Danielle Panabaker was born in Georgia, the elder of two children; she has a sister, Kay, who is also an actress. She took a theater class at a summer camp and discovered her enjoyment in acting, so she started acting in community theaters at the age of ten, later auditioning for commercials. After moving to Naperville, IL, Danielle went to Crone Middle School and later Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville and participated on the speech team. She graduated from the school when she was only 14 years old. Later on, Panabaker (feeling it was the only way to get acting roles regularly) relocated to Los Angeles, California in order to pursue an acting career. In 2005 she earned her Associate's degree, and appears on the National Dean's List. In fall 2006 she will begin her senior year at UCLA.
Panabaker followed her initial appearances in commercials with roles in television, including a part in the series, The Guardian (for which she won a Young Artist Award), as well as a few other major television series, including Malcolm in the Middle, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Stuck in the Suburbs, and Summerland. She has also appeared in the Lifetime Television productions Sex and the Single Mom and Mom at Sixteen, as well as the well-reviewed mini-series Empire Falls. In addition, Panabaker also appeared in stage productions with roles in musical theater, including West Side Story, Pippin, Once Upon A Time, and Beauty Lou and the Country Beast.
In 2005, Panabaker co-starred in two widely released theatrical films, Sky High and the remake of the film Yours, Mine and Ours. Her next role will be in the film Home of the Giants, opposite Ryan Merriman and Haley Joel Osment. She will also have a supporting role in the independent film Mr. Brooks. In the Disney Channel Original Movie Read It and Weep, she plays Is, an alternate version of Jaime, who is played by her sister Kay Panabaker.
Panabaker was added to the cast of the CBS television drama pilot Shark, as Julie Stark, the main character's daughter. She has a regular role in the series.
Panabaker was approached by GCap Media, but turned down the offer.
Panabaker was originally going to star as the lead in horror/thriller Solstice, but dropped out due to scheduling complications. Elisabeth Harnois then replaced her.
