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.