Quinn was born in Berkeley, California, where he attended St. Mary’s College High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley in 1991. While in Berkeley, Quinn was a brother of Alpha Delta Phi (California Chapter). He also played rugby for Cal.

Quinn studied with Joe Satriani and played in the Los Angeles-based bands Mad Theory and Scattergood, which led to a recording contract. He handled lead/rhythm guitar and vocals for the band ScatterGood, which has taken a hiatus. Quinn recently did his first solo demo CD, entitled Quinn, with three songs produced by his friend Chris Lloyd: “Because of You”, “Cause I Do” and “We Had It Made”. Another 5 song EP was released in 2013.

After graduating, he worked as a model in Paris, Barcelona, and Milan, landing parts in more than 35 international television commercials. When he returned to the United States, Quinn landed the starring role of Finn in The WB summer series Young Americans. From 2006 through 2008, he played Nathan Stark in the Syfy series Eureka, reprising this role once during 2010. In 2015 he joined the cast of the ABC series Mistresses. In 2016 he joined the cast of 2 Broke Girls for 2 seasons. In 2018, Quinn had a recurring role in the Netflix series One Day at a Time. Quinn’s role as Max Ferraro on One Day at a Time continued as the show transitioned to Pop (also shown on TV Land and Logo) for the fourth season in 2020. In 2019, Quinn landed the starring role of fictitious President Hunter Franklin in the Tyler Perry series “The Oval.”