Eliza Jane Schneider is an American actress, singer, playwright, dialect coach and dialectologist. She has appeared on television and as a voice over actress on video games and animations. She also performs various musical and stage shows.

Early life and television work Schneider spent her formative years on a Chippewa reservation in Bemidji, Minnesota with her two older brothers in a mostly Jewish family. She moved to New York at the age of 8. Her father became a math and drama teacher at the School of Arts High School in Rochester, New York, where she graduated as salutatorian. Her mother was an attorney for the reservation. She started playing violin, which she learned from her grandfather, learning the Suzuki method, after seeing L Shenkar. When she was sixteen, she was in her first musical group, IT'S MY PARTY! From ages 7–20, she went to Jewish summer camp, becoming a counselor, and started performing on stage. By the time she was in the fourth grade she began writing and performing her own plays, because the teacher told her that she would only be allowed to stage a play if she "wrote, produced, directed." Four years later she was chosen for a part in Annie; Schneider's parents would not let her tour with the troupe after being cast. She participated in a theater program at Northwestern University's National High School Institute and graduated from UCLA in 1994 as a world arts and cultures major.

While in college she continued going to auditions and got the role of Sheila Brentwood in the television series The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys. For the show she was allowed to cast the actors who played her parents. After the show got canceled, she replaced Alanna Ubach as the assistant and co-host for the second and third seasons of Beakman's World.

Dialect research and stage shows For her college senior thesis, Schneider made a cross-country road tour in a former ambulance studying regional dialects. During her research into accents, she "visited all the English-speaking countries in the world, conducting more than 7,000 interviews over all." From the interviews she created a one-woman show called Freedom of Speech in which she tells the stories of 34 people in their voices. The various quotes are combined into a story. When interviewed about the shows by Western Washington University newspaper The Western Front, she explained that "People in America today are scared to speak up and tell their perspective on what our nation is or where it is going... I wanted to repeat the peoples' words verbatim so the audience could develop their own perspective." Using a semi-autobiographical approach, Schneider links the quotes and stories together, saying "it's really a love story about a petulant girl who starts out hating America for perpetuating hate. She begins collecting sounds and winds up falling in love with her country." The show won the 2003 New York International Fringe Festival award for "Best Solo Show".

Her ensuing solo show, Words of the Prophets, is composed partially of quotes from "homeless people all over the world."

In 2008, Schneider wrote a play called "Sounds of Silence: A Documentary Puppet Musical Farce" about the 2004 United States election voting controversies in Ohio.

Music and voiceover work When explaining about her dialect and musical interest she said: "You know how they talk about a photographic memory? That's not actually how my mind works. It's aural. I remember what I hear...when I try to do a piece onstage, I hear the next words [they actually said]. I hear the rest of the monologue. It takes every bit of strength and intellect that I have to control that." In a 2013 interview, she explained that "to me, music, voice, voices of the people, play writing, dialect, language, violin – it all springs from the same well of fascination with sound."

Schneider also provided voice acting on the popular animated comedy South Park. Alongside Mona Marshall, she replaced Mary Kay Bergman in many roles following her death by suicide. In 2003, while Marshall continued to provide voices, Schneider left over the show's producers' refusal to extend her a union contract. She was replaced by April Stewart in 2004. During this time, Schneider was part of Honey Pig, an all-female country music trio.

Personal life

Schneider and her partner, Roger Ray, have a son named Raiden Daniel. Schneider is working as a violin instructor for her son and other children.

In 2012, Schneider joined the cast of Spider Baby the Musical for a San Diego performance, playing the role of Emily Howe.

Filmography

Television YearTitleRoleNotes1993–1995Beakman's WorldLiza1997Johnny BravoLola (voice)Episode: "Berry the Butler" A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.1999–2003South ParkVarious characters (voice)2002The Zeta ProjectJenny (voice)Episode: "The Wrong Morph"GirlfriendsTanyaEpisode: "Sister, Sister"2003Invader ZimMoofy (voice)Episode: "The Girl Who Cried Gnome"2007Squirrel BoyMartha (voice)2 episodes2009PopzillaVarious characters (voice)2011Batman: The Brave and the BoldPaula von Gunther, Georgette Taylor (voice)Episode: "The Scorn of the Star Sapphire!"2015–2016Sanjay and CraigVarious voices2018Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMrs. Cuddles (voice)Episode: "Mrs. Cuddles"

Film YearTitleRoleNotes2003Finding NemoAdditional voices2012Foodfight!Sweet Older Lady (voice)

Video games YearTitleRoleNotes2004The Bard's TaleAdditional voicesEverQuest IIAdditional voices2006Neopets: Petpet Adventures: The Wand of WishingEarth Fairy GuardianKingdom Hearts IIElizabeth SwannPirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack SparrowElizabeth Swann, Nassau VillagerSaints RowStilwater Resident2007Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's EndElizabeth SwannNeverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the BetrayerTeen, Gnome, Lienna2009Shadow ComplexClaire DuncanAssassin's Creed IIRebecca CraneRatchet & Clank Future: A Crack in TimeValkyrie2010Dragon Age: OriginsVarious voicesAlice in WonderlandWhite Queen, Red Flower, RosemaryBlade KittenJustice Kreel, Terra-GinFallout: New VegasFemale SorrowAssassin's Creed: BrotherhoodRebecca CraneYogi BearCampersThe Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's QuestEowynEpic MickeyAdditional voices2011Captain America: Super SoldierHydra ForcesCall of Juarez: The CartelAdditional voicesAssassin's Creed RevelationsRebecca CraneSaints Row: The ThirdAdditional voicesFinal Fantasy XIII-2Additional voices2012Kingdoms of Amalur: ReckoningWindemere MaidDiablo IIIAdditional voicesAssassin's Creed IIIRebecca Crane2013Sly Cooper: Thieves in TimeMiss DecibelThe Last of UsAdditional voicesSaints Row IVAdditional voicesGrand Theft Auto VAdditional voicesInfinity Blade IIIAdditional voicesAssassin's Creed IV: Black FlagRebecca Crane2014Diablo III: Reaper of SoulsFemale NecromancerSkylanders: Trap TeamMags, Bat SpinLego Ninjago: NindroidsNya2015Final Fantasy Type-0 HDArecia Al-RashiaSkylanders: SuperChargersMags, Bat SpinLego DimensionsNya/Samurai XAssassin's Creed SyndicateRebecca CraneCall of Duty: Black Ops IIIAdditional voices2016Lego Marvel's AvengersPepper PottsFinal Fantasy XVAdditional voices2017PreyMikhaila IlyushinLawBreakersBomchelleMiddle-earth: Shadow of WarHumansAgents of MayhemAgent Rama2019Kingdom Hearts IIIElizabeth Swann2020Assassin's Creed ValhallaRebecca Crane2023Disney SpeedstormElizabeth SwannDreamWorks All-Star Kart RacingBridgetAssassin's Creed Nexus VRRebecca Crane

References

External links

Salon.com's article on Blue Girl