American actress Jennifer Carpenter is born on December 7, 1979 in Louisville, Kentucky. She trained in acting at the Walden Theatre Conservatory in Louisville, and later, at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City. She began her career in Broadway, appearing in the revival of Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible alongside Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. She made her film debut in 2002, in a minor role in the drama People Are Dead.
Carpenter then appeared in several more films, such as Ash Tuesday, D.E.B.S. and White Chicks. In 2005, she appeared in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, playing the title role, a girl who is believed to be possessed by demons after acquiring visions and the ability to perform severe body contortions. The film also starred Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson. Audiences gave a favorable response to the film, which led to Carpenter winning an MTV Movie Award in 2006 for Best Frightened Performance.
In 2006, she was cast in the television drama Dexter, about a blood spatter analyst (Michael C. Hall) who acts as a vigilante serial killer. Here, she plays the role of Debra Morgan, the lead character’s adoptive sister, who like him is also a cop at the Miami Metro Police Department. Often assigned to the same cases as his brother, she often comes up with theories regarding how the victims are killed, but is unsure of herself, to the point that Dexter conducts the investigation himself.
Carpenter has since appeared in films such as The Dog Problem, Battle in Seattle and the lead role in the horror film Quarantine, as news reporter Angela Vidal. She also received three Saturn Award nominations: one in 2006 for The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and one each in 2007 and 2008 for Best Supporting Actress on Television for Dexter.