Palisades, New York born, Hayden Leslie Panettiere is a singer, actress and animal rights activist. She is best known for her work in NBC’s Heroes.
Home schooled as a child, Panettiere started modeling as an infant and started acting in ABC’s soap One Life to Live in 1994. Jumping to soap opera competitor Guiding Light in 1996, she was part of the cast until 2000.
She has appeared in many television shows, mini-series, video games and feature films since 1998, including Ally McBeal, Remember the Titans, Malcolm in the Middle and Ice Princess. She was cast as a high school cheerleader with curative powers in NBC’s Heroes in 2006.
In 1999 she was nominated for a Grammy Award for her work voicing A Bug’s Life Read-Along. She has various endorsement deals in place including those with Neutrogena and Kohl’s. She was arrested in Japan in late October 2007, for disrupting the annual dolphin hunt and has a large following with science fiction fans all over the world.