Jennifer Carpenter Biography

Jennifer Leann Carpenter (born December 7, 1979) is an American actress. Carpenter is best known for playing Debra Morgan on the hit Showtime drama series Dexter, for which she won a Saturn Award in 2009.

Early life

Carpenter was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of Catherine (born 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: 1998"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.

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.

In 2010, she ran the New York City Marathon with Elementary lead and her Dexter co-star Jonny Lee Miller, completing it in 3:34.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
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	Grayson Arms	Sarah/Tessa/Beth
2005	The Exorcism of Emily Rose	Emily Rose	MTV Movie Award for Best Frightened Performance 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	Ex-Girlfriends	Kate
2013	The Factory	Kelsey Walker

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Queen B	Kristen
2006-13	Dexter	Debra Morgan	84 episodes Series Regular Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television Nominated"?Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Drama Supporting Actress Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actress " Drama Series Nominated"?Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television Nominated"?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
2009	Dexter: Early Cuts	Debra Morgan	Voice 1 episode: "Gene Marshall: Chapter Three"
2011	The Good Wife	Pamela Raker	1 episode: "Parenting Made Easy (S03E10)"
2011/2012/2013	Pound Puppies	Pepper	Voice 3 episodes: "The K9 Kid", "I Heard the Barks on Christmas Eve", "It's Elementary My Dear Pup Club"