Hayden Leslie Panettiere (born August 21, 1989) is an American actress and singer. She came to professional prominence at the age of 10 with her portrayal of Sheryl Yoast in Disney's Remember the Titans, although for five years before that, Panettiere had held roles in two soap operas. She portrayed Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live (1994–1997), and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light (1996–2000). Panettiere reached a wider audience with her starring role as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She also had a leading role as Kirby Reed in the horror film, Scream 4, which was released in theaters on April 15, 2011.
Panettiere was born in and partly raised in Palisades, New York, the daughter of Lesley R. Vogel, a former soap opera actress, and Alan L. "Skip" Panettiere, a fire department lieutenant. Panettiere is of Italian descent, her surname meaning "baker" in Italian. 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 9th grade through high. For now, Panettiere is postponing higher education in favor of an acting career.
