Hollywood is in mourning following the sudden loss of Hayden Panettiere at the age of 36.
On Sunday evening, Hayden’s family confirmed that the former child actor had died, with her father Skip remembering her as an “incredible light and a force of nature”, who not only brought “immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her” but also “to the millions who watched her on screen”.
Although she was still just 36 at the time of her death, Hayden’s career spanned more than 30 years. She got her start in the entertainment industry at the age of five, appearing in hugely popular TV shows and films throughout her time in the spotlight, including numerous big-name franchises.
To remember Hayden and her legacy, we’re looking back at some of the biggest roles she played over the course of her lifetime…
One Life To Live (1994)
Hayden was just five years old when she landed the role that would change her life as Sarah Roberts in the US daytime soap One Life To Live.
She appeared in 26 episodes of the serial between 1994 and 1997, after which the character would later be played by Shanelle Workman andJustis Bolding.
Guiding Light (1996)
After two years playing Sarah Roberts, Hayden made the jump to another US soap, Guiding Light.
She played Lizzie Spaulding for around four years, during which time the show was honoured with aSpecial Recognition Award by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for raising awareness of the disease thanks to Hayden’s portrayal of a young girl receiving cancer treatment.
A Bug’s Life (1998)
The same year she made her debut with a small role in the Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd rom-com The Object Of My Affection, Hayden also lent her voice to the Pixar movie A Bug’s Life.
She played the young ant Dot, the daughter of Phyllis Diller’s Queen and sister of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Princess Atta, in one of several projects she’d appear in for Disney, which also included the CGI animation Dinosaur and the live-action film Tiger Cruise.
Kingdom Hearts (2002)
Another hugely popular project Hayden appeared in for Disney wasn’t a TV series or a movie, but the video game Kingdom Hearts, a crossover between Final Fantasy and the House Of Mouse’s most popular franchises.
In the first two English dubs of Kingdom Hearts, Hayden lent her voice to the character Kairi, reprising the role numerous times over the years, as well as the mysterious Xion.
Ally McBeal (2002)
In the fifth and final season of the legal dramedy Ally McBeal, Hayden made her debut asMaddie Harrington, the main character’s biological daughter.
Maddie, it soon emerged, was conceived after a mix-up at a fertility clinic where Calista Flockhart’s titular lawyer had frozen her eggs years earlier.
Malcolm In The Middle (2003)
Throughout the dysfunctional and chaotic family comedy Malcolm In The Middle, Jessica made numerous appearances as the recurring character Jessica.
Initially introduced as a manipulative and devious babysitter to the boys, who are resentful towards her because she’s Malcolm’s age. However, as her story arc progresses, we learn more about the character, and she even grows protective towards Malcolm, and emerges as a potential love interest for him.
Heroes (2006)
Hayden’s breakthrough moment came when she was cast as Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader with special abilities, in the supernatural drama Heroes.
Its initial run, which also co-starred Milo Ventimiglia, Zachary Quinto and Kristen Bell, ran for 77 episodes, centring around a group of unlikely superheroes who are united only by their wide-ranging powers.
Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial In Italy (2011)
One of several collaborations between Hayden and the US broadcaster Lifetime came in 2011, when she took the lead in the true crime drama Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial In Italy.
Taking on the lead role of Amanda Knox, convicted and later acquitted for the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, the cast also included Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden and British actor Vincent Riotta.
Scream 4 (2011)
To fans of the slasher genre, Hayden will be best remembered for her work as the dry-humoured horror fanatic Kirby Reed in Scream 4, who becomes a target of Ghostface when the Woodsboro murders begin to be recreated.
After a voice-only appearance in the fifth instalment, Hayden returned to the franchise in 2023, where her character was revealed to have taken up a new role as FBI agent following her traumatic experiences years earlier.
Nashville (2012)
For her work in the musical series Nashville, Hayden took the lead as aspiring country star Juliette Barnes, a role that required her to show off her singing prowess as well as her acting.
Playing the up-and-coming rival to Connie Britton’s more established character Rayna Jaymes, Hayden appeared in all six seasons of Nashville, contributing vocals to all of its accompanying soundtrack albums, before it came to an end in 2018.During her time on the show, she was nominated for two Golden Globes.
Custody (2016)
Hayden Panettiere in Custody
Paul Sarkis/Lucky Monkey/Kobal/
In the courtroom drama Custody, Hayden played a defence lawyer tasked with defending a woman whose children have been taken away from her after an incident at their home.
Overseeing everything was screen icon Viola Davis as a judge, with the cast also including Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno, Emmy nominee Karen Pittman and Oscar-winning screen veteran Ellen Burstyn.
