David Schwimmer Movies
If one were to base one's judgment of David Schwimmer's talent on his low-key performance as the anxious, awkward but lovable paleontologist Ross on NBC's smash hit comedy Friends, one might never suspect that beneath the affable exterior lies a versatile, multi-talented actor and filmmaker.
Tall, dark-haired, and lanky, Schwimmer was born in Queens, but later raised in... (read more) Southern California, where he attended the famed Beverly Hills High School. He then enrolled in Chicago's Northwestern University, where he briefly considered pursuing his family's traditional profession and becoming a lawyer, but by that time, the acting bug had bitten him deeply and he was committed to it. Following graduation from Northwestern, Schwimmer gained enough stage experience in Chicago theater to co-found the Lookingglass Theatre Company with fellow actors. Schwimmer remains passionate about his involvement with the troupe and has starred in or directed many of their productions.
In 1989, he made the first of several attempts to break into Hollywood, when he was cast as a killer in the made-for-TV thriller A Deadly Silence. It was apparently an unpleasant experience and the young actor hastened back to the familiarity of Lookingglass. Still, the lure of Hollywood was great and Schwimmer returned to guest star and play recurring roles on several television series. One of his best-known early TV roles was that of Olivia D'Abo's hippie fiancé on The Wonder Years. On the gritty crime drama NYPD Blue, he garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of a lawyer who goes over the edge and becomes a vigilante. He had another bad television experience when he was cast opposite Henry Winkler in Fox's sitcom Monty. The series crashed before it got off the ground and Schwimmer swore he'd never do another comedy show. Up until 1994, he continued to play a wide variety of roles and to divide his time between stage and television.
Despite his earlier vow, Schwimmer reluctantly accepted the role of Ross in Friends, a role that the show's creators wrote especially for him. The series, about a group of good-looking, but rather aimless buddies in their twenties, was an immediate hit and Schwimmer's lovable nerd character made him a star and got him an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
With his newfound stardom came offers for feature film roles. Though he had actually begun appearing in films in 1990, he had, thus far, played only small roles. He made his debut as a star playing a virtual clone of Ross in the Pallbearer (1996). He played a dramatic role as one of the inventors of silicon breast implants in the made-for-television docudrama Breast Men (1997). Schwimmer signed a lucrative contract with Miramax that will not only star him in several pictures, but also allow him to direct. But while nearly a decade of experience directing television prepared Schwimmer well for his feature directorial debut, the 2007 comedy Run, Fatboy, Run, not even the presence of rising comedy star Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) could save the film from the bargain bins. Fortunately for Schwimmer, the animated comedy Madagascar proved enough of a hit to warrant at least two sequels, giving the able voice actor plenty of time to plan his sophomore feature, 2010's cautionary internet predator thriller Trust. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
John Carter
PG13 2012
Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic tale of interplanetary adventure arrives on the big screen in this sweeping sci-fi spectacle marking the live-action debut of Oscar-winning...
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
PG 2012
The third entry in the Madagascar franchise finds the tightknit group of animals joining a traveling circus in order to get back home. Noah Baumbach provides the script,...
Trust
R 2010
A family is devastated by a crime committed against a teenage girl in this drama. Annie (Liana Liberato) is 14 years old and growing up in a suburb of Chicago. Annie's...
Nothing But the Truth
R 2008
A tense political drama ripped straight from the headlines, Rod Lurie's Nothing But the Truth tells the tale of a Washington, D.C. reporter who is targeted by the...
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
PG 2008
Hopelessly stranded on the remote shores of Madagascar, the New Yorkers hatch a plan to get back to Central Park that instead finds them soaking up sun in the picturesque plains...
Run, Fat Boy, Run
PG13 2007
An overweight man leaves his fiancée on their wedding day, only to realize years later that she's the one and only woman of his dreams in a romantic comedy that reunites Big...
Big Nothing
R 2006
Director Jean-Baptiste Andrea's wicked, jet-black comic thriller Big Nothing stars Friends mainstay David Schwimmer as Charlie Wood, a onetime American professor...
Madagascar
PG 2005
A pack of not-so-wild animals experience some serious culture shock when they move from the Big Apple to the Mighty Jungle in this computer-animated comedy. Alex (voice of...
Duane Hopwood
R 2004
A sad sack has to come to term with his own demons after a long run of bad luck in this downbeat comedy drama from writer and director Matt Mulhern. Duane Hopwood...
Friends: The One With the Birth Mother
2004
Anna Faris makes her first series appearance as Erica, the Ohio woman whose baby Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) hope to adopt. Alas, the...
Friends: Season 10
2003
With the official announcement that the tenth season of Friends would be its last, the series' fans loyally rallied around each episode, ensuring that the program would go out...
Friends: The One Where Joey Dates Rachel
2002
To practice his dating technique, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) takes Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) to dinner -- but this little game of "let's pretend" might turn into something...
Friends: Season 09
2002
With season eight of Friends concluding on a lively note as Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) gave birth to Ross' baby, season nine gets off to an equally lively start as...
Friends: The One With Phoebe's Birthday Dinner
2002
Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) plans for her elaborate birthday dinner hit a snag at the get-go when Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry), who have been...
Friends: The One With the Stripper
2001
Chandler (Matthew Perry) is dismayed to learn that Monica's bachelorette party featured a male stripper. To make amends, Monica (Courteney Cox) hires a female...
Uprising
2001
Uprising is based on the true story of the Jewish Fighting Organization, a courageous band of youthful Polish guerrillas and freedom fighters who refused to knuckle under to...
Hotel
R 2001
Following up on his innovative work Timecode, which featured four stories being told in real time simultaneously, Mike Figgis returns to a modified form of his technique in...
Band of Brothers [TV Series]
2001
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks for HBO, Band of Brothers is a ten-part miniseries based on the book {-Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th...
Friends: The One With the Truth About London
2001
As plans for the wedding of Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) grow apace, Joey prepares to be ordained via the Internet so that he can perform the...
Friends: Season 08
2001
As expected, the eighth season of Friends picked up exactly where season seven left off -- that is, a few minutes after the wedding of Chandler (Matthew Perry) and...