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David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966 in Astoria, Queens, New York) is an Emmy-nominated American actor and director for television and film, who gained popularity when playing Dr. Ross Geller on the hugely popular American sitcom Friends.

Schwimmer was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, to Jewish parents, Arthur Schwimmer and Arlene Colman, and then lived in Valley Stream, Long Island, until he was 2 years old. He was raised in Los Angeles, California, where he attended Beverly Hills High School.

Having attended Northwestern University’s summer “Cherub� program (the National High School Institute) in 1983, he subsequently enrolled at the university as a theater major, joining Delta Tau Delta Fraternity and Arts Alliance in addition to acting and directing. In 1988, along with seven other Northwestern graduates, he co-founded Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Schwimmer is best known for his role as palaeontologist Dr. Ross Geller in the television sitcom Friends. The program was hugely successful and Schwimmer, along with his co-stars, gained widespread and worldwide recognition among television viewers. He earned an Emmy Award nomination in the “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series� category for the role in 1995. This made him the first cast member of Friends to receive such a nomination.

Aside from acting, he also directed ten episodes of the series, once being credited as 'Snaro.' During the show’s ten year run, Schwimmer appeared in numerous movies but perhaps gained most recognition outside of Friends playing Captain Herbert Sobel in the dramatic mini-series Band of Brothers.

David played himself on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. David also appeared in the TV series The Wonder Years.

In 2007, David directed his first film, the British comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run, produced by Robert Jones, where he again teamed up with British actor Simon Pegg. He had previously starred with Pegg in the movie Big Nothing and briefly in Band of Brothers. He is currently in talks to direct Simon Pegg's and Nick Frost's new project Paul.

Schwimmer dated Natalie Imbruglia and Mili Avital, (broke up in 2001) and Carla Alapont. After they broke up in 2003, he was linked to Emmanuelle Perret amongst others.

Schwimmer divides his time between Chicago, New York and Los Angeles; where parked in his garage are a Range Rover and a 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Schwimmer is related to So You Think You Can Dance contestants Benji Schwimmer, Lacey Schwimmer, and Heidi Groskreutz.