Kay Panabaker
Kay Panabaker | |
|---|---|
Panabaker in 2007 | |
| Born | Stephanie Kay Panabaker May 2, 1990 Orange, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Glendale Community College University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2000–2012 (acting) 2016–present (zookeeping) |
| Relatives | Danielle Panabaker (sister) |
Stephanie Kay Panabaker[1] (born May 2, 1990)[2] is an American zookeeper and former actress. She is best known for her work with the Disney Channel, starring in popular productions like Phil of the Future (2004–2006) and Read It and Weep (2006), and her role on the teen drama Summerland (2004–2005).
Early life
Stephanie Kay Panabaker was born on May 2, 1990, in Orange County, Texas, to Donna (née Mayock) and Harold Panabaker, III.[3] As children, she and her older sister, Danielle Panabaker, started acting at various community theatres in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. Their family relocated to Los Angeles so the sisters could further their acting careers.
Panabaker graduated from high school, in 2003, at 13 years old and was valedictorian.[4] She graduated from Glendale Community College with an associate degree when she was 15 and from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Bachelor of Arts in history when she was 17.[3][5][6]
Career
Panabaker began her film and TV career in the early 2000s, with guest roles in popular shows like 7th Heaven, ER, and Angel, and small parts in theatrical releases like Monsters, Inc. and Dead Heat.[7]
As a teenager, Panabaker and her sister found regular work as actors on the Disney Channel. In 2004, she appeared as Debbie Berwick, a friendly cyborg, on Phil of the Future. Her character was written out of the show after the first season. After that, she went onto star in two Disney Channel original films, Life is Ruff (2005) and Read It and Weep (2006), the latter in which she acted opposite Danielle. In 2006, Panabaker appeared in the Disney Channel Games, on the same team as Zac Efron, Anneliese van der Pol, Moises Arias, Dylan Sprouse, and Shin Koyamada. Her final appearance on the Disney Channel came in 2007, with a guest appearance as Amber on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
From 2004 to 2005, Panabaker starred as Nikki Westerly, a teen girl who moves to the fictional Californian town of Playa Linda to live with her aunt, portrayed by Lori Loughlin, after the death of her parents, on the WB drama Summerland. Panabaker acted alongside fellow teen idols Zac Efron, who played her love interest, and Jesse McCartney, who played her brother. The series ran for two seasons. In a 2016 interview with Naperville Magazine, Panabaker said working on the show wasn't a good experience, and that producers asked her to lose weight, despite her not even weighing 100 lbs at the time.[8]
Panabaker remained in Los Angeles and continued to act for several years after the conclusion of Summerland, but said her passion for acting never returned. After Summerland, she continued to make one-time appearances in popular TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Ghost Whisperer, and returned to theatrical films, starring in Fame, the 1980 teen musical drama of the same name, in 2009, and in Little Birds, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, in 2011.[9]
In 2010, Panabaker joined the main cast of the sci-fi drama series No Ordinary Family, playing Daphne, a 16-year-old who becomes telepathic after surviving a plane crash. While the show's early episodes were positively received by audiences and critics, later episodes, which saw Daphne and her family take on more traditional action hero roles and focused less on their family dynamic, weren't as well-received and ABC decided not to renew the show for a second season.[6][10][11]
Her final acting role was as Rosa in Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta! (2012).[12]
Personal life
Since 2016, Panabaker has been a zookeeper for Disney's Animal Kingdom in Bay Lake, Florida.[13][14]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes[10][15] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Monsters, Inc. | Garbage Monster | Voice role |
| 2002 | Temptation | Jamie Savini | Short film |
| Dead Heat | Samantha LaRoche | ||
| 2007 | Moondance Alexander | Moondance Alexander | |
| Nancy Drew | George Fayne | ||
| A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper | Elizabeth | ||
| 2009 | Fame | Jenny Garrison | |
| 2010 | The Lake Effect | Celia | |
| 2011 | Little Birds | Allison | |
| 2012 | Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta! | Rosa | Voice role and final film role |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes[10] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Jamie Kennedy Experiment | Kelly | 2 episodes |
| Port Charles | Sara | 1 episode | |
| ER | Melissa Rue | Episode: "The Letter" | |
| 7th Heaven | Alice Brand | Episode: "Regarding Eric" | |
| 2002–2003 | Angel | Mesektet (The Girl) | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | The Division | Susie Jenkins | Episode: "Cold Comfort" |
| The Brothers García | Carrie Bauer | Episode: "Moving On Up" | |
| 2004–2005 | Summerland | Nikki Westerly | Main role |
| Phil of the Future | Debbie Berwick | 13 episodes | |
| 2005 | Mom at Sixteen | Young Macy (uncredited) | Television film |
| Medium | Elisha | Episode: "Penny for Your Thoughts" | |
| Life Is Ruff | Emily Watson | Disney Channel original television film | |
| 2006 | American Dragon: Jake Long | Cheerleader Lacey | Voice, episode: "Bring It On" |
| Disney Channel Games | Herself / Contestant | Part of Red Team | |
| Read It and Weep | Jamie Bartlett | Television film | |
| 2006–2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lindsey Willows | 6 episodes |
| 2007 | The Winner | Vivica | Episode: "Single Dates" |
| Two and a Half Men | Sophie | Episode: "Tucked, Taped and Gorgeous" | |
| The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Amber | Episode: "First Day of High School" | |
| Custody | Amanda Gordon | Television film | |
| Weeds | Amelia | Episode: "He Taught Me How to Drive By" | |
| Boston Legal | Abby Holt | Episode: "The Chicken and the Leg" | |
| Ghost Whisperer | Marlo Sinclair | Episode: "Bad Blood" | |
| 2008 | Grey's Anatomy | Emma Anderson | Episode: "All by Myself" |
| 2009 | Happy Campers | Dylan | Television film |
| A Marriage | Maddy Gabriel | ||
| Lie to Me | Emily Lightman (scenes deleted) | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Mental | Aysnley Skoff | Episode: "Manic at the Disco" | |
| 2010 | Brothers & Sisters | Young Kitty Walker | Episode: "Time After Time" |
| Secrets in the Walls | Lizzie | Television film | |
| 2010–2011 | No Ordinary Family | Daphne Nicole Powell | Main role |
| 2011 | Cyberbully | Samantha Caldone | Television film |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Vicki Harris | Episode: "Spiraling Down"; final TV role |
Music video
| Year | Artist | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Jordan Pruitt | "Outside Looking In" | From No Ordinary Girl and Read It and Weep (single to promote the movie) |
Awards and honors
Panabaker previously held a Seat on the National Board of the Coalition for Quality Children's Media. As of 2020 this was no longer the case.[16]
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Guest Starring Young Actress | ER (episode: "The Letter") | Nominated | [17] |
| 2004 | Best Performance in a Commercial | Youth Anti-Smoking PSA | [18] | ||
| 2005 | Best Performance in a Television Series – Recurring Young Actress | Phil of the Future | [19] | ||
| Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actress | Summerland | Won | [19] | ||
| 2007 | Temecula Valley International Film Festival | Rising Star Award | [20] | ||
| 2008 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress | Moondance Alexander | Nominated | [21] |
| Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast | Nancy Drew (shared with rest of cast) | [21] |
References
- ^ "Kay Panabaker | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved Feb 11, 2020.
- ^ "Kay Panabaker". www.facebook.com. Retrieved Feb 11, 2020.
- ^ a b "Kay Panabaker". Biography. TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
Has worked with various children's organizations, including Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Young Storytellers Foundation, and Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.
- ^ Nathan Southern. "Kay Panabaker". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ "Kay Panabaker". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ^ a b Rice, Lynette (May 12, 2010). "Breaking: ABC picks up 'No Ordinary Family' starring Michael Chikilis". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 13, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ "Kay Panabaker". Credits. TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ Adamson, Sarah Knight. "Naperville magazine". Naperville Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- ^ "Kay Panabaker". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Kay Panabaker: Biography". TV.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ Cotter, Padraig (2019-10-26). "No Ordinary Family Season 2: Why It Didn't Happen". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- ^ Staff, A. O. L. (2016-07-15). "Remember Kay Panabaker from Disney Channel's 'Read it and Weep'? You'll never guess what she's up to now". www.aol.com. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- ^ "Disney Channel Stars Then and Now - Page 2". E! Online. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- ^ Waslaski, Casey (June 2, 2016). "Remember Kay Panabaker from Disney Channel's 'Read it and Weep'? You'll never guess what she's up to now". AOL. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ Southern, Nathan. "Kay Panabaker". AllMovie. Archived from the original on January 6, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ "CQCM Board and Staff". National Board. KidsFirst.org. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ "Twenty-Fourth Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Awards Foundation. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
- ^ "25th Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Foundation. Archived from the original on August 2, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
- ^ a b "26th Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Foundation. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
- ^ Ryan, Helen. "Better with Age – Temecula Valley International Film and Music Festival Grows Up". LAsThePlace. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
- ^ a b "29th Young Artist Awards". Archived from the original on July 6, 2008.