Alongside his acting career, Schneider performed as a country music singer in the 1980s, releasing nine studio albums and a greatest hits package, as well as eighteen singles. This total includes "I've Been Around Enough to Know", "Country Girls", "What's a Memory Like You (Doing in a Love Like This)" and "You're the Last Thing I Needed Tonight", all of which reached the top of the Billboard country singles charts.

Schneider was born in Mount Kisco, New York. His family included a younger brother, Robert. John's life as an entertainer began at the age of eight, when he put on magic shows for his peers and their families. This once got him into trouble, when he had himself chained up and tossed into a swimming pool with the intention of re-creating Harry Houdini's legendary escape act. John graduated from North Springs High School in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Schneider can be seen on several episodes of the FX Network show Nip/Tuck as "Ram Peters", the owner of a pornographic film company. Also, from February to March 2008, he performed as Billy Flynn in the Musical Chicago on Broadway. Schneider is also known to television audiences as Jonathan Kent, the adoptive father of Clark Kent on the hit show Smallville, starring in 100 episodes before his character was killed off. Schneider also directed episodes of Smallville, including S3E20 and Talisman, which received a respectable 8.8 rating out of 10 on TV.com. Some Smallville episodes contain references to Schneider's other work in The Dukes of Hazzard. Schneider also guest starred for the latter half of Smallville: Season 5 appearing in the episodes 'Void' and 'Oracle'.

Schneider has appeared in many films and TV series, including 5 guest spots on Hee Haw and the miniseries 10.5. He had a recurring role on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and guest-starred on such shows as Diagnosis Murder, Touched by an Angel, JAG and Walker, Texas Ranger. He also appeared in the national tour of the broadway musical The Civil War as a Confederate soldier. John's other stage-work includes Oklahoma!; he auditioned for, but did not get, the role of Erik in Phantom of the Opera.

Schneider has also been mentioned in other media such as the South Park episode Terrance and Phillip: Behind the Blow, in which an episode of "Terrance and Phillip" was aired in place of the popular fictitious show "The John Schneider Variety Hour", causing outrage.

In 2007, he was among a series of celebrities involved in television ads for the Zaxby's restaurant chain.

In 2008, Schneider portrayed a villain (a rarity for him) on the series CSI: Miami, in the episode "Tunnel Vision".

In 2009, he made an appearance on the series C.S.I. in an episode titled "Kill Me If You Can." He played the spouse of a murder victim; the murder was later confirmed as a suicide.

On 9th November 2009, Schneider appeared briefly in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. He played half of a couple whom Larry David meets, in the episode Officer Krupke.

Schneider appeared in the first season of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, in which his real-life son Chasen Schneider had a recurring role. During the summer of 2008 and early 2009, John portrayed "Marshall Bowman". He declined to continue through the second season.