Has Been Spotted Wearing these Sunglasses
Biography
Hayden Leslie Panettiere was born August 21th, 1989 in Palisades, New York to former soap opera actress Lesley Vogel and retired New York Firefighter Alan "Skip" Panettiere. When she was 11 months old, her mother began bringing her to commercial auditions, and at just four years old, she was cast as Sarah Roberts on the popular daytime drama One Life to Live (1994). In 1998, she moved on to another soap opera, Guiding Light, where she played the role of Lizzie Spaulding. That same year, she also provided the voice of Dot in Disney's animated film A Bug's Life.
Hayden has had recurring guest roles on several popular shows, including Ally McBeal (2002) and Malcolm in the Middle (2003), but is best known for her leading role as super-cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC hit series Heroes (2006). In 2009, her major movie credit is in the title role of I Love You, Beth Cooper. In the film, a nerdy valedictorian (played by Paul Rust) proclaims his love for her character, the hottest and most popular girl in school, during his graduation speech, with hilarious results.
Panettiere is a vegetarian and an outspoken animal rights activist. In October of 2007, she joined with a group of surfers from Australia and the United States to try to disrupt the annual dolphin hunt off the coast of Japan. (Video footage of the incident can be found on her MySpace page, along with her public call to action.) Later that year she received the "Compassion in Action Award" from the animal rights group PETA for her efforts. In May of 2008, Hayden participated in an online charity auction for SaveTheWhalesAgain.com. (She auctioned off her time, joining the lucky winner on a whale-watching excursion.)
However, Hayden's charitable efforts are not limited to animals. She is also an official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and is on their celebrity board. In addition, she is very politically active, and supported then-Senator Barack Obama's White House bid through online public service announcement videos which urged young people to vote.
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