Schwimmer has made her film debut in 1988, appearing in Memories of Me. She had small parts in Highlander II: The Quickening, Sleepwalkers and Candyman, before playing Joey B in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993). In 1995, she starred as Amelia Minchin in A Little Princess directed by Alfonso Cuarón. She went to appear as Mrs. Thornton (Jo Harding's mother) in Twister (1996), Mrs Pendleton in Amistad (1997), Alice in EDtv (1999), Irene "Big Red" Johnson in The Perfect Storm (2000), Millie Dupree in Runaway Jury (2003), Big Betty in North Country (2005), and as Aunt Martha in Perfect Sisters (2014).
On television, Schwimmer had starring role in the 2006 Western miniseries Broken Trail playing "Big Rump" Kate Becker. From 2001 to 2003, she had a recurring role as Barbara Ludzinski on the CBS legal drama The Guardian. Schwimmer has also appeared in guest starring roles in several television series, including Parker Lewis Can't Lose, In the Heat of the Night, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Tales from the Crypt, Married... with Children, ER, Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal, Judging Amy, The X-Files, Gilmore Girls, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Minds, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, Six Feet Under, Drop Dead Diva, Louie, Lucifer and Grey's Anatomy.
