Born: December 7, 1979
Age: 44
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.

Jennifer Leann Carpenter (born December 7, 1979) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Debra Morgan, the adoptive sister of the title character of the Showtime series Dexter. Her performance on the show earned her a Saturn Award in 2009.
Jennifer Leann Carpenter was born on December 7, 1979 in Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of Catherine (née Mitchell) and Robert Carpenter.[1] She attended St. Raphael the Archangel and then Sacred Heart Academy. She trained at the Walden Theatre Conservatory program,[2] and later at New York City's Juilliard School (Drama Division Group 31: 1998-2002).[3]Before graduation, she was cast in the 2002 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney.[4]
Carpenter first attracted critical attention for her performance in The Exorcism of Emily Rose. She took home the 2006 MTV Movie Award for 'Best Frightened Performance', and also received a 'Hollywood Life Breakthrough Award'. She was also named 'Breakout Performer' at the 2006 Scream Awards.
In 2008, she also starred in Quarantine, an American remake of the 2007 Spanish horror film, about a deadly zombie virus outbreak in an apartment complex.
Carpenter played the role of Debra Morgan in the Showtime crime drama television series Dexter, which premiered October 1, 2006. Her portrayal of the title character's adoptive sister has impressed some critics, with Australian journalist Jack Marx describing her portrayal of "cool and clumsy" Debra as "so perfect that many viewers appear to have mistaken the character's flaws for the actor's."[5]
In 2011, she starred in the off-Broadway play Gruesome Playground Injuries at Second Stage Theatre[6] and had a guest appearance on the CBS drama The Good Wife.[7]
In January 2014, it was announced that Carpenter would star in a new ABC drama Sea of Fire, playing FBI Agent Leah Pierce.[8] However, the show was not picked up as a series. In August 2014, it was announced that she would provide the voice of Juli Kidman in the survival horror video game The Evil Within,[9] marking her first video game appearance. The game was released in October 2014.
In early 2015, Carpenter was cast in the CBS drama series Limitless in which she co-starred with Jake McDorman.[10][11]
In 2007, she began dating her Dexter co-star Michael C. Hall.[12] They eloped on New Year's Eve, 2008 in California and publicly appeared together for the first time as a married couple at the 66th Golden Globe Awards in January 2009.[12] In December 2010, Hall and Carpenter released a statement announcing that they had filed for divorce after having been separated "for some time".[13] The divorce was finalized in December 2011[14] for irreconcilable differences; however, the two remain very close friends.[15][16]
Carpenter started dating folk musician Seth Avett in 2013.[17] On February 10, 2015, it was announced that the couple were engaged and expecting their first child. In August 2015, it was revealed that Carpenter gave birth in May to a son, Isaac, and admitted that she was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when shooting the pilot episode of Limitless.[18][17] Carpenter and Avett married in May 2016.
In 2010, she ran the New York City Marathon, completing it in 3:34:28.[19]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Nice Guys Sleep Alone | Uncredited | |
2001 | People Are Dead | Angela's friend #2 | |
2003 | Ash Tuesday | Samantha | |
2004 | D.E.B.S. | Hysterical Student | |
2004 | White Chicks | Lisa | |
2005 | Last Days of America | Friend in New York #2 | |
2005 | Lethal Eviction | Sarah / Tessa / Beth | also known as Grayson Arms |
2005 | The Exorcism of Emily Rose | Emily Rose | MTV Movie Award for Best Frightened Performance Nominated—Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |
2006 | The Dog Problem | Redheaded waitress | |
2007 | Battle in Seattle | Sam | |
2008 | Quarantine | Angela Vidal | |
2010 | Faster | Nan Porterman | |
2011 | Seeking Justice | Trudy | |
2012 | Gone | Sharon Ames | |
2012 | The Factory | Kelsey Walker | |
2012 | Ex-Girlfriends | Kate | Executive producer |
2014 | Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher | Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow | Voice (English version)[20] |
2014 | The Devil's Hand | Rebekah | |
2017 | Brawl in Cell Block 99 | Lauren Thomas | |
2018 | Batman: Gotham by Gaslight | Selina Kyle (voice) | Direct-to-video |
2018 | Dragged Across Concrete | Kelly Summer | Filming |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Queen B | Kristen | Television movie |
2006-2013 | Dexter | Debra Morgan | Main role, 96 episodes Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Nominated—Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Nominated—Prism Award for Female Performance in a Drama Series Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television (2007-09, 2011-13) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2009-12) |
2009 | Dexter: Early Cuts | Debra Morgan | 2 episodes |
2011 | The Good Wife | Pamela Raker | Episode: "Parenting Made Easy" |
2011-2013 | Pound Puppies | Pepper | 5 episodes |
2014 | Robot Chicken | Voice | Episode: "Victoria's Secret of NIMH" |
2015-2016 | Limitless | Rebecca Harris | Main role, 22 episodes |
2019 | The Enemy Within | Erica Shepherd | Lead role |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | The Evil Within | Juli Kidman | Voice |
2015 | The Assignment | Juli Kidman | DLC |
2015 | The Consequence | Juli Kidman | DLC |
[ Source: Wikipedia ]