Inside Hayden Panettiere’s career from Heroes and Nashville to Ally McBeal role
The tragic death of American actress and singer Hayden Panettiere has sparked an outpouring of grief and tributes from friends and fans alike.
The Golden Globe-nominated star has died aged 36, her father Skip Panettiere has confirmed. The cause of death is not known at this time,
Her family released a statement sharing their “profound sadness” and confirming Panettiere’s death, reports the Mirror.
The actress was hailed as an “incredible light and a force of nature” and brought “immeasurable love and joy” both to her fans and loved ones.
The family concluded by asking for privacy as they processed the “unimaginable loss”. Panettiere is survived by her daughter, whom she had with her former partner, heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Following her death, here’s a look at Panettiere’s incredible acting career.
One Life to Live
Born in 1989, Panettiere was a child star who started off with bit parts in the likes of Aliens in the Family and How Do You Spell God?, as well as a role in a chicken nuggets commercial for the American fast-food giant Wendy’s.
She eventually landed a role in the US daytime soap One Life to Live and starred in the show over 27 episodes between 1994.
A Bug’s Life
The star continued to have various roles before lending her voice to the animated feature A Bug’s Life as Dot and later reprising the role for the video game.
In the meantime, she appeared in Message in a Bottle, A Will of Their Own, and Touched by an Angel.
She was also nominated for a Grammy Award for the film in the category of Spoken Word Album For Children.
Panettiere also started releasing songs, including My Hero Is You, which tied in with her acting work.
Guiding Light
In 1997, she landed the role of Lizzie Spaulding in the long-running show Guiding Light and was on the show until 2000.
In the new millennium, she would go on to feature in Joe Somebody, The Affair of the Necklace and Chestnut Hill.
Ally McBeal
She later appeared as the long-lost daughter of attorney Ally McBeal in the legal-comedy drama.
Panettiere played Maddie Harrington in the fifth and final season of Ally McBeal.
Malcolm in the Middle
Panettiere continued to win roles in Racing Stripes, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Ice Princess.
She then landed a recurring role in the kids’ comedy Malcolm in the Middle as Jessica, appearing across four episodes of the sitcom.
Bring It on: All or Nothing
She starred as a cheerleader opposite Beyonce’s younger sister, Solange Knowles-Smith, in the third instalment of the teen comedy franchise Bring It On.
It was the first of a series of roles in which the actress played cheerleaders.
Heroes
She would then play a cheerleader in the science fiction series Heroes, which cemented her star status and earned her two Golden Globe nominations.
Heroes remains one of Panettiere’s biggest roles to date.
Later, Panettiere plays a high school graduate and cheerleader in the title character in the 2009 teen rom-com I Love You, Beth Cooper.
Scream 4 & Scream 6
Post-Heroes Panettiere continued to take on jobs and played Amanda Knox in a TV movie about the murder of British student Meredith Kercher.
She then starred in the teen horror flick Scream 4, returning to the franchise for Scream 6 in 2023.
Nashville
Not long after Scream 4, Panettiere landed the role of a rising Country and Western music starlet in Nashville, starring in the series for all six seasons.
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Nashville wrapped up in 2018, and the star went on to feature in Amber Alert, A Breed Apart and Sleepwalker, which was her final screen credit.
