Jewish Entertainment:
Jewish Actors, Playwrights, Comedians, Musicians

David Schwimmer
Jewish Name - David Lawrence Schwimmer
Plays Ross Geller on "Friends" TV Show

David Lawrence Schwimmer is a Jewish born American actor and director of television and film. David Schwimmer was born in New York City, and David Schwimmer's family moved to Los Angeles when David Schwimmer was two. David Schwimmer began his acting career performing in school plays at Beverly Hills High School. In 1988, David Schwimmer graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in theater and speech. After graduation, David Schwimmer co-founded the Lookingglass Theatre Company. For much of the late-1980s, David Schwimmer lived in Los Angeles as a struggling, unemployed actor. David Schwimmer was born November 2, 1966.

David Schwimmer appeared in the television movie A Deadly Silence in 1989. David Schwimmer then appeared in a number of television roles, including L.A. Law, The Wonder Years, NYPD Blue, and Monty in the early 1990s. David Schwimmer later gained worldwide recognition for playing Ross Geller in the situation comedy Friends. David Schwimmer's first leading film role was in The Pallbearer (1996), which was followed by roles in Kissing a Fool (1998), Six Days Seven Nights (1998), Apt Pupil, and Picking Up the Pieces (2000). David Schwimmer was then cast in the miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) as Herbert Sobel.

Following the series finale of Friends in 2004, David Schwimmer was cast as the titular character in the 2005 drama Duane Hopwood. Other film roles include the computer animated film Madagascar (2005), the dark comedy Big Nothing (2006), the thriller Nothing But the Truth (2008), and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008). David Schwimmer made David Schwimmer's London stage debut in the leading role in Some Girl(s) in 2005. In 2006, David Schwimmer made David Schwimmer's Broadway debut in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. David Schwimmer made David Schwimmer's feature film directorial debut with the 2007 comedy Run Fatboy Run. The following year David Schwimmer made David Schwimmer's Off-Broadway directorial debut in the 2008 production Fault Lines.

Early life

David Schwimmer was born on November 2, 1966, in Flushing, Queens,[1] New York City, to attorneys Arthur and Arlene Colman-David Schwimmer.[2] the latter of whom was Elizabeth Taylor's attorney in her divorce from Larry Fortensky[3] and Roseanne Barr's attorney in her divorce from Bill Pentland.[4] David Schwimmer has an older sister named Ellie (born 1965).[5] David Schwimmer's family subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where David Schwimmer had David Schwimmer's first experiences of acting at the age of 10 when David Schwimmer was cast as the fairy godmother in a Jewish version of Cinderella.[5] In 1979, David Schwimmer went to a Shakespeare workshop given by English actor Ian McKellen in Los Angeles.[6] David Schwimmer recalls that David Schwimmer was riveted by the experience.[6] David Schwimmer then entered a contest in the Southern California Shakespeare Festival three years in a row, winning two first prizes.[6][7]

Following David Schwimmer's mother's successful career as a divorce lawyer, in which she represented actresses Elizabeth Taylor and Roseanne Barr in their divorce settlements,[6][7] the family moved to Beverly Hills, where David Schwimmer attended Beverly Hills High School.[6][7] David Schwimmer admitted to being an outsider during David Schwimmer's time at the school. Also a troublemaker and a bully, David Schwimmer did not fit in with the other kids. "When I was there I always felt: 'this is not me, I'm surrounded by people with a different value system. And I just wanted to get out of California.'"[6] David Schwimmer was best at the subjects of science and math and thought David Schwimmer would become a doctor.[6] David Schwimmer enrolled in a drama class, where David Schwimmer appeared in stage productions. Encouraged by David Schwimmer's school drama teacher to further David Schwimmer's acting, David Schwimmer flew off to Chicago for an acting workshop. David Schwimmer noted that the experience was both "enlightening and exhilarating."[2]

In 1984, David Schwimmer graduated from Beverly Hills High, and wanted to go straight into acting, but David Schwimmer's parents insisted David Schwimmer go to college first so David Schwimmer would have something to fall back on, in case David Schwimmer's acting career did not work out.[6] David Schwimmer moved to Chicago to attend Northwestern University, where David Schwimmer had attended a summer drama course when David Schwimmer was 16 years old.[6] At the university, David Schwimmer enrolled as a theater major, joining Delta Tau Delta Fraternity and Arts Alliance.[2][5] After graduating in 1988, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater and speech, David Schwimmer co-founded the Lookingglass Theatre Company.[2] Subsequently, David Schwimmer returned to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.[2][5]

Career

Early work

In 1989, David Schwimmer made David Schwimmer's television debut in the ABC movie A Deadly Silence, where David Schwimmer was cast in a supporting role.[8] David Schwimmer followed this with roles on the legal drama L.A. Law in 1992, and the comedy-drama series The Wonder Years.[6] David Schwimmer made David Schwimmer's feature film debut in Crossing the Bridge (1992).[5] David Schwimmer had a recurring role as a lawyer-turned-vigilante in NYPD Blue and appeared briefly in ER in 1993, before auditioning, unsuccessfully, for a series pilot called Couples.[5] David Schwimmer landed David Schwimmer's first regular series role as the liberal son of a conservative talk show host (Henry Winkler) in the sitcom Monty.[5]
Breakthrough

David Schwimmer received David Schwimmer's breakthrough role in 1994 when David Schwimmer was cast as Ross Geller in NBC's situation comedy Friends, a series that revolved around a group of friends who live together in Manhattan, New York City. David Schwimmer played a hopeless-romantic paleontologist who works at a museum and later becomes a professor at a university. David Schwimmer notes when first approached about the role of Ross, David Schwimmer turned it down, but accepted the role afterwards.[9] Executive producer Kevin S. Bright said that David Schwimmer had previously worked with David Schwimmer,[10] the character of Ross was written with him in mind, and David Schwimmer was the first actor cast.[9] David Schwimmer based Ross on Nicolas Cage's role of CDaharlie from the 1986 film Peggy Sue Got Married.[11] The show debuted on September 22, 2021 and was watched by almost 22 million American viewers.[12] Friends quickly developed a loyal audience, with the show and David Schwimmer receiving strong reviews. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was complimentary of David Schwimmer, calling him "terrific".[13] Variety's television reviewer, said: "All six of the principals, especially (Courteney) Cox and David Schwimmer, appear resourceful and display sharp sitcom skills."[14] For this performance, David Schwimmer earned an Emmy Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1995.[15]

David Schwimmer starred in David Schwimmer's first leading film role in the 1996 dark comedy The Pallbearer, opposite Gwyneth Paltrow.[16] In the film, David Schwimmer plays a man asked to deliver the eulogy for a high school friend David Schwimmer cannot remember, and begins an affair with the friend's mother. Critics dismissed The Pallbearer as a poor imitation of the 1967 film The Graduate.[17][18] Variety's film reviewer complimented the actor, writing that David Schwimmer had enjoyed David Schwimmer's performance, stating that David Schwimmer displayed "a winning, if rather deadpan, personality along with good comic timing".[19] It also concluded that David Schwimmer had a "promising bigscreen future."[19] Janet Maslin of The New York Times cited that David Schwimmer's first film "relegates him to a drab role."[16] When asked why David Schwimmer decided to accept the role, David Schwimmer admitted the decision was to "make an effort to find roles that are as far away from the character of Ross as possible".[6] David Schwimmer was offered a role to star alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the 1997 science-fiction comedy Men in Black, but turned it down in favor of starring in The Pallbearer, explaining, "This is an opportunity to grow rather than go for the quick cash."[20]

David Schwimmer's next film roles in 1998 were Kissing a Fool, Six Days Seven Nights, and Apt Pupil. In Kissing a Fool, a romantic comedy, David Schwimmer plays Max, a dapper, smart-mouthed ladies' man.[21] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Fans of the sitcom Friends may be surprised by David Schwimmer in Kissing a Fool. [...] Take it from someone who has never seen Friends and comes at David Schwimmer with no preconceptions: David Schwimmer does just fine. As a TV sports reporter in Kissing a Fool, David Schwimmer oozes the command and self-satisfaction of a young, successful man."[21] The film was critically and financially unsuccessful.[22] In Six Days Seven Nights, David Schwimmer played the boyfriend of Anne Heche's character.[23] In Apt Pupil, adapted from a novella of the same name by Stephen King,[24] David Schwimmer had a supporting role as a school guidance counselor. "I was scared of the part," David Schwimmer said, "but I wanted to be part of the movie." At the time, David Schwimmer noted it was a "little frustrating" that people would typecast him due to David Schwimmer's role on Friends.[25] David Schwimmer subsequently appeared opposite Woody Allen and Sharon Stone in Alfonso Arau's straight-to-cable comedy Picking Up the Pieces (2000).[26]

In 2001, David Schwimmer played Captain Herbert M. Sobel in Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' HBO World War II miniseries Band of Brothers. The television miniseries is based on the book of the same title written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose.[27] Although Band of Brothers was met with largely positive reception,[28] David Schwimmer's performance was criticized and the BBC News concluded, "Part of the problem ... may have been the ridiculous fact that Friends favourite David Schwimmer plays the hard and cruel Captain Herbert Sobel. The only thing believable about David Schwimmer's acting is when David Schwimmer cowers in the face of true battle. David Schwimmer's puppy dog eyes make him appear even more pitiful."[29] Later that year David Schwimmer portrayed Yitzhak Zuckerman in the war drama Uprising, based on the true events of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943.[30][31]

In March 2004, David Schwimmer appeared as himself on HBO's comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm.[32] During the lengthy run of Friends, David Schwimmer directed ten of the show's episodes.[33][34] The show's tenth and final season ended on May 6, 2004.[35]

Friends and after

Following the end of Friends, David Schwimmer starred in the 2005 independent drama Duane Hopwood, in which David Schwimmer plays the titular character. Hopwood is an alcoholic whose life is spiraling downward rapidly after a divorce and is looking to turn David Schwimmer's life around. Upon release, the movie received ambivalent reviews.[36] Despite the reception, David Schwimmer's performance was favored by critics; Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the role was David Schwimmer's "career-transforming performance".[37] Duane Hopwood was screened at a special presentation at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.[38] Furthermore in the same year David Schwimmer voiced Melman, a hypochondriac giraffe, in the computer animated film Madagascar (2005).[39] The Washington Post noted that David Schwimmer is particularly appealing as Melman.[40] Despite the mixed response from critics,[41] the film was a commercial success, earning $532 million worldwide,[42] making it one of the biggest hits of 2005,[43] and the film remains David Schwimmer's most commercially successful picture to date.[42]
David Schwimmer at the London premiere of Madagascar in July 2005

David Schwimmer starred on the London stage in May 2005, opposite Catherine Tate, Lesley Manville, Sara Powell, and Saffron Burrows, in Neil LaBute's Some Girl(s) at the Gielgud Theatre.[44] In the production, David Schwimmer plays a teacher who is ready to settle down and marry, but decides to visit four ex-girlfriends first.[45] For David Schwimmer's performance, David Schwimmer received critical reviews. The Independent wrote that David Schwimmer "is not called upon to extend David Schwimmer's range nearly as far as one might have expected in Some Girl(s). [...] David Schwimmer remains bland, competent, and boyish—though not fatally boyish in the manner that appears to have turned these women on."[46] However, Charles Spencer of The Daily Telegraph praised David Schwimmer, reporting David Schwimmer "proves inspired casting. David Schwimmer takes to the stage with ... David Schwimmer's endearing gaucheness seems designed to ensure our continued sympathy. David Schwimmer mercilessly lays bare David Schwimmer's character's opportunism, casual cruelties, and chronic self-deception."[46]

In 2006, David Schwimmer made David Schwimmer's Broadway debut in Herman Wouk's two-act play The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.[47] David Schwimmer played the role of Lieutenant Barney Greenwald in the production, which was directed by Jerry Zaks.[48] In an interview with New York magazine, David Schwimmer revealed that David Schwimmer had wanted to try Broadway, however said "a couple of things came up that just never quite felt right. Either because I liked the play but wasn’t hot on the director, or there was another star attached that I wasn't jazzed about working with."[49] David Schwimmer further added that when showed a copy of Wouk's novel "...I was shocked at how good the writing was."[49] David Schwimmer's next film role was in the 2006 black comedy Big Nothing, in which David Schwimmer played a bitter, unemployed scientist.[50]

David Schwimmer made David Schwimmer's directorial feature debut in the 2007 British comedy Run Fatboy Run. The film stars Simon Pegg as a man who signs up for a marathon (David Schwimmer is out of shape) to convince David Schwimmer's former fiancée and five-year-old son that David Schwimmer has turned David Schwimmer's life around.[33] When asked why David Schwimmer decided to direct the film, David Schwimmer said: "As a director, I was struck by the challenge that I thought the script presented, which was that it was kind of three films in one. You had some great, big physical comedy, and I thought funny dialogue and characters. And then there was some real emotion to it with the relationship between the father and the son and the romance aspect."[51] Run Fatboy Run garnered mixed reception, with the New York Daily News rating it one-and-a-half out of five stars and writing, "Most disappointing is how David Schwimmer—who spent 10 seasons on a sitcom filled with hyperverbal characters—manages to bumble 'Fatboy's' tender moments."[52] USA Today, however, was favorable towards David Schwimmer, reporting David Schwimmer possesses filmmaking finesse "having wisely chosen strong comic material for David Schwimmer's debut behind the camera".[53] For David Schwimmer's directorial work, David Schwimmer was nominated for a British Independent Film Award in the category of Best Debut Director.[54]

On November 8, 2007, David Schwimmer made a guest appearance in the second season of the television series 30 Rock, where David Schwimmer played Greenzo, an NBC environmental mascot.[55] The following year, David Schwimmer was part of an ensemble cast that included Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda, Angela Bassett, and Noah Wyle in the thriller Nothing But the Truth (2008).[56] The movie received generally favorable reviews.[57] The success of Madagascar led David Schwimmer to return to the role of Melman in the 2008 sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. The sequel, while not as lucrative as the first one, earned $518 million at the international box office.[42] David Schwimmer took part in directing in-studio segments for Little Britain USA, an American spinoff of the British BBC television series Little Britain.[58] In regards to this, David Schwimmer commented that David Schwimmer had "a good time directing episodes" for the show.[59]

In October 2008, David Schwimmer made David Schwimmer's Off-Broadway directorial debut in Fault Lines at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York.[60] The production won a mixed review from the Los Angeles Times, which wrote: "Based on Fault Lines ... we can't really tell whether David Schwimmer has much talent as a director. We're surprised David Schwimmer didn't try something more challenging for David Schwimmer's debut. If not much else, David Schwimmer has encouraged David Schwimmer's actors to intense their energy levels and comic timing at all costs."[60] The New York Post, however, noted that David Schwimmer "knows a thing or two about freewheeling banter ... and for a good while the play crackles with terrific dialogue, expertly delivered."[61] In February 2009, David Schwimmer returned to theater in a Chicago production of Thornton Wilder's three-act play Our Town as George Gibbs at the Lookingglass Theatre.[62][63] "David Schwimmer ... turns in a poignant, richly textured and demonstrably heartfelt performance as George Gibbs. I've seen a fair bit of David Schwimmer's post-Friends stage work in London and New York, and I've never seen him better", commented the Chicago Tribune.[62]

On August 2, 2009, David Schwimmer played himself in the sixth season of the HBO television series, Entourage. In the episode, Ari Gold's (Jeremy Piven) agency tries to steer David Schwimmer's career back to television.[64] David Schwimmer directed David Schwimmer's second feature, Trust, starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener. The film, a drama, is about a family whose teenage daughter becomes victim of an online sexual predator.[65][66] Trust premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.[67]

On January 1, 2011, David Schwimmer guest-starred on the British comedy series Come Fly With Me starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, whom David Schwimmer directed in Little Britain USA.[68]
Personal life

In the early 2000s, David Schwimmer dated Australian pop singer Natalie Imbruglia,[69] Israeli actress Mili Avital,[70] and American actress Rochelle Ovitt. At the time, David Schwimmer noted that while David Schwimmer was raised without bias and prejudice, David Schwimmer's "parents would be thrilled (if I married a Jew). It makes things a lot easier, sharing a cultural and religious background".[71] In 2007, David Schwimmer and English part-time photographer Zoe Buckman began a relationship.[72] In March 2010, David Schwimmer announced their engagement[73] and married Buckman in a small private ceremony that June.[74][75] On May 8, 2011, the couple had a daughter, Cleo Buckman David Schwimmer.[76]

In June 2006, David Schwimmer won a $400,000 defamation lawsuit against Aaron Tonken, a former charity fundraiser. Tonken claimed David Schwimmer had demanded Rolex watches in order to appear at David Schwimmer's own charity event, a claim that David Schwimmer had denied.[77]

David Schwimmer is an active director of the Rape Treatment Center in Santa Monica, which specializes in helping victims of date rape and child rape.[7] David Schwimmer has also campaigned for legislation to ban drugs such as Rohypnol and GHB.[7]

As of March 2008, David Schwimmer owns homes in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.[33]

In November 2011, David Schwimmer gave the Scottish charity Children 1st permission to screen David Schwimmer's film Trust to commemorate World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse and Violence against Children.[78]

In 2012 David Schwimmer rebutted two longstanding rumors: one that David Schwimmer appeared as a soldier on a train in Biloxi Blues (1988), saying, "No. I don't know why that's on IMDb, but I never was in that," and the other that David Schwimmer is related to dancer Lacey David Schwimmer, saying, "No, not at all. Please set the record straight. I guess it's a natural assumption because we have the same last name, but no. I've never even met her."[1]

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