Best Known As: Television Actor

Gist:  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 each of 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.

Life Facts:  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. Panettiere, whose surname means "baker" in Italian, is of Italian descent.

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.

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 in which she co-starred. 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.

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.

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In 2006, Panettiere began dating Stephen Colletti, the former Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, star. The couple broke up in September 2007. In December 2007, it was widely reported that she was dating her Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia, though Panettiere denied these reports in an interview with GQ. These reports continued through the early part of 2008, and several sources had reported that she asked Ventimiglia to move in with her. In April 2008, during an interview on the BBC's The Chris Moyles Show to promote the second season of Heroes, Ventimiglia confirmed that he was dating Panettiere. They ended their relationship in February 2009.

Hayden has a tattoo of the Italian words Vivere senza rimipianti[sic] running down the length of her left flank. The word rimpianti is misspelled in what otherwise would have meant "To Live Without Regrets."