Bio
David Schwimmer is an American actor and director best known for his role as Dr. Ross Geller on the television sitcom Friends, from 1994-2004.
Schwimmer was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, to Jewish parents, Arthur Schwimmer and Arlene Colman, and then lived in Valley Stream, Long Island, until he was 2 years old. He was raised in Los Angeles, California, where he attended Beverly Hills High School.
Having attended Northwestern University’s summer "Cherub" program (the National High School Institute) in 1983, he subsequently enrolled at the university as a theatre major, joining Delta Tau Delta fraternity and Arts Alliance in addition to acting and directing.
In 1988, along with seven other Northwestern graduates, he co-founded Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company.
Schwimmer is best known for his role as paleontologist Dr. Ross Geller in the television sitcom Friends. The program was hugely successful and Schwimmer, along with his co-stars, gained widespread recognition among television viewers.
He earned an Emmy Award nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category for Friends in 1995. This made him the first cast member of Friends to receive such a nomination.
Apart from acting, he also directed 10 episodes of the series.
During the show’s 1-year run, Schwimmer has appeared in numerous movies but perhaps gained most recognition outside of Friends playing Captain Herbert Sobel in the dramatic mini-series Band of Brothers, in 2001.
He also played himself in three episodes of the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, in 2004.
In 2007, David directed his first ever movie, the British comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run, where he again teamed up with British actor Simon Pegg. He had previously starred with Pegg in the movie Big Nothing and also briefly in Band of Brothers.
In 2016 he had a starring role in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson.