Schwimmer rose to fame playing neurotic paleontologist Ross Geller on the hit sitcom Friends. He also directed episodes of the series and its spin-off, Joey. Before he found success on the small screen, Schwimmer had a vibrant stage career. He co-founded Chicago's Looking Glass Theater Company in 1988. Over the years, he performed in and directed several productions for the company. In 2003, during the height of Friends popularity, he starred in Roger Kumble's Turnaround at the Coast Playhouse in Los Angeles.
"The play is funny and dark--it's all about the hurt that people go through," Schwimmer told The Evening Standard. "Neil uses this man to represent a self-centered point of view which, when we come down to it, everyone has. It's about relationships and the choices people make, learning to live with those choices, and recovering from the damage done when those choices go wrong."