Danielle Nicole Panabaker was born on Sept. 19, 1987 in Georgia. Her younger sister, actress Kay Panabaker, starred in the TV series “Summerland” (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 career, the future star graduated.
The acting bug soon bit Panabaker, eventually taking her to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Even though her career was blossoming, Panabaker did not let it get in the way of her education. She received her Associate’s Degree in 2005 and received a prestigious place in the National Dean’s List. In 2006, Panabaker began her senior year at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Panabaker geared up her acting career by appearing on television in numerous guest parts. Advertising campaigns were soon followed by roles on the small screen, including booked roles on the series “The Guardian” (CBS, 2001-04), which earned Panabaker a Young Artist Award. She also guested on established shows – from the family sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle” (Fox, 2000- ), the crime drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (USA, 1999- ), as well as her sister Kay’s primetime soap, “Summerland.”
Made for television movies also gave Panabaker the opportunity to showcase her thespian skills. She starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie “Stuck in the Suburbs” (2004) with fellow teen acting sensation Brenda Song. Panabaker took on diverse, more challenging roles in Lifetime Television for Women’s “Sex and the Single Mom” (2003) and “Mom at Sixteen” (2005). In the miniseries “Empire Falls,” (HBO, 2005) she played opposite acting greats Paul Newman, Helen Hunt, and Ed Harris. Panabaker demonstrated her wide range of acting skills with these roles, so it was only a matter of time that she got offered a big screen role.
2005 was a remarkable year for Panabaker, starring in not one, but two theatrical releases. First up was the teen superhero flick, “Sky High,” where she played TK. The family comedy “Yours, Mine, and Ours” – a remake of the 1968 movie that starred Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda, followed. Panabaker played Phoebe North, the eldest daughter of Russo’s artistic, purse-designing character. Panabaker won her second Young Artist Award – this time, for the television movie “Searching for David’s Heart” (ABC Family, 2004).
Panabaker returned to television, starring as Julie Stark, daughter of James Woods’ character, Sebastian Stark, in the CBS television drama, “Shark” (CBS, 2006). The pilot was well reviewed by critics, but unfortunately, the series was cancelled after only 11 episodes. In the Disney Channel Original Movie “Read It and Weep,” Panabaker starred opposite her sister, putting them in the same league as other star siblings Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, as well as Hilary and Haylie Duff.