David Schwimmer or Ross Geller from ‘Friends,’ was an iconic character. His life has been almost as happening as that of the character he played. The story of how Schwimmer grew $100 million is incredible.
David has a significant career apart from playing the role of Ross Geller in the American sitcom Friends. He has acted in many movies, explored voice acting, and finally tried his hand at direction. This can be one reason why he is not seen on the big screen anymore, which does not mean that his career with Hollywood is over.
David Schwimmer was born in 1966 in a Jewish family in Queens, New York City. After relocating to Los Angeles with his family, David discovered his passion for acting and Shakespeare. However, initially, he may have gotten sidetracked from pursuing a career in acting, as in his early years, Schwimmer studied medicine. However, in 1988 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater and speech, and soon after, the actor moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
Today we know Schwimmer as he is – a renowned actor in the Hollywood industry. So, is how he grew his $100 million.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
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Even while studying to get a medical degree, David participated in summer acting programs and drama classes. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in theatre and speech, Schwimmer established a theatre group called Lookingglass Theater Company in Chicago. Soon after, he moved to L.A. with dreams of landing a successful acting career.
Schwimmer was seen in several T.V.s shows before getting his big breakthrough, Friends. These included L.A. Law, The Wonder Years, N.Y.P.D. Blue, and Monty. He also appeared in movies like A Deadly Silence and Flight of the Intruder, as listed by Celebrity Net Worth.
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However, Friends significantly increased his fame. The first episode itself had a viewership of 22 million in America alone. The show became an instant success, running for ten entire seasons with 236 episodes till 2004. David was getting paid about $22,500 per episode initially, but this soon increased to $40,000 per episode with its rising popularity. In season 3, the pay was $75,000 per episode, and season 4 marked $85,000.
The compensation rate steadily skyrocketed as more seasons aired, and by the time it reached its last two seasons, David was earning about $1 million per episode. The graph from season 1 to ten is an exponential increase. Obviously, a significant chunk of David’s wealth over the years came from his role as Ross Geller. After having made $22 million from the last season alone, the main cast also kept earning money from royalties, as stated by Showbiz Cheatsheet, which is another $20 million every year.
An Acting Career Apart From Friends
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Fans were so engrossed with David playing Ross Geller on Friends that they might have missed out on the other acting roles he took up while being on Friends. He is reported to have acted in The Pallbearer, Kissing a Fool, Six Days, Seven Nights, Picking Up the Pieces, and Apt Pupil, to name a few. Many of these movies were successful at the box office.
Another remarkable phase of Schwimmer’s acting career was in 2001 when he played the notable role of Captain Herbert Sobel in a miniseries based on World War II. The show was titled Band of Brothers. In addition, the actor also played the role of a voice artist. David was the voice of Melman, the giraffe, in the beloved Madagascar movies, as stated by Britannica.
Career as a Movie Director
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Interestingly, David’s involvement with film direction is that he had started getting the hang of it when he directed a few Friends’ episodes. However, his first official debut with movie direction was with Run Fatboy Run.
Following this, he directed a few other pieces like The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, which was also his Broadway debut. Schwimmer had become great pals with co-star Matt le Blanc, who played another main character Joey Tribbiani on Friends. According to Wealthy Genius, Matt later insisted that David direct two episodes of the Friends Spin-off called Joey.
David Schwimmer was rarely seen on the big screen after the ten seasons of Friends. However, once again, he has made a grand appearance with the much-awaited Friends: The Reunion. Reportedly, the six of them will be earning about $2.5 to $4 million just from The Reunion show. So naturally, fans are delighted with this comeback, and so is Schwimmer.
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Source: Celebrity Net Worth, Wealthy Genius, Britannica, Showbiz Cheatsheet
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