Connor Wyatt Trinneer was born on March 19, 1969, in Walla Walla, Washington. He spent much of his childhood in Kelso, Washington, where he attended elementary and middle school before graduating from Kelso High School. Trinneer pursued higher education at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, Washington, where he played college football before discovering his passion for acting. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

     Trinneer began his acting career in theater, performing in productions such as Arcadia at the Huntington Theater Company in Boston. He developed a strong connection with the Circle X Theatre Company in Hollywood, which led to various stage roles. His early television appearances included guest roles in One Life to Live, Sliders, and Touched by an Angel.

     In 2001, Trinneer landed his most well-known role as Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III on Star Trek: Enterprise. He portrayed the chief engineer of the Enterprise NX-01 for all four seasons of the series, from 2001 to 2005. Trinneer was twice nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

     Following Enterprise, Trinneer continued working in television, appearing in shows such as 24, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and NCIS. He also had a recurring role as the Wraith Michael in Stargate Atlantis. In 2023, he reprised his role as Trip Tucker in Star Trek: Very Short Treks.
From 2022 to 2024, Trinneer co-hosted The Shuttlepod Show podcast alongside his Enterprise co-star Dominic Keating. In 2024, the duo launched a new podcast, The D-Con Chamber.

     Trinneer was married to Ariana Navarre from 2004 to 2022, and they have a son, Jasper, born in 2005.