In pictures: Hayden Panettiere's life and career, from child actor to Scream star
The former child star whose breakthrough came in 2006 later opened up about her struggles with mental health.
**A Look Back at Hayden Panettiere's Journey: From Child Star to "Scream" Icon**
American actress Hayden Panettiere, celebrated for her performances in the television series "Heroes" and "Nashville," has passed away at the age of 36. Her father, Skip, conveyed in a statement announcing her death that she was an "incredible light and a force of nature."
Panettiere's career spanned three decades, encompassing a variety of roles in popular TV shows and films, including the "Scream" horror movie series and the romantic comedy "Raising Helen."
**Early Life and Career Beginnings**
Born in August 1989, Panettiere grew up in Palisades, New York. Her mother, Lesley Vogel, was an actress and producer, and her father, Skip, was a former firefighter. She had one brother, Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at the age of 28.
Panettiere embarked on her acting career as a child, securing a role on the popular US soap opera "One Life to Live" at just four years old.
Her early credits from the late 1990s and early 2000s also included voice work in the animated film "A Bug's Life" and appearances in TV shows such as "Ally McBeal" and "Malcolm in the Middle." In 2004, she co-starred with Kate Hudson in "Raising Helen." A generation of fans adored her portrayal of Britney Allen in the 2006 teen cheerleading movie "Bring It On: All or Nothing."
**Breakthrough and Acclaim**
Panettiere's major career breakthrough occurred in 2006 when she was cast as Claire Bennet, a cheerleader with the power of rapid cellular regeneration, in the highly popular sci-fi series "Heroes." The show ran until 2010 and garnered numerous awards and nominations, including Emmys and Golden Globes.
Between 2012 and 2018, Panettiere earned further acclaim for her role as aspiring country singer Juliette Barnes in six seasons of the TV drama "Nashville." For this performance, she received two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress and had 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
She also made appearances in the "Scream" film franchise, playing Kirby Reed in "Scream 4" (2011) and "Scream VI" (2023).
**Personal Life and Recent Revelations**
In the late 2000s, Panettiere began a relationship with Ukrainian former professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko. They welcomed a daughter, Kaya, in 2014, before separating in 2018. Panettiere openly discussed her experience with postpartum depression after her daughter's birth, stating in 2015 on the US talk show "Live With Kelly And Michael" that "It's something a lot of women experience."
Earlier this year, she released her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," which detailed the challenges of growing up as a child actor and her experiences with addiction, abuse, and subsequent recovery. In May, Panettiere shared with the BBC's US partner CBS News how her mother would take her to auditions as an "eight-month-old baby." She recalled, "It went from there and progressed into 50 commercials by the time I was five... It just never stopped."