Skip Panettiere Is Hayden Panettiere's Father Who Is Divorced from Her Mother

Skip Panettiere is the father of two Hollywood stars. His wife was also an actress and producer who had the best of her career towards the end of the 20th century. The world was recently shocked by the death of their 28-year-old son.

Skip Panettiere is a New York City native who lived a life of public service surrounded by celebrities. He was married to his ex-wife Lesley Vogel for many years, and a lapse in controlling his temper derailed their relationship.

His children Hayden and Jansen Panettiere are famous movie stars who have rubbed shoulders with the who's who of Hollywood. His daughter, in particular, has reached spectacular heights in the industry, credit to the early start she got from Skip and Lesley.

Skip Is Half-Italian

Hayden's father, Skip, was a captain at a fire department in New York City. One-half of his ancestral lineage is Italian, and he shared this similarity with his ex-wife. Skip's real name is Alan Lee Panettiere. He has a single film credit for making an authentic appearance in "Behind the Secrets of Johnathan Sperry."

His singular film appearance was in 2010, and he was cast along with deceased actor Gavin MacLeod and his son Jansen Panettiere. Skip's children, Jansen and Hayden, pursued a career and established themselves in the film industry.

His daughter was famed for starring in "Nashville" alongside David E. Windsor's alleged Nashville-born girlfriend, Connie Britton, and Charles Esten, who plays Deacon Claybourne.

Skip's First Wife Was an Actress

Skip married actress and producer Lesley Vogel, who has four projects to her name. She starred in "Sister Sensei" and appeared in three episodes of "Loving"—a TV series starring Lisa Peluso and John Wright's ex-wife, Laura Wright. She's also got a producer credit on "Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List."

Skip and his Lesley tied the knot on May 25, 1987, and they remained together for a year short of three decades before his wife got the divorce she wanted following a violent altercation years prior. They had two children together: Jansen and Hayden.

In August 2008, Skip and Lesley got into an altercation, leading to the firefighter striking his then-wife. He was arrested by law enforcement in West Hollywood for further investigation on his alleged misdemeanor, which occurred after a fundraiser event hosted by his daughter.

After a brief arrest, Skip spoke about how it was not much of an issue, and he was backed by his famous daughter, who attributed the drama to an attention-seeking sheriff. "It was blown way out of proportion by a sheriff who wanted his 15 minutes of fame," she said. Still, a judge issued a protection order against Skip in October of that year.

In 2009, he was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $400 fine after he pleaded no contest against the allegations. The court also demanded that Skip attend domestic violence counseling for 52 weeks. The couple battled in marital court years after the altercation while homeless Lesley lived in Hayden's condo.

The divorce was settled in April 2016, with Skip required to repay a $100,000 loan to his daughter and $5000 monthly for five years from that point or unless Lesley remarried. In 2017, he married and started a new life with an Ethiopian woman named Mekdem. Jansen, Hayden, and Mekdem's daughter were all part of the wedding's itinerary.

Skip's Children Both Became Actors Too

Skip's daughter, Hayden, has had a successful career in Hollywood thus far and, judging by her age, seemingly has a long way to go. She began acting at 11 months when her parents got her into a Playskool commercial, her first of over 50 commercial appearances.

She will soon star in the star-studded sixth edition of "Scream" with Jenna Ortega and $150,000,000-earning actress Courteney Cox. Hayden never loses sight of her family and loves her father regardless of the issues between him and her mother. She wished the firefighter a Happy Father's Day in 2020, reminding him how much she loves him.

Skip's son has also accomplished a fair bit in Hollywood, following in his older sister and mother's footsteps. He appeared in "The X's," "Even Stevens," "How High 2," "The Walking Dead," and many other projects.

Sadly, Jansen's life was cut short at the age of 28, and according to PEOPLE, there seemed to be no foul play in the young actor's death. His name will live on in the archives of Hollywood that will keep the traces of his existence alive.