David Schwimmer, 40, was born in New York, the son of lawyers. He was raised in Los Angeles where he attended Beverly Hills High School. He studied theatre at Northwestern University in Chicago, and went on to co-found the city's Lookingglass Theatre Company in 1989. He appeared in TV shows The Wonder Years and NYPD Blue, before being cast as Ross Geller in Friends. In 2005 he made his London stage debut in Some Girl(s) by Neil LaBute and last year co-starred with Simon Pegg in the movie Big Nothing. Schwimmer directs Pegg in the film Run, Fat Boy, Run, which is out now. Schwimmer is single and lives in New York.
When were you happiest?
Before I realised my parents, sister and I were all mortal.
What is your greatest fear?
Besides death?! Standing on stage in front of thousands of people, forgetting what happens next, but knowing I'm supposed to be doing it. Also, being in the ocean alone and feeling something large brush against my leg.
What is your earliest memory?
Diving off a piece of furniture and on to my parents' bed, which sent me flying across the room, in order to make my mother laugh so hard she peed herself.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Going to a screen test for a big television drama - before Friends - and performing two long, very dramatic scenes in front of 75 executives, only to realise immediately afterward, my fly had been open the entire time. I did not get the part.
Where would you like to live?
Near the ocean, one day.
What makes you depressed?
The news.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
That I'm too lazy to change it.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Gene Kelly. Only without the dancing, good looks or style. And more Jewish.
What is your favourite book?
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
What is your most unappealing habit?
Keeping my head down when in public.
What is your fancy dress costume of choice?
Tuxedo, but with a cream jacket.
What is the worst thing anyone's said to you?
That I didn't belong on stage.
Is it better to give or to receive?
I am always happier giving, rather than receiving, a gift - and happiest when I give anonymously. Same for sex, except the anonymous bit.
Which living person do you most despise and why?
Any person who attempts to impose his or her religious beliefs on another.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Pizza and television, hopefully together.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The theatre.
What was the best kiss of your life?
I hope it will be the first kiss of my bride after I marry.
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Dostoevsky, Sophia Loren, Mahatma Gandhi, Gene Kelly, Martin Luther King Jr, Leonardo da Vinci, Charlie Chaplin, Cole Porter, Sade, my family, my friends, my lady and a translator.
What is the worst job you've done?
Phone sales of copy machine supplies, starting at 6am. It was an illegal operation run out of a dilapidated building, and when I showed up for work one day the entire place had been boarded up by the police.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
The lack of role models in leadership in the US, in particular our government.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I would change having met a woman who proved to be unfaithful.
When did you last cry, and why?
Three days ago, when I saw the film La Vie En Rose. It reminded me how brief our time is here, and how wonderful it is to fall in love.
How often do you have sex?
Not as often as I would like, but then one has to eat.
What is the closest you've come to death?
I almost drowned as a boy, but was rescued by a cousin. And I've had two very, very close calls on aeroplanes - both due to engine failure.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Children.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
We're all just guests here.