Jennifer Carpenter

Jennifer Carpenter (born December 7, 1979) is an American actress. Her early film roles include the cult comedy ''White Chicks'' (2004) and the supernatural horror '' The Exorcism of Emily Rose'' (2005), with the latter establishing her as a scream queen. She rose to prominence for playing Debra Morgan in the crime drama series ''Dexter'' (2006–2013), which she reprised in the miniseries '' Dexter: New Blood'' (2021–2022). Her accolades include an MTV Movie Award and a Saturn Award, and nominations for a Critics' Choice Television Award and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Carpenter's television roles beyond ''Dexter'' include Rebecca Harris in the comedy drama series '' Limitless'' (2015–2016) and Erica Shephard in the drama series '' The Enemy Within'' (2019). Her film roles include Angela Vidal in the found footage horror film ''Quarantine'' (2008) and Sonya Blade in the direct-to-video ''Mortal Kombat'' films '' Scorpion's Revenge'' (2020) and '' Battle of the Realms'' (2021).

Early life and education

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'': 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 was cast in the film at the suggestion of co-star Laura Linney, who previously worked with Carpenter in a play. Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' called her performance "gruelling" and Paul Arendt of BBC believed the film was effective "thanks to a committed performance from Jennifer Carpenter". She took home the 2006 MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance and won 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 adoptive sister impressed a number of 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." For ''Dexter'', she received numerous accolades in Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories, winning a Saturn Award from eight consecutive nominations, and earning nominations for a Critics' Choice Television Award and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

In 2008, she starred in ''Quarantine'', an American remake of the 2007 Spanish horror film '' Rec'', about a deadly zombie virus outbreak in an apartment complex.

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 would star in a new ABC drama ''Sea of Fire'', playing FBI Agent Leah Pierce. 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'', marking her first video game appearance. The game was released in October 2014, and Carpenter provided voicework for two of ''The Evil Withins DLC chapters, "The Assignment" and "The Consequence", which featured Juli Kidman as the playable protagonist. However, Carpenter did not reprise the role in the game's sequel, '' The Evil Within 2'', and her character was recast.

In early 2015, Carpenter was cast in the CBS drama series '' Limitless'' in which she co-starred with Jake McDorman.

On July 13, 2021, Showtime confirmed that Carpenter would reprise her role of Debra Morgan in a 10-episode limited series, '' Dexter: New Blood'', with Clyde Phillips returning as showrunner. The series premiered on November 7, 2021.

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, citing irreconcilable differences, after having been separated "for some time". The divorce was finalized in December 2011; the two remain very close friends.

On February 10, 2015, it was announced that Carpenter and musician Seth Avett were engaged and expecting their first child. Later that year, Carpenter gave birth to a son. She had been eight-and-a-half months pregnant when shooting the pilot episode of '' Limitless''. Carpenter and Avett married in May 2016.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Jennifer

1979 births
Living people
Actresses from Louisville, Kentucky
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Juilliard School alumni
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses