Full Biography

Hayden Panettiere may only be 11, but she's not new to acting. Her mom, Lesley, got her started in the business by doing commercials when she was just 11 months old. Then at only 4 1/2 she was cast on the soap opera One Life To Live, where she remained until 1997. Since then, she has gone on to appear in many feature films and TV movies. But she is probably best known for her role as Lizzie Spaulding, whom she has portrayed since 1996, on the daytime drama Guiding Light. Hayden lives in a suburb of New York City with her parents, younger brother, and a houseful of animals. When she is not playing Lizzie or working on one of her many movies, she enjoys singing, dancing, horseback riding, gymnastics, taking piano lessons, and swimming.


For Hayden's character Lizzie's battle with leukemia, Guiding Light received a Special Recognition Award from The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for bringing national awareness of leukemia to the attention of daytime viewers.

As Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light, Hayden has had to deal with difficult storylinesinwhich she has shot and killed her mother's abuser, been kidnapped, gone through both of her parents remarrying, and just recently battled leukemia.

David Polland, who writes The Hot Button for RoughCut.com, says Hayden "is like the little girl equivalent of Haley Joel Osment in terms of poise, but with sass to spare and movie star looks that probably will not distort with age. I mean, we're talking a little Ann-Margret here. It may be a good idea for her parents to invest in one of those house arrest ankle bracelets now. She's gonna be serious trouble in a few years."

(2000) Was nominated for a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for A Bug's Life Read-Along

Hobbies include singing, dancing, horseback riding, gymnastics, taking piano lessons, and swimming.

Her last name was printed wrong in an issue of the "Discovery Girls" magazine where she was considered an "Exceptional Tween."

Her mother used to be an actress.

Was originally cast to play Sarah Altman in Panic Room (2002) but was later replaced by Kristen Stewart.