Jennifer Carpenter

Jennifer Carpenter plays Debra Morgan in Dexter. Her blunt delivery is an excellent contrast to Michael C. Hall's guardedness. Debra tends to let a feeling out before finding a polite expression for it, but Carpenter gives the character more than volume and a sharp vocabulary. The need to be taken seriously makes the confidence less straightforward than it first appears.

Her film work includes The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Quarantine. On television she plays FBI agent Rebecca Harris in Limitless, Mamie Fossett in 1923, and appears as Debra in Dexter: New Blood.

In the original Dexter, the sibling relationship is the most important part of her contribution. Debra has demands, disappointments and loyalties that don't fit neatly around her brother's schedule. Carpenter makes those ordinary emotional needs as compelling as the thriller around them.