Hayden Leslie Panettiere

Birth Name: Hayden Leslie Panettiere
Birth Date: August 21, 1989
Birth Place: Palisades, New York, USA

As one of Hollywood’s most sought after young actresses, Hayden Panettiere is currently filming Wes Craven’s highly anticipated Scream 4 for Dimension Films in the leading role, ‘Kirby Reed,’ opposite Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, and original cast members, Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox-Arquette. The fourth installment of the wildly popular horror franchise is scheduled for an April 2011 release date.

Panettiere is best known for her role as ‘Claire Bennet’ in NBC's award-winning drama series "Heroes" from 2006 to 2010. For this role, she portrayed an indestructible high school cheerleader, struggling to define her identity and place in the world. "Heroes" followed the lives of ordinary people who discovered they possess extraordinary abilities.

Panettiere began her acting career at a young age by lending her voice to the animated movies, A Bug's Life and Dinosaur. From there she went on to star in the movie Remember the Titans, where she played the spitfire daughter of Coach Yoast. Her career hasn’t slowed down since. Other credits include: Fireflies in the Garden, I Love You Beth Cooper, Racing Stripes, Lies My Mother Told Me, Tiger Cruise, Normal, Bring It On: All or Nothing, Message In a Bottle, Object of My Affection, The Architect, and Ice Princess, for which she also recorded the song "I Fly" on the film's soundtrack.

Her roles have won her numerous accolades. Panettiere is the recipient of the 2008 and 2009 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Actress: Action/Adventure, as well as the 2009 Teen Choice Award for “Choice Celebrity Activist.” She also received the "Breakout Actress Award" in 2007 at the Capri Hollywood Film Festival, and the award for Favorite "Clipped" Dramatic Artist for the Television Season at the 2007 1st Annual Wave Award.

Panettiere's impressive list of accomplishments also includes her now three-year long association with Neutrogena. She also designed the popular "Hayden Bag" for Dooney & Burke.

Panettiere is a committed environmental activist. She currently serves as an ambassador, along with fellow ambassadors Nelson Mandela and Queen Noor, for the World Conservation Union's (ICUN) Wildlife Foundation. She is also widely known for her role as campaign spokesperson for the Whaleman Foundation, an oceanic research, conservation, and production organization dedicated to preserving and protecting dolphins, whales, and their ocean habitat. Since serving as spokesperson, she has traveled to Washington DC to meet with congressmen, was invited to the International Whaling Conference in Portugal, and was featured in The Cove, a 2010 Oscar®-winning documentary film exposing the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Her involvement in animal welfare also led to her being the recipient of the Genesis Wyler Award from The Humane Society of the United States in 2007.

Panettiere also serves as an ambassador for Declare Yourself, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to empower and encourage every eligible 18-29 year-old in America to register and vote in local and national elections.