David Schwimmer

Having gone from relative obscurity to a household name virtually overnight, actor David Schwimmer achieved small screen stardom thanks to the overwhelming success of "Friends" (NBC, 1994-2004), one of the most popular and successful sitcoms ever made. As Ross Geller, the geeky paleontologist and heartbroken romantic amongst a group of twenty-somethings trying to find their way in life, Schwimmer earned the sympathy and attention of audiences who bought into his on-again, off-again relationship with Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), which was perhaps the most talked-about aspect of the entire series. Though he had attained wild popularity thanks to the show, Schwimmer struggled like his other castmates - sans Aniston - to find similar success in the feature world. Aside from his voicing of a popular character in the hit animated "Madagascar" (2005) franchise, the actor struggled to find his footing outside of "Friends." He did, however, direct a well-regarded independent black comedy, "Run Fatboy, Run" (2007), which pointed to a future not in front of the camera, but behind it. He did return to television with a role as defense attorney Robert Kardashian in Ryan Murphy's acclaimed "American Crime Story" (FX 2016- ).