David Schwimmer is an American actor who is most famous for his role as Ross Geller in the hit show Friends. He has appeared on our TV screens for so long that some of us might even feel we have known him all our lives. Schwimmer has been both in front and behind the camera as an actor, director and producer.

Recent estimates reveal that David Schwimmer’s current net worth is about $85 million. According to Marketplace, between syndication and Netflix means, David Schwimmer and his Friends co-stars still reap the benefits of the show’s success 26 years after. Each of the six cast members pocketed up to $20 million in a given year from reruns of the show.

David Schwimmer’s Best Ross Geller Impressions

Audiences fondly remember actor David Schwimmer as the glum but adorable palaeontologist, Dr Ross Geller, in popular 90’s American sitcom Friends. This award-winning sitcom is part of American pop culture. Friends‘ remarkable 10-year run (1994-2004) made the cast household names, turned them into overnight stars and made them millionaires.

Times may have changed, but Friends is still one of the world’s most popular sitcoms and until the end of 2019, was the second-most watched TV show on Netflix! However, there’s much more depth to David Schwimmer than just playing the boy next door on a TV sitcom. We delve deeper into his life.

Actor David Schwimmer
Actor David Schwimmer

Actor David Schwimmer’s Early Childhood

David Lawrence Schwimmer was born on 2 November 1966 in Flushing, Queens in New York City. He is American with an Ashkenazi Jewish background. He’s a Scorpio and shares a birthday with his mother. He has an older sister, Ellie. His parents were both attorneys, Arthur Schwimmer and Arlene Coleman.

David Schwimmer’s first acting gig was at age 10 as the fairy godmother in a Jewish rendition of Cinderella. He participated in several school productions. David attended Beverly Hills High School where a teacher encouraged him to attend a summer acting program at the University of Northwestern in Illinois. The acting bug must have bitten him as he would return there later to study.

In 1979 a Shakespeare acting workshop given by skilful British actor, Ian McKellen, in Los Angeles inspired David Schwimmer to pursue his love for acting. The University of Northwestern theater and speech graduate co-founded the Lookingglass Theater Company in Chicago with fellow Northwestern graduates after their 1988 graduation.


How did Actor David Schwimmer get started in acting?

Prior to his acting on screen, David Schwimmers lived with his parents at Beverley Hills. He took on many stage roles in Chicago as well as directed over 20 plays mostly on Lookingglass Theatre Company which he co-founded. Later on, David ventured into Hollywood to pursue his acting dreams and won small roles in the 80’s.

David Schwimmer made his start in acting by starting in a the TV movie, A Deadly Silence in 1989. He appeared in TV shows like L.A. Law in 1992 and later The Wonder Years, Monty, and NYPD Blue.

Why was David Schwimmer cased on Friends

Friends came a-calling after David had made a number of appearances in movies and TV shows. Interestingly, he was the only cast member from New York where the sitcom was filmed. David was 27 years old when Friends, about the angst of 20-somethings, began filming.

David Schwimmer was the only choice for the role of Ross Geller, which must have said a lot about his acting credibility. In fact, he was the first member of the group to be cast. Out of all the characters, Ross Geller had the most individual screen time on the show.

How Much Did David Schwimmer Earn In Friends?

David Schwimmer started earning $1m per episode by the end of the series. However, it didn’t start that way. For the show’s debut season in 1994 each cast member started off on an equal footing with a salary of $22 000 per episode. This changed a bit the following year. For the show’s third season and in an unprecedented move, the cast took the decision to negotiate as a group. They each received $200000 and in final season 10 of the show, ended off on a high note, earning a whopping $1 million per episode. In 2004 they became the highest paid actors and actresses in TV

Actor David Schwimmer has proven his universal appeal across the pond. In a 2016 Comedy Central survey, British fans voted Dr Ross Geller as their favorite cast member. Friends received an astonishing 62 Emmy nominations during its record run. The show may only have won six awards, but in no way did this detract from its tremendous popularity among the young and old.

David Schwimmer With Fellow Friends Cast Members
David Schwimmer With Fellow Friends Cast Members

Reminiscing Friends, David is thankful for the opportunities it presented him. To him, it was an amazing time of his life during which he grew professionally and creatively.

For those of us who would love to see a Friends reboot, we may be in for a long wait. There’s no talk of an onscreen reunion anytime soon, obviously due to the pandemic. David currently resides in New York.

What are movies by David Schwimmer

The success of Friends made Hollywood sit up as it took notice of great talents. Between shooting the Friends series, David Schwimmer could be seen on the big screen. The Pallbearer (1995) followed by Kissing a Fool, Six Days Seven Nights, and Apt Pupil three years later. All the Rage was released in 1999 and Picking Up the Pieces in 2000. Unfortunately, things did not quite go according to plan and some of these movies did not perform all that well at the box office.

More Career Highlights

Actor David Schwimmer made his first foray into directing with the movie Run Fatboy Run in 2007. He was at the helm again in 2010, directing a gritty movie called Trust – about a 14-year old girl groomed online by a paedophile.

A more recent career highlight for David was receiving an Emmy nomination for playing the role of lawyer Robert Kardashian in FX’s 2016’s The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story. In 2019 David had back-to-back releases, namely American political satires The Politician, and Panama Papers.

Of course, who can forget the hilarious animated movie series Madagascar for which David Schwimmer lent his voice for the role of neurotic giraffe, Melman, one of a heroic trio Madagascar (2005) was hugely successful at the box office. The movie earned a whopping $603 million at the international box office. The sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) followed by Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted four years later (2012). All in all, these are impressive body of works of which Schwimmer should be most proud.


David Schwimmer’s family

In 2007 David Schwimmer met British artist, photographer and producer, Zoe Buckman. At the time she was working as a waitress and served David Schwimmer’s table. They tied the knot in 2010 and the following year their daughter, Cleo, was born.

Sadly, the marriage did not last and in 2017 they announced their separation. David is rueful about the breakdown of his marriage. Even though the family dynamic has changed, his daughter has adjusted to it and the family tries to do things together.

Back To Comedy Series

David Chats About New Show, Intelligence
David Chats About New Show, Intelligence

David Schwimmer has gone back to comedy. He is now starring on our small screens in comedy series Intelligence on Sky TV, which he also executive produced. In the series, David Schwimmer is an ambitious National Security Advisor agent. He goes on secondment to the British equivalent, the Government Communications Headquarters. He teams up with a blundering computer analyst played by Nick Mohamed, who also penned the script.

David Schwimmer as activist

David Schwimmer has been a social activist for over 20 years, raising public awareness about gender-based violence, including rape and sexual harassment. His parents inspired his activism, including his mother’s experiences as a feminist attorney and society’s treatment of women in general. It also resonates with the #MeToo movement.

David Schwimmer talks About His Social Advocacy Work

In 2018 Schwimmer got back to work, making a short video series called, #ThatsHarrassment, which portrays his views on gender violence. He also serves on the board of the Rape Foundation in Santa Monica, California.

Actor David Schwimmer award nominations

David Schwimmer has received recognition for his hard work and dedication in the entertainment industry. Highlights include his 1995 nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Dr Ross Geller in Friends. More recently, he was nominated for an Emmy award for portraying the role of lawyer, Robert Kardashian, in FX’s

Age, Height, & Weight

Age53
Height6 ft (1.85 metres)
Weight72kg

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