Panettiere (pronounced "pen-eh-tee-air") was born in Islip, New York to Leslie Vogel and Skip Panettiere. She began appearing in commercials at just eleven months old, before landing a role on the television show Guiding Light when she was four years old. Panettiere remained on the cast until 1997. Since that time, she has appeared in over a dozen full-length feature films, as well as several made-for-TV movies. She has also had recurring roles on FOX's Ally McBeal and Malcolm in the Middle. She also recently appeared on an episode of Punk'd, as an accomplice in punking Stephen Colletti.
Neutrogena decided to make her the cover girl for their new worldwide ad campaign; in this regard Panettiere followed in the footsteps of actresses Jennifer Love Hewitt, Mandy Moore, Kristin Kreuk, Mischa Barton and Jennifer Freeman. Panettiere also provided the voice of Kairi, one of the main characters of Square Enix/Disney's Kingdom Hearts series.
Panettiere currently lives in Palisades, New York with her parents and younger brother, Jansen, though she travels frequently for movies and other projects. She also resides in Los Angeles, California.
