In the debut season (1994-95) of "Friends," David Schwimmer's performance as Ross, a sensitive, hopeless romantic, earned him an Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Receiving both popular and critical acclaim for his work, he has displayed his versatility on stage, in film and television in a wide variety of roles.
Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, Schwimmer was encouraged by a high school instructor to attend a summer program in acting at Northwestern University. Inspired by that experience, he returned to Northwestern where he received a bachelor's degree in speech/theater. In 1988, along with seven other Northwestern graduates, he co-founded Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company-- an ensemble of actors, writers, directors and designers now 20 members strong, dedicated to creating vibrant new works for the American stage.
Schwimmer's stage acting credits with Lookingglass include Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot," as well as "The Master and Margarita," "Arabian Nights," "In the Eye of the Beholder," "West," "Of One Blood" and "The Odyssey." In addition, he starred in the premiers of Roger Kumble's "D Girl" in Los Angeles and Warren Leight's "Glimmer Brothers" in Williamstown.
Schwimmer's stage directing credits include his adaptation of "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair, which received six Joseph Jefferson Awards, "The Serpent" and "Alice in Wonderland," which toured to the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. He also directed the feature film "Since You've Been Gone" for Miramax, and recently began directing episodes of "Friends."
Schwimmer just completed work for Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg in HBO's "Band of Brothers," a miniseries based on World War II historian Stephen Ambrose's book about an Army rifle company that parachuted into France on D-Day. Before that, he will appear in "It's the Rage," with Gary Sinise, Giovanni Ribisi, Joan Allen and Andre Braugher.
His feature film acting credits include "Picking Up the Pieces," "Six Days, Seven Nights," "Apt Pupil," "Kissing a Fool," "The Pallbearer," "Crossing the Bridge" and the critically acclaimed cable film "Breast Men." Television credits include roles on such series as "Montey" with Henry Winkler, "NYPD Blue", "The Wonder Years" and NBC's "L.A. Law."
Schwimmer is on the Advisory Board of the Rape Treatment Center of Santa Monica, plays various sports and enjoys a friendly game of poker. He has residences in Los Angeles and Chicago. His birthday is November 2.
