He studied at the william Esper Studio in New York City from 1997–1999, where he appeared in productions of Macbeth and King Lear with the Frog & Peach Theater. Brenninkmeyer worked with the theatre company "Theatre Tribe" in Los Angeles, California in 2004. He has also studied theater in London, where he performed in the title role of Woyzeck at the Etcetera Theatre.
Brenninkmeyer first achieved success in Germany with the role of hotel manager Christian Dolbien in the German television series girl friends – Freundschaft mit Herz. He has also appeared in several other German shows and telemovies, as well as had supporting roles on the American shows Sex and the City, Law & Order, and Guiding Light. For the American comedy troupe Broken Lizard, Brenninkmeyer has played a Swinging German car thief in Super Troopers, a German beer tournament Referee in Beerfest and a perturbed diner in The Slammin' Salmon. Brenninkmeyer starred as an American businessman in the German-Singapore movie House of Harmony opposite the Singaporean film star Fann Wong. He also appeared in the 2008 episode "The Jet Set" of Mad Men.
