Dan Schneider Biography

(Actor)

Birthday: January 14, 1966 (Capricorn)

Born In: Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Dan Schneider is an American actor, television and film writer, and producer who is best known for creating many of the popular children's television shows on Nickelodeon. He started his career as a supporting actor in films like 'Making the Grade', 'Better Off Dead', 'The Big Picture', 'Happy Together' and 'Hot Resort', and went on to appear as the wry and sarcastic computer whiz Dennis Blunden on the ABC sitcom 'Head of the Class' for five seasons. He then began working behind-the-scenes as a writer and producer on television shows such as 'All That', 'Kenan & Kel', 'The Amanda Show', 'Drake & Josh', 'Zoey 101', 'iCarly', 'Victorious', 'Sam & Cat', 'Henry Danger' and 'Game Shakers'. He has worked on the films 'Good Burger' and 'Big Fat Liar'. He often makes cameo appearances on the shows and movies he works on. He is the founder and co-president of the television production company Schneider's Bakery. He has been hailed as the "Norman Lear of children's television" by an article on the 'New York Times' and was the recipient of the first-ever 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the 'Kids' Choice Awards'.
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Quick Facts

Age: 58 Years, 58 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Lisa Lillien

Actors T V & Movie Producers

Height: 6'0" (183 cm), 6'0" Males

U.S. State: Tennessee

City: Memphis, Tennessee

Founder/Co-Founder: Schneider's Bakery

More Facts

education: Harvard University, Yale University, White Station High School, Memphis University School

  • 1

    What TV shows has Dan Schneider created?

    Dan Schneider is known for creating popular TV shows such as "Drake & Josh," "iCarly," "Victorious," and "Sam & Cat."
  • 2

    What is Dan Schneider's production company called?

    Dan Schneider's production company is called Schneider's Bakery.
  • 3

    Which famous actors started their careers on Dan Schneider's shows?

    Actors such as Ariana Grande, Miranda Cosgrove, and Victoria Justice started their careers on Dan Schneider's TV shows.
  • 4

    What is the controversy surrounding Dan Schneider?

    Dan Schneider has faced controversy over allegations of inappropriate behavior on set and reports of a toxic work environment.
  • 5

    Are there any spin-offs or reboots planned for Dan Schneider's shows?

    As of now, there are no official announcements regarding spin-offs or reboots of Dan Schneider's popular TV shows.
Childhood & Early Life
Dan Schneider was born on January 14, 1966 in Memphis, Tennessee, to Harry and Carol Schneider. He is the youngest of his parents' four children and has three elder sisters.
He attended White Station High School where he became the Senior class president. After graduating from school, he enrolled into his father's alma mater, Harvard University, but left after one semester.
He came back to Memphis and started taking classes at University of Memphis, which was then known as Memphis State University. During this time, he took a repairing job at a computer store.
While still studying, he was spotted by a movie producer who encouraged him to audition for a role which he got following an audition. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles and began auditioning for more roles, while working as a pizza delivery boy.
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Career
Dan Schneider's first acting opportunity came in the 1984 American teen comedy film 'Making the Grade', in which he played a short role. The next year he appeared in the films 'Better Off Dead' and 'Hot Resort'.
In 1986, he was cast as Dennis Blunden on the ABC television sitcom 'Head of the Class', which ran successfully for five seasons.
In 1989, he acted in three movies: 'Happy Together', 'Listen to Me' and 'The Big Picture'.
He starred on the short-lived ABC sitcom 'Home Free' in 1993. The following year, he played Shawn Eckhardt in the made-for-television film 'Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story', based on the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan scandal.
He was hired to work on Nickelodeon's new sketch-comedy show for children, 'All That' (1994-2005), by head of production Albie Hecht, whom he met in 1988 while co-hosting the second annual 'Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards'. He wrote for the pilot episode and subsequently took responsibilities as producer, executive producer, and writer on the show throughout the next few seasons.
He wrote the script of the movie 'Good Burger' (1997) based on a popular comedy sketch from 'All That', and also appeared in a supporting role alongside Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Later in 2002, he wrote and co-produced the film 'Big Fat Liar', which was a commercial success.
He was an executive producer and writer for Nickelodeon's teen sitcom 'Kenan & Kel' for the first two seasons (1996-97) and continued to work as a consultant for the later seasons.
In 1998, he created the show 'Guys Like Us' for UPN network, but it was cancelled after the first season due to poor ratings and reviews.
In 1999, he left 'All That' to work on 'The Amanda Show', featuring Amanda Bynes, which he created, executive produced, wrote, directed, and also often guest-starred in as a frustrated old man troubled with prank-calls. However, after ratings started to decline on 'All That', Nickelodeon brought him back to revamp it in 2001, following which it had a successful four-season run.
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He collaborated with former 'Friends' writer and producer Wil Calhoun to co-create The WB sitcom 'What I Like About You' in 2002. He also served as an executive producer during the first two seasons and worked as the director, writer and executive consultant in the last two seasons.
In 2003, he founded the production company Schneider's Bakery, and the following year, returned to Nickelodeon to create the show 'Drake & Josh', starring Drake Bell and Josh Peck, actors from 'The Amanda Show'. The show also featured Miranda Cosgrove, who would later star in another of his shows, 'iCarly' (2007-12).
He created the Nickelodeon comedy-drama series 'Zoey 101', starring Jamie Lynn Spears, in 2005, and made a cameo appearance as a cab driver in the series finale. It was his first and only single-camera format program in which he used the letterbox format for the first time.
He next created the sitcom 'Victorious', starring actress Victoria Justice, which premiered after the 2010 'Kids' Choice Awards' and became very popular with the audience. It even beat out 'iCarly' to win the 'Favorite TV Show' award at the 2012 'Kids' Choice Awards' and 2013 'Kids' Choice Awards', and earned four 'Emmy' nominations.
In 2013, he created the teen sitcom 'Sam & Cat', a dual-show spin-off of both 'iCarly' and 'Victorious'. In this show, singer Ariana Grande starred in her breakthrough role as Cat Valentine alongside Jennette McCurdy, but the show was cancelled after 36 episodes.
He co-created the 2014 comedy series 'Henry Danger' with Dana Olsen and also created the 2015 series 'Game Shakers', both of which are running successfully on Nickelodeon. He is working on an animated spin-off of 'Henry Danger' titled 'The Adventures of Kid Danger' which is scheduled to premiere in January 2018.
Major Works
Dan Schneider has created some of the most popular and influential family-friendly TV shows like 'All That', 'The Amanda Show', 'Drake & Josh', 'Zoey 101', 'iCarly', 'Victorious' and 'Sam & Cat'. He has been responsible for giving breakthrough roles to numerous young actors including Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes, Miranda Cosgrove, Ariana Grande, Taran Killam, Nick Cannon, Liz Gillies, Josh Peck, and Jace Norman.
Awards & Achievements
While Dan Schneider has been nominated for many awards over the years, his first win was the 'Best Short Comedy' award for 'The Amanda Show' at 'Burbank International Children's Film Festival' in 2000.
In 2014, Nickelodeon recognized his contributions by honoring him with the first-ever 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the 'Kids' Choice Awards', which was handed over to him by many actors he worked with in the past.
Personal Life & Legacy
Since 2002, Dan Schneider is married to New York Times best-selling author Lisa Lillien, who is also the creator of the 'Hungry Girl' empire and has her own show on Food Network. They live in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles with a dog, a cat and a few bunnies, and Schneider regularly visits his relatives back in Memphis.
Facts About Dan Schneider
Dan Schneider is known for incorporating hidden references to past projects in his television shows, creating a fun Easter egg hunt for fans.
He has a passion for collecting vintage sneakers and has an impressive collection of rare and unique pairs.
Dan Schneider is a talented musician and has composed music for several of his TV shows, showcasing his diverse creative abilities.
He is a dedicated philanthropist and has been actively involved in various charitable initiatives, supporting causes such as education and animal welfare.
Schneider is a self-proclaimed foodie and enjoys experimenting with different recipes in his spare time, often sharing his culinary creations on social media.

See the events in life of Dan Schneider in Chronological Order

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