage in Connecticut.
Music career
Macfarlane was the lead singer and a songwriter for the band Fellow Nameless, which began in his 8th grade along with some of his classmates at Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts under the name of Slipnaught, a name they randomly chose from a dictionary because they did not have a name for the band when it came time to perform on stage. Fellow Nameless came from Slipnaught mainly because the band members hated the original name, and so, Fellow Nameless was born at London Central Secondary School. Fellow Nameless has produced one underground album, which was a half-studio, half-live CD album, and they recorded an additional ten songs that never got put out including three songs that were recorded for a development deal with Maverick Records. They played a showcase for Danny Strick A&R of Maverick Records and in the end got passed over. The once thought of as defunct London, Ontario based band, Fellow Nameless, later had two incarnations without Macfarlane as lead singer. The first incarnation came in the second quarter of 2004 with the creation of Van A Primer and a new singer, Matthew Pearn. Their most recent incarnation, as of March 2006, has three of the remaining band members under the new band name of Cancel Winter.
Personal life
Macfarlane came out as gay during an interview with The Globe and Mail on 15 April 2008. On 12 June 2018, Macfarlane was naturalized as an American citizen.
Macfarlane plays the cello, and this skill was used in the Hallmark movie Chateau Christmas. He also plays the trumpet.
On 4 June 2023, Macfarlane and his partner, alpine skier Hig Roberts, announced the birth of their first child.
Filmography
::data[format=table title="Film"]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Kinsey | Bruce Kinsey | |
| 2006 | Recalled | Lieutenant Sefton | Short film |
| Trapped Ashes | Vincent | Segment: "My Twin, The Worm" | |
| 2013 | Erection | Dean | Short film |
| 2017 | Rock, Paper, Scissors | Peter Harris | |
| 2021 | Single All the Way | James | On Netflix |
| 2022 | Bros | Aaron Shepard | |
| TBA | Lone Star Bull | Bull Jackson | Post-production |
| :: |
::data[format=table title="Television"]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Tanner on Tanner | Stuart DeBarge | TV miniseries |
| 2005 | Over There | PV2 Frank "Dim" Dumphy | Main role; 13 episodes |
| 2006–2011 | Brothers & Sisters | Scott "Scotty" Wandell | Recurring role (seasons 1–2); main role (seasons 3–5); 81 episodes |
| 2009 | Iron Road | James Nichol | TV miniseries |
| 2012 | Beauty & the Beast | Phillippe Bertrand | Episode: "Proceed with Caution" |
| 2013 | Person of Interest | Agent Alan Fahey | Episode: "Proteus" |
| Smash | Patrick Dillon | Episodes: "The Tonys", "The Nominations" | |
| Satisfaction | Jason Howell | Main role; 13 episodes | |
| 2014–2017 | The Night Shift | Rick Lincoln | Recurring role; 8 episodes |
| 2014 | The Memory Book | Gabe Sinclair | Television movie (Hallmark) |
| 2015 | Supergirl | Agent Donovan | Episodes: "Red Faced", "Human for a Day" |
| 2015–2019 | Killjoys | RAC Agent D'avin Jaqobis | Main role, 5 seasons |
| 2015 | Christmas Land | Tucker Barnes | Television movie (Hallmark) |
| 2016–2017 | Mercy Street | Chaplain Hopkins | Main role |
| 2016 | The Mistletoe Promise | Nicholas Derr | Television movie (Hallmark) |
| 2017 | The Birthday Wish | David McKinely | |
| Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle | Casey Cummins | Television movie (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) | |
| 2018 | A Shoe Addict's Christmas | Jake Marsden | Television movie (Hallmark) |
| 2019 | Just Add Romance | Jason Tucker | |
| Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen | Edward Ferris | Television movie (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) | |
| 2020 | A Valentine's Match | Zach Williams | Television movie (Hallmark) |
| Chateau Christmas | Jackson Lewis | ||
| 2021 | Taking a Shot at Love | Ryan Cooper | |
| Christmas in My Heart | Sean Grant | ||
| 2022 | Moriah's Lighthouse | Ben McCain | |
| A Magical Christmas Village | Ryan Scott | ||
| 2023–present | Platonic | Charlie | Main role |
| 2023 | Notes of Autumn | Leo | Television film (Hallmark) |
| Amish Stud: The Eli Weaver Story | Eli | Television film (Lifetime) | |
| Catch Me If You Claus | Chris | Television film (Hallmark) | |
| 2024–present | Invincible | Rick Sheridan (voice) | Season 2 onwards |
| 2024 | Hacks | Brad | Episode: "Better Late" |
| 2025 | Shifting Gears | Sam Parker | Season 2 |
| :: |
::data[format=table title="Music videos"]
| Year | Artist | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Seal | Love's Divine | Guy chasing after girlfriend in taxi |
| :: |
Theatre
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Juvenilia | Brondie Chase |
| 2004 | Where Do We Live? | Stephen |
| In The Wings (Stage Reading) | Nicky Sanchez | |
| 2006 | ** | Thomas |
| 2007 | ** | Thomas |
| 2008 | Dreamstuff (Stage Reading) | |
| 2009 | ** | F. Scott Fitzgerald |
| 2010 | Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir | Sam Bendrix |
| Some Men | ||
| 2011 | ** | Craig Donner/Grady |
| Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir | Sam Bendrix | |
| 2012 | ** | Felix Turner |
| 8 (Stage Reading) | Jeff Zarrillo | |
| Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir | Sam Bendrix | |
| 2015 | Reverberation | Jonathan |
| 2016 | Running on Fire | |
| 2017 | Big Night | Austin |
| :: |
References
References
- (19 January 2018). "Dolly Parton turns 72 today: Celebrity birthdays for Jan. 19". Vancouver Island Free Daily.
- Rosenblum, Ira. (October 2008). "Q&A With Luke Macfarlane". [[The Juilliard School]].
- (5 October 2004). "16 Years Later, It's a Sendup of a Sendup".
- (27 July 2009). "Iron Road dramatizes chapter in Chinese Canadian history".
- (21 January 2010). "Matthew Rhys on Brothers and Sisters".
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130627163959/http://www.ctv.ca/Satisfaction/Cast/Luke-Macfarlane.aspx Satisfaction - Luke Macfarlane] CTV.ca
- (2 July 2014). "Luke Macfarlane excited about his role as gay military man on NBC's The Night Shift".
- "Interview: Luke Macfarlane on "The Night Shift," Gay Military Couples, "Brothers & Sisters" & More".
- (19 December 2015). "Luke Macfarlane Talks Christmas Land, Killjoys, Mercy Street, and More [Exclusive]".
- Flook, Ray. (28 January 2026). "Shifting Gears: Our S02E12: "Uncle Sam" & Season 2 Finale Preview".
- (22 July 2014). "'Brothers & Sisters' Alum Luke MacFarlane, Hannah John-Kamen and Aaron Ashmore Join Syfy's 'Killjoys'".
- (19 June 2015). "Luke Macfarlane On Sexuality and the Sci-Fi Genre In 'Killjoys' - Xfinity TV Blog".
- (26 July 2014). "TV Movie Goodness Interview: Luke Macfarlane Talks Hallmark Movie Channel's The Memory Book".
- Goldberg, Lesley. (23 September 2021). "Billy Eichner Sets Historic LGBTQ Cast (With a Twist) for Universal's ''Bros''". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
- Chapman, Wilson. (8 June 2022). "Billy Eichner on All-Queer ''Bros'' Cast: 'We're Trying to Correct an Imbalance'".
- (15 January 2025). "What Hallmark Stars Have Said About Their Contracts: Brooke Shields, Luke Macfarlane and More".
- (7 December 2003). "Juvenilia, Tale of College Kids and Games of Seduction, Opens Off-Bway Dec. 7 {{!}} Playbill".
- (21 February 2013). "Where Do We Live {{!}} Written & Directed by Christopher Shinn".
- Isherwood, Charles. (26 June 2006). "Questions of Family and Faith in 'The Busy World Is Hushed'". The New York Times.
- "Canada's Luke Macfarlane to star in premiere of 'Reverberation'".
- Branco, Nelson. (30 June 2017). "Killjoy's Luke Macfarlane admits his rock star days are over". [[Toronto Sun]].
- Chelin, Pamela. (15 April 2008). "A commitment to himself". [[The Globe and Mail]].
- (29 September 2022). "London actor Luke MacFarlane rises to Hollywood lead with Bros". CBC News.
- Macfarlane, Luke. (12 June 2020). "Two years ago today I became an American citizen. WIth my Macfarlane family tartan tie I took an oath of allegiance with people born in many different countries. #vote".
- (29 October 2020). "Did MacFarlane & Patterson Really Play Their Instruments in "Chateau Christmas?" Find Out!".
- (28 March 2020). "Gay Influence: Actor Luke Macfarlane".
- (21 June 2023). "Luke Macfarlane is Officially a Father, Shares Pics of Newborn Daughter".
- "Invincible Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Cast & More".
- Andreeva, Nellie. (9 December 2025). "'Shifting Gears': Luke Macfarlane Cast As Long-Missing Parker Family Member". Deadline Hollywood.
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