Dan Schneider

Dan Schneider
Born	(1966-01-14) January 14, 1966 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	Daniel Schneider Daniel J. Schneider Daniel James Schneider
Education	Graduated from White Station High School (Memphis, TN) in 1982 Attended various classes at Harvard University
Occupation(s)	Actor Writer Producer
Years active	1984–present
Employer(s)	Nickelodeon Warner Bros. Studios
Known for	creating, producing, acting in and directing several films and television programs, including All That
Spouse	Lisa Lillien (2002-present)
Parent(s)	Harry and Carol Schneider

Dan Schneider (born January 14, 1966) is an American actor, writer, and producer of movies and television. He is the co-president of his own production company called Schneider's Bakery, Inc.

Dan Schneider is sometimes credited as Daniel Schneider, Daniel J. Schneider, or Daniel Jamie Schneider. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he went to Memphis University School (MUS) for some years but graduated from White Station High School in 1982 and was the president of his senior class.

Acting career (1984–2008)

In the mid-1980s, Schneider co-starred in several movies including Making the Grade and Better Off Dead starring John Cusack, which has become a popular cult classic.

Schneider also co-starred in the movies The Big Picture starring Kevin Bacon and Happy Together starring Patrick Dempsey. He also starred in Hot Resort with Bronson Pinchot in 1985.

In 1986, Schneider became nationally well-known when he landed the role of Dennis Blunden on the ABC television sitcom Head of the Class. The series ran for 5 seasons from 1986 to 1991.

In 1992, Schneider starred in the series Home Free which starred Matthew Perry, later of Friends fame. Schneider played best friend to Perry's character.

In 1994 he played as Shawn Eckhardt in Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story, one of two made-for-television movies about the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan scandal.

Later, after becoming a writer/producer, Schneider began limiting his acting roles to ones he wrote for himself in his projects, such as "Mr. Bailey" in Good Burger, a movie written and co-produced by Schneider.

He and his writers constantly give themselves obvious cameos in episodes of the television shows he creates (almost always recurring speaking roles), such as his role as a zany cab driver in the Zoey 101 TV movie, Chasing Zoey.

If you listen closely to the end of the iCarly episode, iBeat the Heat you can hear him shout "Stupid speech!".

Writing and producing career (1993–present)

Television

Schneider's career shifted directions in 1993 when he began writing and producing a string of highly successful television shows. The headline in a New York Times article (April 8, 2007) about Schneider called him "the master of a television genre." Another New York Times article (September 7, 2007) said that Schneider "has become the Norman Lear of children's television."

Schneider is the creative force behind the following hit TV series:

Series	Original run	Description
Victorious	Nickelodeon (2010–present)	Starring Victoria Justice, the series primarily centers on a teenage girl named Tori Vega, who transfers to the performing arts school Hollywood Arts after getting invited a spot as a student at the school after substituting for her older sister Trina (Daniella Monet) in a musical number after Trina suffers an allergic reaction to a Chinese herb gargle at the school's "Big Showcase"; at Hollywood Arts, Tori ends up making friends (and one rival) with students of different personalities, including a boy who often speaks with a ventriloquist dummy and a girl who is easily offended by inoffensive comments. Like with Zoey 101 and iCarly, although the series centers on a main character, Victorious serves as an ensemble comedy; and like Zoey 101, the series is presented in a letterbox format on Nickelodeon's primary standard definition feed. The series premiered on March 27, 2010 after the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards.
iCarly	Nickelodeon (2007–present)	Starring Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Kress,Jerry Trainor,and Noah Munck. iCarly debuted in September 2007 and was an instant hit, and as of 2010, is the top-rated children's program on cable television and one of the most successful shows on cable. iCarly is about a group of friends, Carly, Sam and Freddie (played by Cosgrove, McCurdy and Kress, respectively), who make a popular comedy web series called iCarly. Based on early confidence, the network increased the first season order from 13 episodes to 22 episodes. iCarly was nominated for a Kids' Choice Award in its first season, competing against Hannah Montana and Drake & Josh (another series created by Dan Schneider, which Cosgrove and Trainor previously appeared), and later won Kids Choice Awards in 2009 and 2010 for Favorite TV Show.
Zoey 101	Nickelodeon (2005–2008)	Zoey 101 was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2005. The series star, Jamie Lynn Spears, is the younger sister of singer Britney Spears. Jamie Lynn won the Kids Choice Award for "Favorite Actress" in 2006, for her starring role in Zoey 101. In 2005, Zoey 101 was the #2 television show in America with the young teen audience, second only to American Idol. Though Zoey was the primary focus of the series, the show was basically an ensemble comedy and featured somewhat of a revolving door cast with only Spears and four other cast members (Matthew Underwood, Erin Sanders, Paul Butcher and Christopher Massey) appearing in all four seasons. Zoey 101 was Schneider's first single-camera format program and the first to be presented in a letterbox format. Schneider also guest-starred in a Zoey 101 movie Chasing Zoey. He played Lola Martinez and Vince Blake's cab driver to the prom but never actually got them there.
Drake & Josh	Nickelodeon (2004–2007)	Drake & Josh has won multiple Kids Choice Awards, and is one of Nickelodeon's all-time most popular series. It starred three actors from The Amanda Show: Drake Bell, Josh Peck, and Nancy Sullivan. Miranda Cosgrove and Jonathan Goldstein rounded out the main cast. The series centered on Drake Parker and Josh Nichols, two polar opposite teenage boys, who become stepbrothers when Drake's mother and Josh's father get married; Drake's scheming and underachieving ways and Josh's awkwardness and haplessness end up giving way to many sticky situations that the two try to get out of.
What I Like About You	The WB (2002–2006)	What I Like About You starred Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth, formerly of Beverly Hills 90210, and centered on two sisters: Val Tyler (Garth), a PR consultant whose younger teenage sister Holly (Bynes) moves in with her after their father accepts a job in Japan. The show had a four-year successful run on the WB network, just before the WB and UPN merged into the "CW" network. The series, co-created by Schneider and former Friends writer/producer Wil Calhoun, is one of only two series Schneider created that was produced for broadcast network television.
Kenan & Kel	Nickelodeon (1996–2000)	Kenan & Kel was a show about two boys living in Chicago, Illinois. Kenan (Kenan Thompson) is a high school student with a job at the grocery store, while Kel (Kel Mitchell) is his clumsy, orange soda-loving friend. Schneider was the executive producer, and guest starred in an episode.
The Amanda Show	Nickelodeon (1999–2002)	The Amanda Show was a sketch comedy series, starring Amanda Bynes, that earned multiple Kids Choice Awards. Although the show ended production in 2001, it has continued to air in reruns on Nickelodeon through 2007. Schneider himself often appeared on The Amanda Show as a frustrated old man who was frequently the victim of strange prank phone calls.
Guys Like Us	UPN (1998–1999)	Guys Like Us is a short-lived sitcom that ran on UPN for 13 episodes from 1998 to 1999. Starring Bumper Robinson, Maestro Harrell and Chris Hardwick, the series centered on Jared Harris (Robinson) and Sean Barker (Hardwick), two twenty-something bachelors who are faced with the task of taking care of Jared's precocious six-year-old brother Maestro (Harrell), who comes to live with them after Jared's father accepts a freelance position overseas. The premise of a younger sibling moving in with their older sibling after a parent gets a job overseas would later be applied to the premise of the Schneider-created series What I Like About You years later, as well as iCarly. The series is one of only two series Schneider created that was produced for broadcast network television.
All That	Nickelodeon (1994–2005)	All That is a sketch comedy show, often referred to by the media as the "little brother" of Saturday Night Live. All That won Cable Ace Awards and multiple Kids' Choice Awards. It was one of the longest-running live action series ever on Nickelodeon. The show featured many different comedy sketches, including the popular "Good Burger" sketch (which spun off a 1997 film of the same name). It also featured musical appearances by artists such as Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Barenaked Ladies, Usher, Mandy Moore, Drake Bell, 'N Sync, Avril Lavigne, etc. Schneider quit All That after the first four seasons to run The Amanda Show. The show's ratings soon declined and it was canceled in 2000-2001. Nickelodeon then asked Schneider to come back and revamp All That in 2001. Schneider agreed and All That then returned to Nickelodeon in 2002. The show was relaunched, and ran for another four seasons until 2005, bringing All That to the end of its 10-season run.

Movies

Schneider has also been involved in movies. He wrote the movie Good Burger which starred Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell (and featured Schneider himself in a supporting role). The film was a successful moneymaker for Paramount Studios, and has begun to enjoy "cult film" status over recent years. Good Burger (the movie) was spun off from a popular comedy sketch which Schneider produced on his Nickelodeon television show All That.

Schneider also wrote and co-produced the movie Big Fat Liar which starred Frankie Muniz and Paul Giamatti. The film was a hit for Universal Studios, earning nearly $50 million in domestic box office alone.

As of 2007, Schneider has movies in development at both Warner Bros. Studios and Nickelodeon's movie division.

Personal life

In 2002, Schneider married Lisa Lillien, the founder and president of Hungry Girl, a free daily email that features dieting tips, recipes, food finds, and food news.

External links

• Dan Schneider's official blog