Background
Carpenter was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of Catherine (née Mitchell) and Robert Carpenter.
Carpenter was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of Catherine (née Mitchell) and Robert Carpenter.
She attended Saint 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. Carpenter first attracted critical attention for her performance in The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
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"son"
In 2011, she starred in the off-Broadway play Gruesome Playground Injuries at Second Stage Theatre and had a guest appearance on the Columbia Broadcasting System drama The Good Wife.
In January 2014, it was announced that Carpenter would star in a new American Broadcasting Company drama Sea of Fire, playing Federal Bureau of Investigation 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. In early 2015, Carpenter was cast in the Columbia Broadcasting System drama series Limitless in which she co-stars with Jake McDorman.