Jennifer Leann Carpenter was born on December 7, 1979 in Louisville, Kentucky. She is an American film actress.

While at the Walden School she played Helena in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". At age 8 she played Tiny Tim at the annual Dickens on Main Street celebration and held the role for three years. For college, Jennifer attended Juilliard in New York City since the age of 18. In 2002 Jennifer portrayed Mary Warren in the Broadway production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", also starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. Linney, calling her the finest young actress she's ever known, was so taken by Carpenter's performance that she suggested her to the casting directors of "The Exorcism of Emily Rose".

After her work in "The Crucible", Jennifer Carpenter moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting in films. Life was sometimes hard for the struggling actress. "It was really hard living at first. I think you feel the highs a lot more out here and the lows a lot more as well. So when I first got out here, I was stretching $20 to last for a week and waiting tables. I did that for about six months. And I don't mind it at all. I was really happy for the experience, but it made me get really aggressive about what I want. You know, I've been doing this since I was 8, and I've never considered doing anything else, so I knew I had to kick it in gear."

And so she did, starting her film career acting in independent movies, such as "People Are Dead" (2002), "Ash Tuesday" (2003), "Last Days of America" (2005) and "Lethal Eviction" (2005). Jennifer also had a small cameo role in "D.E.B.S" (2004) and streched her comedy muscles in "White Chicks" (2004). While she is best known for dramatic roles, Jennifer says that she loved this role and the experience of working in "White Chicks". "I loved doing "White Chicks". I feel just as comfortable in comedy as I do in drama, and you know, I learned a lot doing that movie, made some of my best friends in the whole world too. I'm really proud of it." The film lead Carpenter to her first TV series, Danny DeVito's "Queen B" (2003), in which she co-starred alongside Alicia Silverstone. Unfortunately only a pilot was filmed because Fox did not end up picking up the show.

Carpenter moved on to star in "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (2005) alongside close friend Laura Linney in a role that made her both a household name as well as an acclaimed character actress. Her impressive performance made TV produces take notice and so she was shortly cast as Debra Morgan in Showtime's risque and brilliant new series, "Dexter". The successful series will start filming its second season in May 2007. Meanwhile, Jennifer has been acting in Stuart Townsend's "The Battle in Seattle".

Filmography

• Quarantined (2008)
• "Dexter" (24 episodes, 2006-2007)
• Battle in Seattle (2007)
• The Dog Problem (2006)
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
• Lethal Eviction (2005)
• Queen B (2005)
• Last Days of America (2005)
• White Chicks (2004)
• D.E.B.S. (2004)
• Ash Tuesday (2003)
• People Are Dead (2002)

Awards

• MTV Movie Award Best Frightened Performance "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" 2006