Hayden Leslie Panettiere (born August 21, 1989)
is an
American actress and
singer. She came to professional prominence at the age of eleven with her portrayal of Sheryl Yoast in
Disney's
Remember the Titans, although for half of her life immediately before that, Panettiere had held roles in two soap operas. She portrayed
Sarah Roberts on
One Life to Live from 1994-1997, and
Lizzie Spaulding on
Guiding Light from 1996-2000. Panettiere reached a wider audience with her starring role as
Claire Bennet on the 2006
NBC television series
Heroes.
Early life
Panettiere was born and partly raised in
Palisades,
Rockland County,
New York, the daughter of Lesley R. Vogel, a former
soap opera actress, and Alan L. "Skip" Panettiere, a
fire department lieutenant.
[Hayden Panettiere Biography (1989-)][Hayden Panettiere. People.com.] Panettiere, whose surname means "baker" in
Italian, is of
Italian descent.
She has one younger brother, fellow actor
Jansen Panettiere.
Although Panettiere attended South Orangetown Middle School in New York, she was educated
at home from the 8th grade through
high school.
For now, Panettiere is postponing higher education in favor of an
acting career.
