Hayden may refer to:

• Hayden (surname) or its variants below,
• Hayden (given name)
• Hayden (musician), a Canadian folk musician
• Hayden mango or Haden, a mango cultivar
• Hayden (electronics company), a British guitar amplification manufacturer
• Hayden Planetarium in New York City

In places:

• Hayden, Alabama, a U.S. town
• Hayden, Arizona, a U.S. town
• Hayden's Ferry, settlement in Tempe, Arizona
• Hayden Butte or Tempe Butte
• Hayden, California, former name of Hayden Hill, California
• Hayden, Colorado, a U.S. town
• Hayden, Idaho, a U.S. city
• Hayden Lake, Idaho in the United States
• Hayden Valley, a large sub-alpine valley in Yellowstone National Park
• Hayden, Indiana, a U.S. community
• Hayden Mountain (disambiguation), the name of several places in the U.S.
• Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, only one of many expeditions led by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden

• Hayden, Gloucestershire, a village in the UK

See also[link]

• Haden (disambiguation)
• Haydn (disambiguation) (Joseph Haydn, the Austrian composer, is very rarely spelled with an e)
• Haydon (disambiguation)
• Heyden (disambiguation)
• Heydon (disambiguation)
• Ayden, North Carolina

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Hayden Panettiere
Panettiere attending "The 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards" in Beverly Hills, California on October 10, 2009
Born	Hayden Leslie Panettiere (1989-08-21) August 21, 1989 (age 22) Palisades, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer, model
Years active	1994–present

Hayden Leslie Panettiere (pronounced /ˌpænɨtiˈɛər/; born August 21, 1989)^[1] is an American actress, singer and model. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live (1994–1997), and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light (1996–2000), before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in the Disney feature film Remember the Titans. Her most notable role to date is that of cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC series Heroes (2006–2010), for which she won several awards. Her most recent roles include her portrayal of the title character in true crime drama Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy and Kirby Reed in the slasher film Scream 4.

Early life[link]

Panettiere was born in and partly raised in Palisades, New York, the daughter of Lesley R. Vogel, a former soap opera actress, and Alan Lee "Skip" Panettiere, a fire department lieutenant.^[2][3][4] Panettiere has Italian ancestry, and her surname means "baker" in Italian.^[5][6] Her mother's family is from Indiana.^[7][8] She has one younger brother, fellow actor Jansen Panettiere.^[9]

Although Panettiere attended South Orangetown Middle School in New York, she was homeschooled from grade nine to the completion of high school.^[10] For now, Panettiere is postponing higher education in favor of an acting career.^[11]

Career[link]

Acting[link]

Television[link]

Panettiere first appeared in commercials at 11 months, beginning with an advertisement for Playskool.^[12] She landed a role as Sarah Roberts on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live (1994–1997), and she followed that up by playing the part of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Spaulding on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light (1997–2000). While on Guiding Light, Panettiere's character Lizzie battled leukemia. For drawing the attention of daytime viewers to the disease, and for improving national awareness, the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society gave her its Special Recognition Award.^[13]

For her performance in Lifetime Television's 1999 TV movie If You Believe, she was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Young Actress Age Ten or Under in the category of Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot.^[14] Panettiere appeared on Fox's Ally McBeal as the title character's daughter, had a recurring guest role on Malcolm in the Middle and guest starred in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Panettiere with Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia

Panettiere became most prominent as Claire Bennet in the NBC series Heroes, which was created by Tim Kring, as a high school cheerleader with regenerative healing powers. Thanks to her role on Heroes, she became a regular on the science fiction convention circuit, invited to attend conventions around the world in 2007, including Gen Con, New York Comic Con, and Fan Expo Canada. Panettiere has complained that her acting options are sometimes limited because "people look at [her] as either the 'popular cheerleader' type or just 'the blonde.'"^[15]

In early 2007, Panettiere appeared on the MTV show, Punk'd. The appearance was engineered by her mother and involved a male "fan" discussing her work with her, instigating a jealous reaction from the man's spouse. In April 2012 she hosted an episode of the new series.

In March 2012 it was announced Panettiere had been cast on the upcoming ABC musical drama pilot Nashville and will portray Juliette Barnes.^[16][17] In May 2012 ABC bought the pilot as a series.^[18]

Films[link]

Panettiere has appeared in over a dozen full-length feature films.

In 1998, she provided the voice for Dot in A Bug's Life.^[19] She played the role of Coach Yoast's daughter, Sheryl, in the 2000 Disney film Remember the Titans. She also starred in Bring It On: All or Nothing as a cheerleader and had a supporting role as Adelaide Bourbon in the independent film Shanghai Kiss. In 2004, she appeared in the Disney Channel film Tiger Cruise, and in Raising Helen as Kate Hudson's adolescent niece. In 2005, she was the title character's rival in a skating contest in Ice Princess. In the same year she starred in the film Racing Stripes where she played the character Channing Walsh.

In June 2007, she signed with the William Morris Agency, after previously being represented by United Talent Agency.^[20] Forbes estimated that she earned $2 million in 2007.^[21]

Panettiere in London

In 2008, Panettiere appeared in the drama Fireflies in the Garden as a younger version of Emily Watson's character, Jane Lawrence. In September 2008, she appeared in a satirical video, a mock-PSA (public service announcement) on funnyordie.com entitled "Hayden Panettiere PSA: Your Vote, Your Choice."^[22] Again, in October, Panettiere appeared in another satirical PSA video on funnyordie.com entitled "Vote for McCain: He's just like George Bush, except older and with a worse temper."^[23]

In July 2009, Panettiere starred in the teen comedy I Love You, Beth Cooper. In September 2010, Panettiere was signed to star as Amanda Knox in the controversial Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy.^[24] Panettiere also provided the voice of Kate, along side Justin Long in 2010's Alpha and Omega.^[25]

In 2011, she replaced Anne Hathaway as the voice of Red for the animated sequel Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil. In April 2011, Panettiere appeared in the sequel of the Scream franchise, Scream 4. She played Kirby Reed, alongside Emma Roberts and Rory Culkin.

Video games[link]

Panettiere voiced Kairi in the Kingdom Hearts series created by Square Enix, but was replaced by Alyson Stoner for Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, she also voiced Xion.

Singing[link]

Panettiere was nominated for a Grammy in 1999 for A Bug's Life Read-Along (2000).^[26] In 2004, she recorded a song entitled "My Hero Is You" with a video for the Disney Channel film she starred in, Tiger Cruise. The next year she recorded a song entitled "I Fly" for the Disney film Ice Princess in which she also co-starred. She recorded a song for the Hollywood Records compilation Girl Next (2006) and another song entitled "Go to Girl" for Girl Next 2 (2007). Also in 2007, She also recorded a cover for "Cruella De Vil" for DisneyMania 5, "Try" for the Bridge to Terabithia soundtrack and a ballad called "I Still Believe" for Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.

Panettiere's first single, "Wake Up Call", was digitally released on August 5, 2008. The clothing brand Candie's announced that it was premiering an ad campaign for the single in late July. Similarly, Candie's would also provide additional promotion for the single with a television advertisement and a music video.^[27]

Commercial-product endorser[link]

In late 2006, Neutrogena made Panettiere the cover girl for their new worldwide ad campaign;^[28] following in the footsteps of actresses Kristin Kreuk, Josie Bissett, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Mandy Moore, Mischa Barton, Gabrielle Union and Jennifer Freeman.

In September 2007, Panettiere appeared in a Heroes-themed Got Milk? ad for which the photographs were shot by Annie Leibovitz.^[29]

In February 2008, Kohl's announced that Panettiere would be their next Candie's spokesperson.^[30]

Personal life[link]

Panettiere dated her Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia from December 2007 to February 2009.^[31][32] She has dated heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko. She was ringside for his knockout victory over Samuel Peter on September 11, 2010.^[33] The actress confirmed on May 12, 2011 that she and Klitschko had broken up amicably after two years together. Both cited the long-distance nature of their relationship as the reason, and said they would remain close friends.^[34]

She is currently dating NFL player Scotty McKnight.^[35]

Panettiere has a tattoo of the Italian words Vivere senza rimipianti [sic] running down her left side. The word rimpianti is misspelled in what otherwise would mean "Live Without Regrets".^[36]

Activism[link]

Panettiere at the Fan Expo 2011 in Toronto

In 2007, Panettiere became an official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, called the Friends of RMHC.^[37]

On October 31, 2007, Panettiere joined with The Whaleman Foundation to try to disrupt the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Wakayama, Japan. She was involved in a confrontation between Japanese fishermen and five other surfers from Australia and the United States (including former Home and Away star Isabel Lucas) of the group. The confrontation lasted more than 10 minutes before the surfers were forced to return to the beach, after which they left the country.^[38] Parts of the confrontation can be seen on the award-winning Sundance Film Festival documentary film, The Cove. The fishermen consider the condemnation as an attack on their culture.^[39]

Panettiere told E! News that an arrest warrant has been issued in Japan for her interference in the dolphin hunt, but her claim was later dismissed by the Japanese Fisheries Agency.^[40][41] In November 2007, she was awarded the "Compassion in Action Award" from the animal rights group PETA for her efforts to stop the dolphin hunt in Japan.^[42] She is also a vegetarian.^[43][44]

On January 28, 2008, Panettiere handed a letter of protest to the Norwegian ambassador in the United States arguing that Norway should stop its hunt for whales. She also delivered a letter to the Japanese ambassador calling for the end of Japan's hunting of whales. At a 2007 Greenpeace event in Anchorage, Alaska, Panettiere defended aboriginal whaling, saying that there is a difference between commercial whaling and the whaling practiced by aboriginal tribes in the United States.^[45]

In May 2008, Panettiere was involved in an eBay auction to benefit Save The Whales Again, a campaign of The Whaleman Foundation. The auction included tickets to a fundraising dinner hosted at the Hollywood restaurant Beso, owned by Eva Longoria, and a whale watching tour, with Panettiere, off the coast of Santa Barbara.^[46] The same month, during an interview with Teen Vogue, Hayden explained how her fame gives her a platform for her activism: "The show [Heroes] put me in a place to speak for things that I'm passionate about."^[47]

In September 2008, Panettiere launched her own line of calfskin leather bags for the company Dooney & Bourke.^[48]

In October 2008, Panettiere delved into the presidential election, releasing a public service announcement through the website Funny or Die. In this video Panettiere mocked Republican candidate John McCain for his age and temper.^[49] She subsequently made clear her intention to vote for Barack Obama, and urged other young people to vote.^[50]

Panettiere also appeared in a public service announcement with DC Shadow Senator Paul Strauss endorsing voting rights for the District of Columbia.^[51]

Panettiere is a teen ambassador for the Candie's Foundation, whose mission is to fight teen pregnancy. On May 6, 2009, she participated in a town hall meeting in New York City alongside Bristol Palin and then-Tampa Bay Rays and current Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza on the issue of teen pregnancy.^[52]

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

• Newport Beach Film Festival – Feature Film Award for Acting – Shanghai Kiss (2007)
• Saturn Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Series – Heroes (2007)
  • Teen Choice Award
• 2007: Choice TV Actress: Drama – Heroes
• 2008: Choice TV Actress: Action Adventure – Heroes
• 2009: Choice TV Actress: Action Adventure – Heroes
  • Teen Film/TV Series International Awards
• Best Film Actress, Support Role – Ice Princess (2005)
• Outstanding Casting for a Film (shared with cast) – Ice Princess
• Outstanding Casting for a Film Comedy or Drama (shared with cast) – Ice Princess
• Vail Film Festival Rising Star Award (2007)
  • Young Artist Award
• 2001: Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actress – Remember the Titans
• 2006: Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Lead Actress – Heroes

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Soundtracks and compilations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hayden Panettiere

• Hayden Panettiere at the Internet Movie Database
• Hayden Panettiere at People.com

Nicky Hayden
Hayden in 2009.
Nationality	American
Born	(1981-07-30) July 30, 1981 (age 30) Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Current team	Ducati Team
Bike number	69
Website	nickyhayden.com
Motorcycle racing career statistics MotoGP World Championship Active years 2003–present Manufacturers Honda, Ducati Championships 1 (2006) 2011 Championship position 8th (132 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 155 3 28 5 7 1419

Nicholas "Nicky" Patrick Hayden (born July 30, 1981 in Owensboro, Kentucky), nicknamed The Kentucky Kid, is an American professional motorcycle racer, who won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006.

Biography[link]

Beginnings and AMA Championship[link]

As a youth, racing others twice his age in CMRA, Hayden would often start the race from the back of the starting grid while a family or crew member held his bike upright because he could not touch the ground. Later, at age 17, he was racing factory Honda RC45 superbikes while still in high school. In 1999, he won the AMA Supersport championship on board a privateer Honda. In 2001, his first full season as an AMA superbike racer, he came within 40 points of winning the championship, finishing behind only champion Mat Mladin and runner-up Eric Bostrom. The 2002 season, however, would see Hayden answering the bell: he won the Daytona 200 on a Honda Superbike en route to becoming the youngest ever AMA Superbike Champion, defeating reigning treble champion Mat Mladin, among others. He also entered the World Superbike round at Laguna Seca, making a solid 4th in the first race before colliding with Noriyuki Haga in race two.

Grand National Championship[link]

Hayden is one of a long line of American road racers to come from the American dirt-track scene. In 1999, Hayden won his first Grand National Championship race (Hagerstown Half Mile) and took Rookie of the Year honors. He was also declared the AMA's athlete of the Year. In 2000, Nicky Hayden won the Springfield Short Track. In 2002, despite racing in just a handful of dirt-track events, Hayden was able to win four races: Springfield Short Track (twice), Springfield TT Steeplechase, and Peoria TT Steeplechase. At the Springfield TT race, the three Hayden brothers took the first three places (Nicky 1st, Tommy 2nd, and Roger Lee 3rd).^[1] The win at the 2002 Peoria TT came after beating thirteen-time Peoria winner, Chris Carr, despite starting from the penalty line. Hayden only lacks a win at a mile track to join Dick Mann, Kenny Roberts Sr., Bubba Shobert, and Doug Chandler in the prestigious "Grand Slam Club."

MotoGP[link]

First years[link]

Immediately after winning his AMA Superbike championship, Hayden was tapped to join not only Honda's MotoGP racing efforts, but what was arguably the premier team in MotoGP racing: Repsol Honda. Hayden also became teammate to the defending series champion Valentino Rossi. Hayden was seemingly unfazed, and in his first year of MotoGP racing (2003), he finished fifth in the championship points standings while riding Honda's RC211V, an achievement that won him the Rookie-of-the-Year award. In 2005, Hayden finished third in the MotoGP championship points standings behind Marco Melandri and series winner Valentino Rossi. In 2004, however, Hayden had a difficult year and was widely critiqued, luckily he answered critics with his first win in 2005.

2006 Championship season[link]

For 2006, Hayden was charged with spearheading Repsol Honda's championship aspirations, and was the only rider to be handed the full 2006 Honda bike during pre-season testing. He led the championship from the third race and looked set to break Valentino Rossi's championship-winning streak. Capturing the championship was not without peril: in the second to last round at Estoril in Portugal, teammate Dani Pedrosa lost the front-end while trying to pass Hayden. The resulting lowside accident took out both bikes. This left Hayden eight points behind Rossi in the championship with one race left to go. In the last race of the season on October 29, 2006 Rossi crashed on lap 5 trying to make up for a poor start. Hayden won the 2006 title that day by finishing 3rd (9.3s) behind race winner Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi.

Nicky Hayden later commented on the difficulty of having to test parts for the 2007 season whilst simultaneously battling for the 2006 Championship.

2007 and 2008[link]

Nicky Hayden with number 1 on his motorcycle for the 2007 season

On September 22, 2006, Hayden signed a two-year agreement that allowed for him to race for and develop with the factory Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) team for the 2007 and 2008 MotoGP seasons.^[2] He has already begun testing the new 800 cc Honda RC212V. His MotoGP racing number changed from 69 to 1 for the 2007 season.

2007 started and finished badly for him, with Nicky struggling with performance, and team-mate Dani Pedrosa having showed what the Honda was able to do. A crash at Le Mans dropped him to eleventh in the standings at this stage. However, during testing before Donington, he requested that most of the electronics be switched off and his times improved. His subsequent performance in a wet Donington and a dry Assen showed a slight return to form, challenging for fifth with his trademark sliding and tail-out non-standard lines. However, he ultimately kept crashing, with a pole and 3 podiums but no victories proved to be the 2nd worse defence of a championship ever recorded after Kenny Roberts Jr. The 2007 season also saw the release of an authorized biography on Nicky and his brothers--The Haydens: Nicky, Tommy, & Roger, from OWB to MotoGP--timed to coincide with his return to the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

In 2008, Nicky ran his old number 69 since Casey Stoner earned the right to run the number 1 plate after winning the MotoGP title in 2007.

2008[link]

Donington Park marked the race debut of Honda's pneumatic-valve engine, which only Hayden was using initially. In the next round at Assen, Hayden ran 3rd from the start and was set to finish there until he ran out of fuel at the final corner, due to an electrical system problem which prevented accurate fuel monitoring. Colin Edwards captured Nicky's 3rd place podium moments before Hayden coasted over the line with no power, to finish 4th place. [1]. A heel injury sustained in a motocross crash put him out of two rounds [2]. Relations within the team had already deteriorated, and there was further friction when Pedrosa switched tyre suppliers midseason (from the struggling Michelin to the dominant Bridgestone) without Hayden being consulted. Nicky stated "I've never been put in the conditions to choose. Once they told me that I would have just wasted my time had I even only thought about asking for Bridgestone tyres...I'm not surprised they've given them to him. Besides, at Misano I didn't even have the same fork Dani had... No way would I think they'd let me try the new tyres." [3]

This incident lent weight to the rumours that Hayden and Honda would part ways for the next season [4]. The rumour was confirmed on September 12, 2008, when Hayden stated during a Dorna press conference, "It's no secret. Everybody knows where my next stop is going to be...But officially we're waiting to do it the right way, until the releases come out, because there's teams and stuff..."[5]

By the middle of 2008 it was strongly suspected by fans, media, and the MotoGP paddock already, and later supported by Hayden's own admission during a press conference that he would be leaving Honda, that Hayden would be joining the Ducati Marlboro Team to ride alongside Casey Stoner for the 2009 MotoGP season. This was confirmed on 15 September 2008^[3] thus ending his ten year relationship with Honda.^[4]

2009[link]

During preseason testing, Hayden was plagued with problems and routinely finished mid-pack or lower. His major complaint was that the GP09 was "pumping" during corner exits leading to problems with grip. These problems continued throughout preseason testing.

During qualifying at the season opener Qatar GP, Hayden suffered back and chest injuries in a major crash. Battered and bruised, Hayden finished 12th in the rain-delayed race just behind former team mate Pedrosa.^[5] Despite the setbacks, Hayden seemed optimistic about the results saying "I'm leaving here in a really positive mood and looking forward to Motegi."

However, only further disappointment lay in wait for Hayden at Motegi. The Ducati rider had never ridden the bike in the rain and qualified 12th.^[6] Then, during the opening lap of the race Hayden was taken out by rookie Yuki Takahashi who plowed through Hayden from the rear. As a result Hayden did not finish the race and slipped further down the standings.^[7]

The Jerez GP saw Hayden qualify 16th and finish 15th.^[8] On August 30, 2009, Hayden finished 3rd at Indianapolis.

Hayden finished the 2009 MotoGP championship in 13th place (out of 18), his worst result in 7 years of racing MotoGP. His championship campaign was marked by remarkable misfortune, being speared off the track on three different occasions, resulting in no point scoring races. Yuki Takahashi, Alex De Angelis and Jorge Lorenzo crashed into him at Motegi, Misano and Phillip Island respectively.

2010[link]

On 3 September 2009, it was confirmed that Hayden had signed a one year extension of contract with Ducati for the 2010 MotoGP season, ending speculation of a move away from the team.^[9] He will partner Casey Stoner once again at the team.

During the off-season, Hayden had surgery on his right arm, having been suffering from compartmental syndrome or more commonly known as arm-pump.^[10]

Early in the 2012 season, Hayden noted that there is pressure from the American audience for one of the three frontrunning American riders (himself, Factory Yamaha's Ben Spies and CRT rider Colin Edwards) to win a race.

MotoGP Overall[link]

Nicky has won 3 races, finished 2nd in 6 races, and 3rd in 18 races. Throughout his MotoGP career he has earned 5 MotoGP pole positions^[11] and has achieved the fastest lap in a MotoGP race 6 times.

Trivia[link]

• Hayden has two brothers, Tommy and Roger Lee, both professional motorcycle racers, and two sisters, Jenny and Kathleen. In 2010 Tommy is racing in the AMA, and Roger Lee is competing in the Superbike World Championship.

• His traditional racing number, 69, was the same number his father used. His father jokes that the number was selected because it could still be read when he frequently ended up upside down in the dirt.

Racing history[link]

MotoGP[link]

• Team(s): Repsol Honda, Ducati Marlboro
• Motorcycle(s): Honda RC211V, Honda RC212V, Ducati Desmosedici
• First MotoGP Race: April 6, 2003 – Suzuka – Seventh Place
• First MotoGP Podium: October 5, 2003 – Motegi – third Place
• First MotoGP Win: July 10, 2005 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
• Number of MotoGP Wins: 3
• Number of MotoGP Podiums: 28
• Highest Championship Position: First (2006)

AMA Superbike[link]

• Team(s): American Honda, HRC
• Motorcycle(s): Honda RC51, Honda RC45
• First Superbike Race: April 18, 1999 – Willow Springs International Raceway – Twelfth Place
• First Superbike Win: June 11, 2000 – Road America
• First Superbike Podium: September 19, 1999 – Pikes Peak International Raceway – Third Place
• Number of Superbike Wins: 17
• Number of Superbike Podiums: 30
• Highest Championship Position: First (2002)

AMA 600 Supersport[link]

• Team(s): American Honda, Erion Honda, HyperCycle Suzuki
• Motorcycle(s): Honda CBR600F3, Honda CBR600F4, Suzuki GSX-R600
• First 600 Supersport Win: April 26, 1998 – Willow Springs International Raceway
• Number of 600 Supersport Wins: 6
• Highest Championship Position: First (1999)

AMA 750 Superstock[link]

• Team(s): HyperCycle Suzuki
• Motorcycle(s): Suzuki GSX-R750
• First 750 Supersport Win: April 19, 1998 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
• Number of 750 Supersport Wins: 5
• Highest Championship Position: Fourth (1998)

AMA Formula Extreme[link]

• Team(s): Erion Honda
• Motorcycle(s): Honda CBR900RR
• First Formula Extreme Win: April 17, 1998 – Willow Springs International Raceway
• Number of Formula Extreme Wins: 7
• Highest Championship Position: Second (1999)

Career statistics[link]

Superbike World Championship[link]

By Seasons[link]

Races by year[link]

Grand Prix motorcycle racing[link]

By Seasons[link]

• * Season in progress.

By class[link]

Races by year[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

• * Season in progress.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nicky Hayden

• nickyhayden.com – Official site
• Nicky Hayden – MotoGP Rider Bios at Motorcycle-USA

v t e Ducati Marlboro Team Valentino Rossi (46) | Nicky Hayden (69) Grand Prix motorcycle : Ducati Desmosedici GP12

Hayden Christensen
Christensen during the Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith premiere at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Germany, May 2005.
Born	(1981-04-19) April 19, 1981 (age 31) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–present
Partner	Rachel Bilson (2007–present)

Hayden Christensen (born April 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award. He gained international fame portraying the young Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Early life[link]

Christensen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada the son of Alie Nelson, a speechwriter for the heads of large companies, and David Christensen, a computer programmer and communications executive. His father is of Danish descent and his mother has Swedish and Italian ancestry.^[1] Christensen has an older brother and sister, Tove and Hejsa, and a younger sister, Kaylen.^[2][3][4] Raised outside Toronto in Thornhill, Ontario, Christensen attended E.J. Sand Public School, Baythorn Public School and Unionville High School in Unionville, Ontario, Canada. He was an athlete in high school, playing hockey competitively and tennis on a provincial level.^[5]

He spent summers in Long Island with his maternal grandmother, Rose Schwartz,^[5] and attended the Actors Studio in New York as well as the Arts York program for drama at his high school. He was "discovered" when his older sister Hejsa, a former trampoline champion, was shopping around for an agent after she landed a role in a Pringles commercial.^[5][6]

Career[link]

1993–2005[link]

Christensen's first acting role was on the television series Family Passions, which aired on Canadian television in September 1993, when he was 12.^[7] The following year he acquired a minor role in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness.^[7] From 1995 through 1999, he appeared in several movies and television shows, including Harrison Bergeron, Forever Knight, Goosebumps, The Virgin Suicides, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?.^[7] He acquired wider notice while starring in Fox Family Channel's television series Higher Ground in 2000, portraying a teen who was sexually molested by his stepmother, and then turned to drugs in his despair.^[7][8]

While Christensen's critically acclaimed portrayal of a misunderstood teenager in Life as a House (2001) earned him Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations as well as the National Board of Review's award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year,^[9][10][11] the performance did not receive widespread public notice.^[8] For his part in the movie, Christensen lost 25 pounds through a special diet.^[12] He eventually gained the weight back during the filming for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.^[13][14] In 2002, Christensen made his London theater debut co-starring with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anna Paquin in This Is Our Youth.^[15]

He went on to receive good reviews for 2003's Shattered Glass, which tells the true story of journalist Stephen Glass, who was discovered fabricating stories as a writer for The New Republic.^[16][17] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone writes "Hayden Christensen is sensational as Glass, finding the wonder boy and the weasel in a disturbed kid flying high on a fame he hasn't earned."^[18] In 2005, Christensen made his Broadway debut when he appeared briefly in a 10-minute play. He was among the big name actors and actresses taking part in the fifth annual "24 Hour Plays" benefit, which raises cash for nonprofit groups in the Big Apple.^[19]

[edit] Star Wars

On May 12, 2000, Christensen announced that he would be starring as Anakin Skywalker in the next two prequels Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). Director George Lucas had turned down such big names as Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Phillipe for the role, as well as 1,500 other candidates.^[20]

Lucas is quoted as saying that he chose Christensen because he "needed an actor who has that presence of the dark side" that was essential to solidify the story that Lucas was trying to tell: The tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader. In the final two films of the prequel trilogy, Christensen was the only actor portraying a Jedi who was not allowed to customize his character's lightsaber.^[21] This was because in Attack of the Clones, Anakin's lightsaber was built to be reminiscent of the lightsaber in the original trilogy, while in Revenge of the Sith, Vader's lightsaber was designed to match the lightsaber that Obi-Wan Kenobi gives to Luke Skywalker, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Christensen, during the production of Revenge of the Sith, asked Lucas if a special Vader suit could be constructed to fit his own body, rather than have a different actor don one of the original sets of Vader armor worn by David Prowse.^[22] Lucas agreed, and a suit was engineered to fit Christensen's frame, even including extensions to allow for the actor to attain Vader's 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m). His voice as the "robotic" Vader, however, was dubbed over by James Earl Jones, who first made it famous in the original trilogy.^[23]

Stock footage of Christensen was used in the 2004 DVD release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, where he was inserted in place of actor Sebastian Shaw as the ghost of Anakin Skywalker.^[24] This was one of the most controversial changes.^[25][26] Christensen insists this was done without his knowledge, an act that is confirmed by Lucasfilm itself in the featurette "Return of the Jedi: What has changed?" as seen on the official website to commemorate the 2006 DVDs.^[24]

Christensen's role as Anakin Skywalker made him a star.^[27] Although his performance in both Episodes II and III was met with generally mixed reviews by critics^{[28][29][30][31]} (earning him the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor in both films)^[32][33] he became popular among audiences, being named in both People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People and Teen People's 25 Hottest Stars under 25.^[2] For his performance in Episode III, he won the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain.^[34] Christensen continued to work a little more with Star Wars: He was the basis of Anakin Skywalker's fighting style in the video game adaption of Revenge of the Sith.

2006–present[link]

Christensen with Rachel Bilson filming Jumper in Rome in 2006.

Between 2006 and 2007, he replaced Jared Leto in Awake, with Jessica Alba, which tells the story of a man who remains awake but paralyzed during heart surgery,^[7][35] and in Factory Girl, opposite Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce.^[7][36] Christensen next starred with Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell and Rachel Bilson in the film Jumper, the story of a young man who discovers he has the ability to teleport; the film was released on February 14, 2008.^[37][38] Bilson and Christensen co-starred again in the same segment of the film New York, I Love You.^[39]

Christensen appeared opposite Mischa Barton in Virgin Territory, which was released directly-to-DVD in North America on August 26, 2008.^[40] The film, based on The Decameron, is about a group of people who escape the Black Plague epidemic by hiding out in a Tuscan villa in Italy.^[41]

Christensen appeared in the crime drama Takers released in the United States on August 27, 2010.^[42] Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey will be the fourth film in which Christensen will star with Samuel L. Jackson.^[43]

In October 2009 he started shooting the horror film Vanishing on 7th Street, directed by Brad Anderson, alongside Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo.^[44][45] Christensen recently has been cast in the role of Joe Lassiter in David R. Ellis's upcoming film, The Genesis Code.^[46][47]

In 2010 Christensen sued USA Network over allegations that they stole his idea for the TV show Royal Pains. The suit alleges that Christensen met with USA to pitch a similar series entitled "Housecalls". During the meeting, Christensen alleges, he was never informed that a similar program was in development.^[48][49]

Personal life[link]

In 2007, Christensen began dating actress Rachel Bilson, whom he had met the previous year while filming Jumper. They became engaged on December 25, 2008.^[50][51] In mid-2010, the couple split up, but were dating again a few months later. ^{[52][53][54][55]}

Christensen performed a public service announcement for Do Something's Teens for Jeans Campaign in 2008.^[56] He appeared as a model in Louis Vuitton's advertising^[57] and was also named as the face of Lacoste's newest fragrance, Lacoste Challenge.^[58] Featured in RED’s new Lazarus Effect Campaign, which is intended to increase awareness for its efforts to fight AIDS in Africa.^[59][60]

Filmography[link]

Music Videos[link]

K-OS – Zambony

References[link]