Fans are mourning the loss of Hayden Panettiere after her sudden passing at age 36.
As tributes pour in from her former co-stars, attention is being redirected to the work she left behind.
Throughout it all, Panettiere continually demonstrated a depth and versatility that allowed her to shift effortlessly between comedy and drama — to say nothing of her extraordinary talent as a singer.
With that in mind, here are 10 screen roles that came to define Panettiere’s Hollywood career before it was so tragically cut short.
Lizzie Spaulding in ‘Guiding Light’ (1997-2000)
Like many successful actors, Hayden Panettiere cut her teeth in the world of soap operas. Having started acting professionally at 11 months of age, she was all of five years old when she was cast in a recurring role in “One Life to Live,” as the precocious daughter of Cord and Tina Roberts.
Panettiere was seven when she began her three-year stint as Lizzie Spaulding in “Guiding Light,” ultimately appearing as the daughter of Phillip Spaulding and Beth Raines in 45 episodes between 1997 and 2000.
In 1998, Beth Chamberlin — who played Panettiere’s mother on “Guilding Light” — told Soap Opera Digest, “Hayden’s a dream child to work with, an incredible professional who puts all of us adults to shame.”
Dot in ‘A Bug’s Life’ (1998)
Hayden Panettiere voiced young ant princess Dot in Pixar’s animated hit, remembered for being small for her age and struggling when attempting to fly. Dot displays rare courage when she stands up to a bullying grasshopper in the film’s climax.
“‘A Bug’s Life’ was the second Pixar movie ever created, and I got to work with John Lasseter and people that are still making Pixar films now,” Panettiere told BuzzFeed while discussing her 2026 memoir, “This Is Me.”
“In my book, it was really hard to describe the process of working on an animated movie,” she added. “I mean, try getting most seven-year-olds to stand there in a recording studio for hours at a time.”
Sheryl Yoast in ‘Remember the Titans’ (2000)
Young Hayden Panettiere shone brightly as Sheryl Yoast, the feisty football-obsessed daughter of assistant coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) in acclaimed sports drama “Remember the Titans.”
“‘Remember the Titans’ will always be one of my favorite projects,” she told BuzzFeed. “I mean, I was 10 years old, and I got to work with Denzel Washington, not to mention the other incredible actors. It was a dream come true.”
Maddie Harrington on ‘Ally McBeal’ (2002)
Hayden Panettiere joined the cast of Fox legal comedy “Ally McBeal” in its fifth and final season.
She played Maddie Harrington, the young daughter that the titular Ally (Calista Flockhart) didn’t realize she had — and is so dubious about that she even takes a DNA test to confirm her parentage.
Maddie Dolan in ‘Tiger Cruise’ (2004)
Disney Channel utilized Hayden Panettiere’s dual talents as actor and singer in the 2004 movie “Tiger Cruise,” a fictionalized drama set amidst the 9/11 terror attacks. She portrayed teenager Maggie Dolan, daughter of U.S. Navy Commander Gary Dolan (Bill Pullman). Maggie is among the teenage “Tigers” aboard the U.S.S. Constellation when the ship is attacked.
The role was pivotal for her, in that it represented a transition from the kid parts she’d been playing to more serious teenage roles.
Gen Harwood in ‘Ice Princess’ (2005)
“Tiger Cruise” opened the door to Disney’s “Ice Princess,” now viewed as a beloved classic. Starring the late Michelle Trachtenberg as an aspiring young figure skater, Panettiere played the character’s rival and fellow figure skater before ultimately becoming her friend and ally
“I got really good at one point,” Panettiere told “Entertainment Tonight” of the skating skills she learned for the film. “I could do an actual spin — I loved skating backwards as fast as I could. I wish I had kept up that sport.”
Claire Bennet in ‘Heroes’ (2006-2010)
As the super-powered indestructible cheerleader in NBC mega-hit “Heroes,” 18-year-old Hayden Panettiere was catapulted to a level of stardom she hadn’t experienced before, suddenly finding herself targeted by relentless paparazzi following her wherever she went.
“I grew up on that set, and I was so lucky to have those people around me,” she recalled when speaking with BuzzFeed. “Outside of work, I was dealing with paparazzi for the first time and my freedom being taken away, basically overnight. The cast of ‘Heroes’ really kept me grounded at a very pivotal time in my life. I’m not saying I didn’t do some bad things — I definitely was a rebel — but they saved me from getting sucked into all sorts of trouble.”
She added: “I loved Claire, being on the Sunset Gower stages, the sets that they would create, and getting to do stunts. It was like a dream come true for me. It was just the best environment. Everyone was happy all the time, even in the intense scenes.”
Beth Cooper in ‘I Love You Beth Cooper (2009)
Hayden Panetierre played the titular Beth Cooper in this teen comedy. When nerdy high school student Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) professes his love for popular cheerleader Beth — the hottest girl in school — during his valedictorian speech, she surprisingly responds by showing up at his house and promising him a night he’ll never forget.
“I wasn’t reluctant to take on another role as a cheerleader because I didn’t really have to do wear the outfit in this movie,” she told Cinema.com of the superficial similarity to her “Heroes” character.
“I only had to put it on for one picture,” she added. “I think cheerleading is used more as a symbol of high school in ‘I Love You, Beth Cooper.’ The cheerleader and the quarterback are very symbolic of popularity in high school. It’s an easy way for the audience to discover Beth is one of the popular girls.”
Kirby Reed in ‘Scream 4’ (2011) and ‘Scream VI’ (2023)
Hayden Panettiere made a splash in the “Scream” franchise, playing horror-obsessed high school student Kirby Reed in the fourth film — and then returning more than a decade later as a grownup version of the character, who is now an FBI agent.
“In ‘Scream 4,’ I got to work with [‘Scream’ director] Wes Craven before he passed, and I became so close with the cast,” she told BuzzFeed. “We actually just did a Comic Con together, and we all came to see each other.”
Juliette Barnes in ‘Nashville’ (2012-2018)
After the success of “Heroes,” Hayden Panettiere’s next TV project was also a hit, the soapy country music drama “Nashville.” Her singing talent was on full display in the role of Juliette Barnes, a troubled up-and-coming country star whose ascendancy threatened the career of established country music queen Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton).
As she told “Entertainment Tonight,” the storyline in which her character suffered postpartum depression after the birth of her baby mirrored what she was experiencing in her real life at the time.
“My character was going through a lot of tough stuff and stuff that I could totally relate to in my own life. So acting it out onscreen had its moments, made it a little difficult. It hit home,” she admitted, but also remembered how much she enjoyed portraying Juliette onstage.
“I loved the performance scenes,” she recalled. “Who wouldn’t love to pretend to be … a country music star for a few years?”
