Hayden Panettiere’s most memorable roles from film and television
Hayden Panettiere's role as Juliette in "Nashville" mirrored her own life and personal struggles with addiction. (Getty Images)
The news of the death of actress Hayden Panettiere has shocked fans and the entertainment industry alike. Tributes are pouring in from fans, friends and former co-stars of the star.
While she is possibly most known for her time in the NBC superhero series "Heroes" or for her time as a country music star in "Nashville," her career began decades before stardom as a child actor.
Early life and career beginnings
Panettiere was the oldest child of Skip Panettiere and Lesley Vogel. Her father, a former New York City fire captain, and her mother, a former soap opera star, were the driving force behind her early career as she began acting in toy commercials as an 11-month-old baby. Hayden would later find work as Lizzie Sapulding in "Guiding Light," the long-running CBS soap opera.
‘Remember the Titans’ and ‘A Bug’s Life’
She made her feature film debut in the animated movie, "A Bug’s Life" as the voice of Princess Dot.
Many fans may remember her from her portrayal as the scene-stealing child of a high school football coach, co-staring alongside Denzel Washington in "Remember the Titans," released in 2000.
Additional early work
Panettiere later moved on and stayed busy with over a dozen roles between the big screen and small screen with work in "Touched by an Angel," "Ally McBeal," "Law & Order: SVU" and movies "Raising Helen," "Ice Princess" and a starring role in the third installment in the "Bring it On" franchise.
Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet (Photo by Dean Hendler/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’
The line, "Save the cheerleader, save the world" will always hold special meaning to millions of fans of the NBC science-fiction show "Heroes." Panettiere starred as Claire Bennett, a high school cheerleader who gained powers of invulnerability and became a key to the whole series.
After "Heroes", she continued her television journey with a main role in the musical drama "Nashville" for ABC and later CMT. In the series she starred as rising young star Juliette Barnes, opposite Connie Britton.
"Didn't Expect It to Go Down This Way " - Thomas Rhett guest stars as himself, performing his #1 hit, "Die a Happy Man," in this all-new episode. (Photo by Mark Levine/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) HAYDEN PANETTIERE, CONNIE B
Doing her own singing throughout the show, Panettiere was praised by critics for her performance. "First of all, a round of applause for Hayden Panettiere and her amazing range," said critic Lyndsay MacDonald. "She portrayed the full spectrum of emotion, from flirty to bitchy to carefree to decimated. She might be all over the board, but she owns every single scene."
Later work
Actresses Hayden Panettiere (L) and Emma Roberts attend the "Scream 4" premiere after party presented by AXE Shower held at The Redbury Hotel on April 11, 2011 in Hollywood, California.
In 2011, she took a role as Kirby Reed in the "Scream" franchise in "Scream 4" and cameos in two additional sequels as well.
She later had roles in romantic comedy "I Love You, Beth Cooper" and true crime drama "Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy" in the title role.
In 2015, she joined the cast of Custody, alongside Viola Davis and Ellen Burstyn.
Panettiere also had multiple modeling gigs as a cover girl for Neutrogena and a "Got Milk" advertisement.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.