Danielle Panabaker

Danielle Nicole Panabaker was born in Augusta, Georgia. Her younger sister, actressKay Panabaker,starred in the TV seriesSummerland (2004)(WB, 2004-05). Panabaker started acting at a summer camp before joining community theater productions when she was 10 years old. Panabaker moved to Naperville, IL, where she was a member of the Neuqua Valley High School speech team. At the age of 14, while most students her age were barely starting their high school careers, she graduated.

Panabaker followed her initial appearances in commercials with roles in television, including a part in the seriesThe Guardian (2001)(for which she won a Young Artist Award), as well as other television series, includingMalcolm in the Middle (2000),Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999),Medium (2005),Summerland (2004),and the Disney Channel original movieStuck in the Suburbs (2004).She also appeared in the Lifetime Television productionsSex & the Single Mom (2003)andMom at Sixteen (2005),as well as the well-reviewed miniseriesEmpire Falls (2005).She considers "Empire Falls" to be her big break, as it gave her the confidence to pursue her career. In addition, Panabaker appeared in stage productions, with roles in musical theater, including "West Side Story," Pippin, ":" Once Upon a Time, "and" Beauty Lou and the Country Beast. "In 2004, she starred in the ABC filmSearching for David's Heart (2004),alongside former co-Disney starRaviv Ullman.In 2005, Panabaker co-starred in two widely-released theatrical films,Sky High (2005)andYours, Mine & Ours (2005).Her next role was in the filmHome of the Giants (2007),oppositeRyan MerrimanandHaley Joel Osment.She also had a supporting role in the filmMr. Brooks (2007),oppositeKevin Costner.In the Disney Channel original movieRead It and Weep (2006),she plays Is, an alternate version of Jamie, who was played by her real-life sister,Kay Panabaker.