in 2019 In 1997,
American Broadcasting Company (ABC) hired Schroeder to play Serena Baldwin on
Port Charles. She was twice nominated for a
Young Artist Award for her work on the show; once in 1999 and again in 2000, as well as a Young Star Award nomination in 1999 for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Daytime TV Program. Schroeder then appeared as Melina Bianco in
The Disney Channel's
Lizzie McGuire. Originally booked as a one-time appearance, she shot twelve episodes of the show and also appeared in
The Lizzie McGuire Movie in 2003, in the same role. In 2003, Schroeder auditioned for her first feature film and won the role of Millie in the thriller
Mean Creek. The movie won wide acclaim for Schroeder and the rest of the cast, winning the
Humanitas Prize at the 2004
Sundance Film Festival, and also being awarded the 2005 Independent Spirit Festival Special Distinction Award for best ensemble cast.
Gracie was Shroeder's next film role, in 2006. In order to win the role, she began an intense three-month work-out that included a daily regimen of not only physical fitness, but also of training in advanced soccer skills with professional athletes and trainers. While
Gracie was in theaters, Schroeder's other movie,
Eye of the Dolphin, was receiving attention, winning two awards from the 2007
International Family Film Festival: a Best Child Actor win for Schroeder, and a Drama Feature win for the movie. The movie has been well received and continues to receive honors, including being named as an Official Selection for the Tribeca Film Festival, Delray Beach Film Festival, Kids First! Film Festival, Tiburon Film Festival, USA Family Film Festival and the Worldfest Houston Film festival. At the 2007 Kids First Awards in October, Schroeder received the award for Best Emerging Actress, while the film received the Best Feature Award (ages 12–18). Her other movies are
Forget Me Not (2009), and
Slightly Single in L.A., which completed filming in 2009 and was released in 2012. She was also featured in
Creepers (2011) and
Prep School (2015). In early July 2017, it was announced that Schroeder would return as
Serena Baldwin to
General Hospital to honor the late
Peter Hansen, who had died in April 2017, who had portrayed her grandfather,
Lee Baldwin. ==Filmography==