Jennifer Carpenter (born December 7, 1979) is an American actress. She drew widespread attention for her role as the lead in the supernatural horror film The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), which cemented her status as a scream queen. She gained fame for her role as Debra Morgan in the crime drama 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, as well as nominations for a Critics' Choice Television Award and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

In addition to Dexter, Carpenter's television roles include Rebecca Harris in the comedy-drama series Limitless (2015–2016) and Erica Shepherd 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).

Carpenter was born in Louisville, Kentucky, to Catherine (née Mitchell) and Robert Carpenter. She attended St. Raphael the Archangel School and then Sacred Heart Academy. She studied in the Walden Theatre Conservatory program and later at New York's Juilliard School (Drama Division, Group 31: 1998–2002).

Before graduating, she was cast in the 2002 Broadway production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney.