Jennifer Leann Carpenter (born December 7, 1979) is an American actress best known for playing Debra Morgan on the Showtime drama series Dexter (2006â€"2013), for which she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2009.
Early life
Carpenter was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of Catherine (née Mitchell) and Robert Carpenter. She attended St. Raphael the Archangel and then Sacred Heart Academy. She trained at the Walden Theatre Conservatory program, and later at New York City's Juilliard School (Drama Division Group 31: 1998â€"2002). Before graduation, she was cast in the 2002 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney.
Career
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.
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 foster 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."
In 2011, she starred in the off-Broadway play Gruesome Playground Injuries at Second Stage Theatre and had a guest appearance on the CBS drama The Good Wife.
In January, 2014, it was announced that Carpenter will star in a new ABC drama Sea of Fire, playing FBI Agent Leah Pierce. However the show was not picked into series.
In August, 2014, it was announced that she will provide the voice of Juli Kidman in the survival horror video game The Evil Within. marking her first video game appearance. The game was released in October 2014.
Personal life
In 2007, she began dating her Dexter co-star Michael C. Hall. 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. In December 2010, Hall and Carpenter released a statement announcing that they had filed for divorce after having been separated "for some time". The divorce was finalized in December 2011 for irreconcilable differences; however, the two remain very close friends. On February 10, 2015, it was announced she is expecting her first child with fiancé Seth Avett.
In 2010, she ran the New York City Marathon with Elementary lead and Dexter co-star Jonny Lee Miller, completing it in 3:34.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
References
External links
- Jennifer Carpenter on Twitter
- Jennifer Carpenter at the Internet Movie Database