Hayden Panettiere: Sweetheart Actress Dominates the Small Screen

August 21^st, 2007 men everywhere will rejoice as girl next door actress, Hayden Panettiere, becomes part of the barely legal crowd. What about Hayden makes her so special? Between her cute button nose and he winning smile she's the ultimate in approachable beauty. Add that to her substantial acting talents and Hollywood has a new darling. Not since Drew Barrymore, has an actress been so adored for their upbeat and charismatic nature.

Originally from Palisades, New York, Hayden Panettiere began her acting career at 11 months old. The darling toddler's first debut was in a commercial for Playskool toys. With more than 50 commercials under her belt at age 4, Hayden moved onto daytime television, securing a role on One Life To Live, which she dominated until 1997 while adding other soap operas like Guiding Light to her résumé.

But, for those of us not so familiar with the soap opera scene, Hayden Panettiere is best recognized for her role as an adorable daughter in Disney's Remember the Titans. From 2001 to 2005 Hayden enjoyed a prolific career as a television actress on such shows as Malcolm in the Middle, Law and Order, and Alley McBeal. She was recently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children after recording the read-along version of A Bug's Life.

Her role on the popular television series Heros, has recently created a phenomenal buzz around the young actress. In Heros, Hayden Panettiere plays Claire Bennet, a 15 year old cheerleader who awakes one morning to discover that she has the power to spontaneously regenerate any injured portion of her body. Hayden keeps with her tendency to act in roles that portray her sweet and giving nature and as the plot unfolds her character Claire is often found taking the high road in many difficult scenarios, sometimes going as far as to serve a little we deserved vigilante justice. Hayden Penettiere's portrayal of Claire Bennet is excellent. So much so, that Claire character is the only one to be performed by the same actor in every episode.