Jana Schneider

Jana Ann Schneider, born October 24, 1951, in McFarland, Wisconsin, is an American actress and photojournalist whose career has spanned Broadway performance and international conflict photography.

Schneider studied at the University of Wisconsin before relocating to New York City in 1974 to pursue a career in theater. Her Broadway work extended from 1976 to 1988 and included productions of Shenandoah, The Robber Bridegroom, Othello, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Her performance in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, in which she played Helena Landless, earned her a 1986 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical and a Tony Award nomination in the same category that year. Beyond the stage, she made two film appearances and appeared on television in a 1986 episode of The Equalizer titled "Heartstrings," portraying a character identified as the Kidnapping Nurse.

In the late 1980s, Schneider shifted her professional focus to photojournalism, working with agencies including Sipa Press. Her photographs appeared in publications such as Time, Newsweek, and Stern. In 1992, she traveled to Sarajevo to cover the siege of the city. While there, a tank shell fired from Serb positions exploded near her, leaving her seriously wounded. Her friend Ivo Štandeker, a journalist from Slovenia, was killed in the same incident. Schneider was hospitalized for many weeks, initially with United Nations medical staff and later in Belgrade, where physicians were able to prevent the amputation of her leg. Retired Major General Lewis MacKenzie, the Canadian commander of United Nations forces in Sarajevo at the time, noted her dedication during the conflict.

Following her recovery, Schneider returned to Wisconsin, where she directed her attention toward war victims rather than active conflict coverage. Among those she assisted was Darja Lebar, a Slovenian journalist who had sustained a gunshot wound to the face in Sarajevo months after Štandeker's death. Schneider helped Lebar secure funding for facial reconstruction surgery and provided her with shelter at her parents' home in Wisconsin. After Lebar returned to Sarajevo, Schneider did not resume her journalism career.

In 1986, Schneider married musician and composer Tom Wilson. The two separated shortly after their marriage.