David Schwimmer, best known for his portrayal of Ross Geller on the iconic sitcom Friends, has amassed a significant fortune throughout his career.
Estimates suggest his net worth sits around the $120 million mark.
While his role on Friends undoubtedly played a major role in building his wealth, Schwimmer’s success extends beyond that beloved show.
The massive salaries and syndication deals secured by the Friends cast during the show’s later seasons and beyond have been a continuous source of income.
However, Schwimmer has also actively pursued projects outside of Friends.
He lent his voice to the animated Madagascar films, finding both critical and commercial success.
Schwimmer has also stepped behind the camera, directing episodes of television and even the acclaimed miniseries Band of Brothers.
Salaries
Schwimmer’s acting career has brought him a significant amount of wealth, but his salary history reflects two very different experiences.
His most famous role, playing Ross Geller on the sitcom Friends, became a massive financial success.
However, the cast’s salaries started out quite modest. In the first season, they each earned $22,500 per episode.
That number increased steadily over the course of the show.
By season 3, they were making $75,000 per episode.
But the real turning point came with negotiations before seasons 7 and 8.
The cast cleverly decided to band together and bargain as a unit.
This tactic proved to be very effective, and they were able to secure a phenomenal deal of $750,000 per episode.
This amount jumped even higher to $1 million per episode for the final two seasons (9 and 10).
In total, Schwimmer, along with his fellow cast members, earned around $90 million from base salary alone during the show’s run.
Syndication deals
Schwimmer, along with his fellow Friends cast members, struck a syndication deal that turned out to be a financial goldmine.
Unlike many actors in the past, the cast negotiated as a team for a share of the profits when Friends went into syndication, meaning reruns would be aired on different channels.
This was a shrewd move because Friends remained incredibly popular long after it ended in 2004.
The specific details of the deal are not publicly available, but reports suggest the cast secured a hefty 2% of the syndication revenue.
This translates to a significant sum.
Warner Bros., the studio behind Friends, reportedly earns around $1 billion annually from syndication deals.
A 2% cut of that for Schwimmer means he likely pockets around $20 million each year, just from reruns of the show.
This is on top of the salary he earned per episode during the show’s run and any additional income from the reunion special.
Schwimmer’s foresight in pushing for a group negotiation on syndication rights is a testament to his business savvy.
It ensures the cast continues to reap the rewards of Friends’ enduring popularity, even decades after the last episode aired.
Career
Schwimmer’s career path is a blend of television, film and even voice acting.
He started out with a passion for theater, co-founding a company while still at university.
Early on, Schwimmer faced the challenges of being a new actor in Los Angeles, but eventually landed roles in shows like L.A. Law and The Wonder Years in the early 1990s.
His big break came in 1994 with the iconic sitcom, Friends.
Playing Ross Geller, the paleontologist with a complex love life, Schwimmer shot to international fame.
While still on Friends, he ventured into films, taking on leading roles in comedies like The Pallbearer and thrillers like Apt Pupil.
He also showcased his dramatic range in the acclaimed miniseries, Band of Brothers.
After Friends ended in 2004, Schwimmer continued to act on both the big and small screens.
He lent his voice to the lovable giraffe Melman in the Madagascar animated films.
Schwimmer took on serious dramatic roles, including portraying Robert Kardashian in the television series, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
More recently, he’s starred in the British comedy series, Intelligence.
Schwimmer has also directed episodes of television shows like Friends itself and Joey, a spin-off from Friends.
Awards and recognitions
Schwimmer, while perhaps best known for his comedic role as Ross Geller on the long-running sitcom Friends, has garnered awards recognition throughout his career for various acting endeavors.
His most notable awards attention came from his time on Friends.
Schwimmer received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1995 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of Ross.
Additionally, the entire Friends cast was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series an impressive seven times, with them taking home the award in 1995.
Schwimmer has ventured beyond comedic roles, however.
His dramatic acting chops were acknowledged in 2016 when he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role as Robert Kardashian in the FX series, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
Most recently, in 2021, he shared a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) as an executive producer for the highly anticipated Friends: The Reunion special on HBO Max.
Real estate
Schwimmer has owned properties on both coasts throughout his career.
During his time filming Friends, he resided in Los Angeles.
There, Schwimmer started with a modest house in West Hollywood before upgrading to a much grander property – a nine-bedroom mansion boasting over 11,000 square feet in the exclusive Hancock Park neighborhood.
He purchased this mansion in 2001 for $5.5 million and later sold it for nearly $8.9 million in 2012.
Currently, Schwimmer’s primary residence seems to be in New York City.
In 2010, he purchased a historic townhouse in the East Village through a limited liability company.
This wasn’t just any townhouse though – built in 1852, it underwent a dramatic transformation.
Schwimmer had the entire structure demolished and replaced with a brand new, five-level brick townhouse.
Interestingly, he also has a place in Chicago.
This one is a condo located in a converted loft building from the late 1990s.
He purchased this unit back in 1998 for $425,000 in cash, suggesting it serves as a pied-a-terre, a smaller residence in a different city from his main one.
Personal life
Schwimmer is currently not married.
He was previously married to artist Zoë Buckman from 2010 to 2017.
Together, they share a daughter, Cleo Buckman Schwimmer, who was born in 2011.
Despite their divorce, Schwimmer and Buckman have remained on good terms and co-parent their daughter amicably.
They’ve even been seen together at public events supporting their daughter’s interests.
Schwimmer values his role as a father and has spoken openly about the joy and fulfillment fatherhood has brought to his life.
