Helen Schneider (born December 23, 1952) is an American singer and actress working mainly in Germany.

Life and career

Helen Schneider Klaus Doldinger 2013 amk

Helen Leslie Schneider was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City, the daughter of Dvora and Abraham Schneider. Schneider studied piano before forming her own blues band and playing in venues throughout

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and New York. She's had a varied career in music, theater, recording, literature and film. Between 1978 and 1984, she achieved success as a rock singer in Germany; her song "Rock 'n' Roll Gypsy" reached the top 10

record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include ...

s and she received a Gold Record Award and shared the Goldene Europa Award with

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

. In 1980 she toured with the German rock legend

Udo Lindenberg Udo Lindenberg (born 17 May 1946) is a German singer, drummer, and composer. Career Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969, he founded his first band Free Orbit, and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Micha ...

. She played one of the leads in the 1983 film ''

Eddie and the Cruisers ''Eddie and the Cruisers'' is a 1983 American musical drama film directed by Martin Davidson with the screenplay written by the director and Arlene Davidson, based on the novel by P. F. Kluge. The sequel '' Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! ...

'', which has since gained a huge

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

, especially in Germany, where Schneider has name recognition. In 1987, she began her theater career at the

Theater des Westens The Theater des Westens (Theatre of the West) is one of the most famous theatres for musicals and operettas in Berlin, Germany, located at 10–12 in Charlottenburg. It was founded in 1895 for plays. The present house was opened in 1896 and d ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

playing '' Sally Bowles'' in the musical ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

''. From 1995 to 1998, she performed as

Norma Desmond ''Sunset Boulevard'' (styled in the main title on-screen as ''SUNSET BLVD.'') is a 1950 American black comedy film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett. It was named after a major street ...

in ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...

'' by

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...

. From 1999 to 2001, she performed as

Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as just Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 19 ...

in the musical '' Evita'' at the

Bad Hersfelder Festspiele The Bad Hersfelder Festspiele is a German theatre festival in Bad Hersfeld, Hesse. The ''Bad Hersfelder Festspiele'' have been staged since 1951. The Festival The ''Bad Hersfeld Festival'' takes place every year from mid-June to early August in ...

. In 2014 she starred as

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

in the European production of ''End of the Rainbow''. She received enormous acclaim for her one-woman performance pieces: ''A Walk on the Weill Side'', ''A Voice and A Piano'', and ''Verwandlungen''. In 2006 she received the DIVA – German Entertainment Prize for her lifetime achievements. In 2007 Schneider returned to the recording business. She recorded three CDs with Edel Music. For "Dream a Little Dream" she received a golden CD award in jazz. In 2015 she signed with the independent record label SPV GmbH. She recorded her first original album in 30 years: "Collective Memory", with music composed by her guitarist, Jo Ambros, and lyrics written by her colleague and book co-author, Linda Uruburu. In 2017 this team followed up with Helen's latest album entitled: "Movin' On". After a few successful Master Classes in 2018 Helen joined the teaching staff of Stage School Hamburg as a teacher of "Song Interpretation".

Bibliography

*"Helen Schneiders Tiergeschichten für große und kleine Kinder" ("Helen Schneider's Animal Stories for Young and Older Children" – a reading book full of stories about children and their relationship to wild and domestic animals) (Helen Schneider & Linda Uruburu, Lilli Messina (Illustr.), Klaus Weimann (Übers.)), Baumhaus Medien, 2007 *"Maximilian Schnecks wunderbarer Regentag" ("Maximilian Snail's Wonderful Rainy Day" – a picture book about a snail's adventures crossing the road) (Helen Schneider & Linda Uruburu, Lilli Messina (Illustr.), Klaus Weimann (Übers.)), Baumhaus Medien, 2007

Discography

* 1976 LP ''So Close'' (Windsong) * 1977 LP ''Let It Be Now'' (RCA) * 1979 LP ''Ein Mädchen aus New York – Live in Hamburg'' (RCA, 1979; LP) – (''Transl.: a girl from New York'') * 1980 LP ''Crazy Lady'' (WEA Warner Music, 1980; LP) * 1981 LP ''Mr. Valentino – Ihre großen Erfolge'' (RCA, 1981) * 1981 LP ''Schneider with the Kick'' (WEA Warner Music, 1981/ 1992) * 1982 LP ''Rock 'n' Roll Gypsy'' (WEA Warner Music, 1982, LP; Compilation of WEA-Alben, i.e. "Schneider with the Kick", 1996, CD) * 1982 LP ''Exposed'' (WEA Warner Music, 1982; LP) * 1983 LP ''Breakout'' (WEA Warner Music, 1983; LP) * 1983 EP ''Smuggled Out A-Live'' (Warner Music; Live-EP) * 1983 LP ''The Best of Helen Schneider'' (WEA Warner Music, 1983/84; LP) * 1984 LP ''Helen Schneider'' (Amiga, 1984; LP) * 1988 LP ''Back on Track'' (Epic/CBS, 1988; LP) * 1989 LP '' A Walk on the Weill Side'' (CBS Records, 1989; LP) * 1991 LP ''Vagabond'' (CBS/Sony Music, 1991; LP) * 1995 LP "Short Operas" (Ariola/Sony BMG, 1995; LP) * 1995 LP ''Right as the Rain'' (Rhino/WEA, 1995; LP; CD release by Tomato; 2003) * 1995 CD ''Songs of Kurt Weill'' (Rhino/WEA; reissued by Tomato with changed track listing and bonus track "Barbara's Song") * 1996 CD ''Sunset Boulevard'' (Polydor/Universal, 1996; CD) * 1999 CD ''Romantic Nights'' (BMG, 1999; CD) * 2001 CD ''A Voice and a Piano'' (

Preiser Records Preiser Records is an independent Austrian record label. It was founded in 1952 by Otto G. Preiser (1920–1996). The label is particularly important for recordings from the Viennese cabaret scene, especially from the 1950s and 1960s ( Helmut Qu ...

, 2001; CD) * 2001 CD ''Cool Heat'' (Elysium Recordings, 2001; CD) * 2001 CD ''Short Operas 2'' (Ariola/Sony BMG, 2001; CD) * 2007 CD ''Just Like a Woman'' (Edel, 2007; CD) * 2009 CD ''Dream a Little Dream'' (Edel Records, 2009; CD) * 2009 CD ''Working Girl – The Very Best of Helen Schneider'' (Edel, 2009; CD) * 2010 CD ''The World We Knew – The Bert Kaempfert Album'' (with SWR Swing Band)" (Edel, 2010; CD) * 2015 CD ''Collective Memory'' (SPV GmbH, 2015; CD) * 2015 LP ''Collective Memory'' (SPV GmbH, 2015; LP) * 2017 CD ''Movin' On'' (SPV GmbH, 2017; CD) * 2017 LP ''Movin' On'' (SPV GmbH, 2017; LP)

Singles (in Charts)

* Rock 'n' Roll Gypsy (Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw) (1981); CH #1, D #6 * Angry Times (1982); D #26 * Hot Summer Nites (1982); D #36 * Piece of My Heart (1982); D #73

Collaborations

* Udo Lindenberg – Live – Intensivstationen (Warner Music, 1982/ 2002) * Eberhard Schoener – Short Operas (BMG Ariola, 1996) * Eberhard Schoener – The Sound of Derrick (BMG Ariola, 1998) * Eberhard Schoener – Short Operas II (BMG Ariola, 2001)

Musical productions

* Sunset Boulevard – Original German Recording (Polydor/ Universal, 1996) * Victor/ Victoria (Bremer Theater, 2005)

Filmography

Film releases

*''

'', USA, 1983 *''Into the Beat'', Germany, 2020

Television

*''Mauritius-Los'', D (WDR), 1990 *'' Der Havelkaiser'' (Series), D (SFB), 1993/1995/1998/1999 *'' Siska – Das letzte Konzert'', D (ZDF), 1998 *''Liebe macht sexy'', D (SAT1), 2009 *''

Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed b ...

: Borowski und die Sterne'', D (ARD), 2009 *'' Das Duo – Mordbier'', D (ZDF), 2010 *''Ku'Damm 63'' (Series), D (ZDF), 2021

Musical and theatre productions

", Berlin (Theater des Westens), 1987–88 *"

Ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished ...

", New York City (Circle in the Square Theater), 1988 *"Frida: The Story of Frida Kahlo",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

& New York City (Brooklyn Academy of Music), 1992–93; Wien (Schauspielhaus), 2000; Recklinghausen (Sommer-Festival), 2002 *"

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

", Berlin (Theater des Westens), 1993–94 *"

Niedernhausen Niedernhausen im Taunus is a municipality in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany, with almost 15,000 inhabitants. Geography Location Niedernhausen lies in the Rhein-Taunus Nature Park in the west ...

(Rhein-Main-Theater), 1995–98;

, 2011–2012 *" Evita",

Bad Hersfeld The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld (''Bad'' is "spa" in German; the Old High German name of the city was ''Herolfisfeld'') is the district seat of the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southe ...

(Sommer-Festival), 1999–2001 *"Mahagonny Songspiel",

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(Schauspielhaus), 2000 * "Die Sieben Todsünden", Wien (Schauspielhaus), 2000;

Dessau Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßl ...

(Kurt-Weill-Festival), 2005 *"Transformations Ver.0.1]" (nach Gedichten von

Anne Sexton Anne Sexton (born Anne Gray Harvey; November 9, 1928 – October 4, 1974) was an American poet known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967 for her book '' Live or Die''. Her poetry details ...

), Wien (Schauspielhaus), 2001;

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

, 2002 *"

Victor/Victoria ''Victor/Victoria'' is a 1982 musical comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras, and John Rhys-Davies. The film was produced by Tony Adams and sco ...

Bremen Bremen ( Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state cons ...

(Bremer Theater), 2005 *"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash",

(Renaissance-Theater), 2010 *"Der Ghetto Swinger",

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

(

Hamburger Kammerspiele The Hamburg Kammerspiele (German: ''Hamburger Kammerspiele'') is a private theatre in Rotherbaum, Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hans ...

), 2012–2019 *"Transformations" (nach Gedichten von

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...

(Theater Rampe), 2012 *"Die Reifepruefung" ("The Graduate"), Hamburg (Altona Theater), 2013 *"End of the Rainbow" (the story of Judy Garland), (

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

, Austria), 2014 *"DIVEN",

(

), 2016 *"

", Bad Hersfelder Festspiele, 2015–2016 *"Der koschere Himmel",

(

), 2021

Awards

* 1981: Bronze

Bravo Otto The Bravo Otto is a German accolade honoring excellence of performers in film, television and music. Established in 1957, the award is presented annually, with winners selected by the readers of ''Bravo'' magazine. The award is presented in ...

* 1982: International Artist of the Year – German Phono Academy * 1999:

Hersfeld-Preis The Hersfeld-Preis is an award for an actor. It has been awarded annually since 1962 as part of the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele of the ''Gesellschaft der Freunde der Stiftsruine'' and the city of Bad Hersfeld The festival and spa town of Bad Hersf ...

for ''Evita'' * 2006: DIVA-Award in the Category ''World Award (Hall of Fame)'' * 2011:

for ''Sunset Boulevard''

References

External links

www.helenschneider.com Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Helen 1952 births American expatriate actresses in Germany American women rock singers American musical theatre actresses Living people 21st-century American women