Hayden Leslie Panettiere (born August 21, 1989) is an American actress and singer. She came to professional prominence at the age of eleven with her portrayal of Sheryl Yoast in Disney's Remember the Titans, although for half of her life immediately before that, Panettiere had held roles in two soap operas. She portrayed Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live from 1994-1997, and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light from 1996-2000. Panettiere reached a wider audience with her starring role as Claire Bennet on the 2006 NBC television series Heroes. Panettiere was born and partly raised in Palisades, Rockland County, New York, the daughter of Lesley R. Vogel, a former soap opera actress, and Alan L. "Skip" Panettiere, a fire department lieutenant.Panettiere, whose surname means "baker" in Italian, is of Italian descent.She has one younger brother, fellow actor Jansen Panettiere.

Although Panettiere attended South Orangetown Middle School in New York, she was educated at home from the 8th grade through high school. For now, Panettiere is postponing higher education in favor of an acting career. In May 2008, Panettiere was involved in an eBay auction to benefit SaveTheWhalesAgain.com. The auction included tickets to a fundraising dinner hosted at the Hollywood restaurant Beso, owned by Eva Longoria Parker, and a whale watching tour, with Panettiere, off the coast of Santa Barbara. The same month, during an interview with Teen Vogue, Hayden explained how her fame gives her a platform for her activism: "The show [Heroes] put me in a place to speak for things that I'm passionate about."

In October 2008, Panettiere delved into the activities of the presidential election. Panettiere released a public service announcement through the website Funny or Die. In this video Panettiere mocks John McCain in a satirical tone on the subjects of his age and anger. She subsequently made clear her intention to vote for Barack Obama, and urged other young people to vote. Panettiere also appeared in a public service announcement with DC Shadow Senator Paul Strauss endorsing voting rights for the District of Columbia. Panettiere is a teen ambassador for the Candie's Foundation, whose mission is to fight teen pregnancy. On May 6, 2009, she participated in a town hall meeting in New York City alongside Bristol Palin on the issue of teen pregnancy.