She received her debut acting role in 1994—when she was just five—as Sarah Roberts in the soap One Life to Live, until 1997; and in 1996 she took the role of Lizzie Spaulding on another soap, Guiding Light, which lasted until 2000.

Then in 1998, she moved right to the big screen as a mermaid on The Object of My Affection, starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston, and voiced Dot in A Bug’s Life, alongside the voice talents of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Other movies in which Panettiere has starred or appeared as a pre-teen and teenager include Message in a Bottle in 1999, which starred Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn, and Paul Newman; Remember the Titans in 2000, starring Denzel Washington; Joe Somebody in 2001, starring Tim Allen; Raising Helen in 2004, along with Kate Hudson, John Corbett, and Joan Cusack; Racing Stripes in 2005, with Bruce Greenwood; and Ice Princess in 2005, alongside Kim Cattrall, Joan Cusack, and Michelle Trachtenberg.

On television, Panettiere had notable roles on Ally McBeal, starring Calista Flockhart in 2002; Law & Order; Malcolm in the Middle; and The Book of Daniel, before landing the role of Claire on Heroes in 2006, alongside fellow actors Masi Oka, Ali Larter, Milo Ventimiglia, Greg Grunberg, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Noah Gray-Cabey, Tawny Cypress, Leonard Roberts, and Santiago Cabrera.

Taking on the role of model, Panettiere became an established model as the fresh cover girl face of Neutrogena. Panettiere is also a singer, and has recorded a number of different singles for Disney movies such as Tiger Cruise and Ice Princess. She’s also reportedly working on her debut music album, set for release in 2007.

Panettiere is known for chumming around with socialite Paris Hilton, who is eight years her senior, and used to date reality soap opera star Stephen Colletti, age twenty, from Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.

YUDDY