Pete Crow-Armstrong’s unusual link to Hayden Panettiere resurfaces after star’s death at 36
Before Pete Crow-Armstrong developed into one of baseball’s brightest stars, he grew up around his parents’ famous Hollywood co-stars — a situation that came with some unique perks.
Crow-Armstrong’s mom, Ashley Crow, famously starred as Billy Heywood’s mom Jenny in the hit 1994 film “Little Big League,” but it was her best-known role — as Sandra Bennet on “Heroes” — that led to him being babysat by one of the show’s stars.
“Hayden Panettiere babysat me. I had the biggest crush on her,” Crow-Armstrong revealed during an April 2022 interview with NBC Chicago. “Yeah, I’d say she was probably the coolest one for me.
“I liked being around the older actors, and I liked being babysat by my mom’s co-stars and whatnot.”
Crow’s 41-episode run on the show saw her character play the adoptive mother to Panettiere’s Claire Bennet.
Crow-Armstrong’s dad, Matthew John Armstrong, who has appeared on shows such as “House,” “The Young and the Restless” and “American Horror Story,” also had a recurring role on “Heroes” as Ted Sprague.
Panettiere, who shockingly died Sunday at age 36, spoke glowingly of her relationship with the “Heroes” cast, including Crow.
“They all just have their own individual personalities, and it’s such a hoot when you get together,” Panettiere told FanBolt in a 2007 interview.
Despite being around show business in Los Angeles from a young age, Crow-Armstrong — originally a first-round pick of the Mets — grew up a Cubs fan, the team he now stars for.
The 24-year-old is at the forefront of National League Most Valuable Player talks, entering Tuesday with a .281/.379/.550 slash line with 30 home runs, 78 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.
And despite his parents’ decorated IMDb pages, Crow-Armstrong has previously said he has a clear-cut favorite from their work.
“The only one I can really think of that I’ve seen in-depth is ‘Little Big League’ because I love that movie, regardless of my mom being in it,” Crow-Armstrong told the Los Angeles Times in 2020. “It’s a great movie.”