John Schneider life and biography

John Richard Schneider III is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of Bo Duke in the 1980s American television series The Dukes of Hazzard, and as Jonathan Kent on Smallville, a 2001 television adaptation of Superman.

John Schneider also maintained a parallel secondary career as a country singer for much of the '80s. Born in Mt. Kisco, NY, in 1960, Schneider grew up in Atlanta and started acting at the age of eight; he also learned guitar, and as a teenager he entertained at parties and other social events. He loved auto racing and briefly attempted to become a professional, and that experience helped him land his co-starring role on The Dukes of Hazzard in 1979.

He remained with the series until its cancellation in 1985, with a brief interruption due to a contract walkout in 1982, and also appeared in several films and TV-movies. Meanwhile, Schneider recorded a country album called Now or Never for Scotti Bros. in 1981.

It was a Top Ten hit on the country charts, and the single "It's Now or Never" made the Top Five on both the country and adult contemporary charts, just missing the pop Top Ten. The holiday album White Christmas followed, and Schneider went on to sign with MCA, issuing five albums from 1984-1987. He scored four number one singles during that time: "I've Been Around Enough to Know" (1984), "Country Girls" (1985), "What's a Memory Like You (Doing in a Love Like This)," and "You're the Last Thing I Needed Tonight" (both 1986). He also managed five other Top Ten hits, and one of his LPs, 1986's A Memory Like You, topped the country charts. Schneider kept his acting career going with a variety of guest starring roles on television, plus a few films, and appeared in a couple of Dukes of Hazzard reunion projects. He returned to the spotlight in 2001, when he landed the role of Clark Kent's father on the popular WB series Smallville.


Discography:

1981 Now or Never ; White Christmas
1982 Quiet Man
1983 If You Believe
1984 Too Good to Stop Now
1985 Tryin' to Outrun the Wind ; A Memory Like You
1986 Take the Long Way Home
1987 You Ain't Seen the Last of Me ; Greatest Hits
1996 Worth the Wait
2009 John's Acoustic Christmas
2010 The Promise

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