When the six characters of "Friends" gather around the table in "Central Perk," Ross Geller is often the one to complicate the conversation with scientific detail, family drama or another story about Rachel. On November 2, David Schwimmer, the actor behind this character, turns 60.
Schwimer was born on November 2, 1966, in Queens, New York. When he was two years old, his family moved to Los Angeles. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1988 with a degree in theater and speech, and a year later co-founded the Lookingglass Theater Company in Chicago.
Ross Geller made him a global star
Before landing the role that would change his career, Schwimmer appeared in “The Wonder Years“ and “NYPD“. In 1994, he was cast as Ross Geller on “Friends“ - a New York paleontologist who tries to sort out his professional and personal life while constantly revisiting his complicated relationship with Rachel.
The series ran for 10 seasons and ended in 2004. During its run, Schwimmer received an “Emmy“ nomination for his role. Ross remains one of the most memorable characters in TV comedy – at once meticulous, romantic, jealous and capable of turning even moving a sofa into a memorable scene.
Years after the series finale, the actor admits that he doesn’t think about his character all the time. “I have no idea what Ross from ‘Friends’ is doing right now,” Schwimmer told The Guardian in 2021.
From comedy to drama and directing
After ‘Friends’, Schwimmer didn’t limit himself to TV comedy. He continued to work in the theater as an actor and director, and directed more than 20 productions. He also got behind the camera for the films ‘Run, Fat Girl, Run’ and ‘The Walking Dead’. and “Trust“.
Among his more serious roles is that of lawyer Robert Kardashian in the series “The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story“. He also participated in the miniseries “Brothers in Arms“, and in the animated film he voiced the giraffe Melman in the films of the “Madagascar“ series.
In 2021, Schwimmer again stood in front of the camera along with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry in the special show “Friends: Back Together“. This is not a new season, but a reunion of the actors who recall their work on the series and the roles that made them television stars.
David Schwimmer's sixth birthday comes more than two decades after the end of “Friends“, but Ross Geller remains his most recognizable image. Alongside him, however, remain his theater work, directorial projects and his attempt to return to different genres.
Sources: apnews.com, biography.com, theguardian.com