Many of us are so wowed by Panettiere's more recent roles that we forget she is a child actor. In fact, her first gig was at the tender age of 11 months for a Playskool commercial (via Start TV). Before grabbing the main roles, Panettiere made a guest star appearance on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" — not once, but twice. According to Insider, the actor's memorable smile was first shown in Season 2 when she played a young victim, Ashley Austin Black in the episode "Abuse." Her second appearance on the show's Season 6 made more of a lasting impression when she played Angela Angelli in the episode "Hooked." Angela was a school girl who, at the start of the episode, appeared innocent but was later connected to the murder of a doctor.
The famous star and the long-running show crossed paths long ago. And while not all of the dramatic episodes on "Law & Order: SVU" have a happy ending, we certainly hope Panettiere's dramatic past few years will fade into happier times in the future.
