Hayden Panettiere is an American actress and singer. Hayden was first known for her character of Sheryl Yoast in Disney's Remember the Titans during the early part of her career, and has reached a wider audience with her current starring role as Claire Bennet on the NBC television program Heroes.

Panettiere began modeling at the age of four months. She then began appearing in commercials at 11 months, first appearing in an advertisement for Playskool. She landed a role as Sarah Roberts on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live (1994-1997) and later as Lizzie Spaulding on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light when she was seven years old (1996-2000). While on Guiding Light, Panettiere's character Lizzie battled leukemia. The show received a Special Recognition Award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for bringing national awareness of the disease to the attention of daytime viewers.

Panettiere appears as Claire Bennet in the NBC series Heroes as a high school cheerleader with regenerative healing powers. Due to her role on Heroes, she became a regular on the science fiction convention circuit, invited to attend conventions around the world in 2007, including GenCon, New York Comic-Con and Fan Expo Canada. In regard to the roles she has played, Panettiere admitted that options are sometimes limited because "people look at [her] as either the 'popular cheerleader' type or just 'the blonde'."

She has appeared in over a dozen full-length feature films, as well as several made-for-TV movies. She provided the voice for Dot in the Pixar CGI animated movie A Bug's Life. She also played the role of Coach Yoast's daughter, Sheryl, in the 2000 Disney film Remember The Titans. In addition, she appeared as the voice of Kairi in the Kingdom Hearts series of video games for the PlayStation 2. Panettiere appeared on FOX's Ally McBeal as Ally McBeal's daughter, and had a recurring guest role on Malcolm in the Middle and guest starred in Law & Order: SVU. She starred in Bring It On: All or Nothing as a cheerleader and had a supporting role as Adelaide Bourbon in the recently released independent film Shanghai Kiss. She also appeared in the Disney Channel Original Movie Tiger Cruise playing the main role of a Navy brat. She also stared in Raising Helen, as the adolescent niece.

She appeared in the drama film Fireflies in the Garden as a younger version of Emily Watson's character, Jane Lawrence. In June 2007, she signed with the William Morris Agency, after previously being represented by United Talent Agency. Forbes estimated that she earned $2 million in 2007.

In early 2007, Panettiere appeared on the syndicated Ashton Kutcher-produced show, Punk'd. The appearance was engineered by her mother and involved a male "fan" discussing her work with her, instigating a jealous reaction from the man's spouse. In December 2007 Panettiere was named GQ Magazine's Obsession Of the Year.

In September 2008, Panettiere appeared in a PSA satire video on funnyordie.com entitled "Hayden Panettiere PSA: Your Vote, Your Choice".

In October, Hayden debuted another satirical PSA video on funnyordie.com entitled "Vote for McCain: He's just like George Bush, except older and with a worse temper".

And by late 2009 Hayden Panettiere is set to star in teenage comedy Daydream Nation, written and to be directed by Michael Goldbach, says Variety.

Panettiere was nominated for a Grammy in 1999 for A Bug's Life Read-Along [2000]. She recorded a song called "My Hero Is You" with a video for the Disney Channel movie she starred in, Tiger Cruise. She recorded a song titled "I Fly" for the Disney movie Ice Princess she co-starred in. She recorded a song for the compilation Girlnext and another song for Girlnext 2. She also recorded a cover for DisneyMania 5. She recorded a song titled "Try" for the 2007 Bridge to Terabithia soundtrack and a ballad called "I Still Believe" for Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.

Wake Up Call is the first single from her debut album Falling Down which is going to be released in February 2009. Panettiere's first single, Wake Up Call was digitally released on August 5 with Candie's premiering an ad campaign for the single in late July. Candie's will also provide additional promotion for the single with a television advertisement and a music video.

In late 2006, Neutrogena made Panettiere the cover girl for their new worldwide ad campaign; following in the footsteps of actresses Kristin Kreuk, Josie Bissett, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Mandy Moore, Mischa Barton, Gabrielle Union and Jennifer Freeman.

In September 2007, Panettiere appeared in a Heroes-themed Got Milk? ad photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

In February 2008, Kohl's announced that Panettiere would be their next Candie's spokesperson. She will be following the likes of Fergie, Hilary Duff, and Kelly Clarkson.


Birth name: Hayden Leslie Panettiere
Born: August 21, 1989
Origin: Palisades, Rockland County, New York, United States
Genres: Pop, dance, pop rock, teen pop
Occupations: Actress, singer
Years active: 1994 — present
Label: Hollywood (2006 — present)