Biografi
Helen Schneider (born December 23, 1952) is an American singer and actress primarily active in Germany.
Born Helen Leslie Schneider in Brooklyn, New York City, to parents Dvora and Abraham Schneider, she studied piano before forming a blues band and performing across New England and New York.
Her career spans music, theater, recording, literature, and film.
From 1978 to 1984, she found success as a rock singer in Germany; her track "Rock 'n' Roll Gypsy" reached the top 10 charts, earning her a Gold Record Award and a Goldene Europa Award shared with John Lennon. In 1980, she toured with German rock icon Udo Lindenberg. She starred in the 1983 film Eddie and the Cruisers, which developed a significant cult following, particularly in Germany where she is well known.
In 1987, Schneider launched her theater career at Berlin’s Theater des Westens as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. Between 1995 and 1998, she portrayed Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard. From 1999 to 2001, she played Eva Perón in Evita at the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele. In 2014, she took on the role of Judy Garland in the European production of End of the Rainbow. She earned critical praise for her one-woman shows including A Walk on the Weill Side, A Voice and A Piano, and Verwandlungen. In 2006, she was honored with the DIVA – German Entertainment Prize for lifetime achievement.
Returning to recording in 2007, Schneider produced three albums with Edel Music. Her album Dream a Little Dream earned a golden CD award in jazz. In 2015, she signed with independent label SPV and released her first original album in three decades, Collective Memory, featuring music by guitarist Jo Ambros and lyrics by colleague and co-author Linda Uruburu. In 2017, the trio released her latest album, Movin' On.
Following successful Master Classes in 2018, Helen joined the faculty of Stage School Hamburg as a Song Interpretation instructor.
