Danielle Panabaker Biography

Danielle Panabaker is recognized by adults for her television roles on CBS, NBC, and HBO, by teens for her starring roles in Disney and Paramount big-screen comedies, and by tweens and younger (as well as their parents) for her appearances on The Disney Channel. An award-winning actress herself, Danielle has worked with more than a dozen Oscar and Emmy winners in just 5 years of professional work. A recent graduate of UCLA, Danielle is currently seen each week on the CBS drama "Shark" playing James Woods' daughter, who he refers to as "the white teen Oprah".

On the big screen, Danielle was seen most recently in "Mr. Brooks" where she played the daughter of Kevin Costner and Marg Helgenberger. Prior to that she was seen in Disney's feature film "Sky High," where she played Layla, the socially conscious best friend of main character Will Stronghold, and in "Yours, Mine & Ours" as the oldest daughter in a blended family with 18 kids. She will soon be seen in "Home of the Giants" which stars Haley Joel Osment and Ryan Merriman.

Prior to her leading role on "Shark", Danielle's most recent television performance was in the HBO miniseries "Empire Falls" opposite Paul Newman, Ed Harris and Helen Hunt. USA Today called her an "angelic adolescent" who gives "a terrific performance" in the film, which was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name, and won the Golden Globe for best mini-series in 2005. Panabaker herself is the recipient of the 2005 Young Artist Award for Best Performance by a Leading Young Actress in a TV movie, miniseries or special for her role in ABC Family's "Searching for David's Heart". She is a repeat winner, as the prior year she took home the 2004 Young Artist Award for Best Performance by a Guest Starring Young Actress in a Television Series, for her portrayal of a blind victim on "The Guardian".


Panabaker also starred in the telefilms "Mom at Sixteen" for Lifetime and the Disney Channel Original Films "Stuck in the Suburbs" and "Read It and Weep". Other television credits include "Law & Order:SVU," "CSI," "Malcolm in the Middle," and a recurring role on "Summerland" opposite her real-life sister, Kay.

Extraordinarily focused, Danielle completed her high school education early, graduating as valedictorian at age 14. She enrolled in college classes the same year, earning grades that secured her a spot on the National Dean's List. She graduated from the University of California - Los Angeles in June 2007 with a degree in English.