Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout his career, including a Tony Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and nominations for a Grammy Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

On television, he is known for playing the title character on the ABC series Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989–1993), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy, as well as Barney Stinson on the CBS series How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014), for which he was nominated for four Emmy Awards, and Count Olaf on the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2019). Harris is also known for his role as the title character in Joss Whedon's musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) and a fictional version of himself in the Harold & Kumar film series (2004–2011). His other films include Starship Troopers (1997),The Smurfs (2011), The Smurfs 2 (2013), and Gone Girl (2014).

In 2010, Harris won two awards at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his guest appearance on Glee, and Outstanding Special Class Program for hosting the Tony Awards in 2009; he has won the latter award three additional times for hosting the show in 2011, 2012, and 2013. He also hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009 and 2013, and hosted the 87th Academy Awards in 2015. In 2014, he starred in the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway, for which he won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Harris was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2010.

Harris was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, with his older brother and their parents, Sheila Gail (née Scott; born 1946) and Ronald Gene Harris (born 1946). His parents were lawyers and also ran a restaurant. He attended La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, graduating with high honors in 1991, which he attributes to being privately tutored half the school year while on set.

1989–2003

Harris began his career as a child actor and was discovered by playwright Mark Medoff at a drama camp in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Medoff later cast him in the 1988 drama film Clara's Heart, starring Whoopi Goldberg and based on the novel of the same name by Joseph Olshan. Clara's Heart earned Harris a Golden Globe nomination. The same year, he starred in Purple People Eater, a children's fantasy. Beginning in 1989, Harris played the title role of a child prodigy doctor in Doogie Howser, M.D., for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. After the show's four-season run ended in 1993, Harris played a number of guest roles on television series, including Murder, She Wrote. From 1999 to 2000, he starred with Tony Shalhoub in the NBC sitcom Stark Raving Mad, which lasted 22 episodes. Harris's first film role as an adult was 1995's Animal Room, although he portrayed a teenager.

Harris played lead roles in a number of made-for-television features including Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story in 1994, My Ántonia in 1995, The Christmas Wish in 1998, Joan of Arc in 1999, The Wedding Dress in 2001, and The Christmas Blessing in 2005. His film work also has included supporting roles in The Next Best Thing (2000), Undercover Brother (2002), and Starship Troopers (1997).

Harris has worked on Broadway in both musical and dramatic roles. He played Tobias Ragg in the 2001 concert performances of Sweeney Todd. In 2002, he performed beside Anne Heche in Proof. In 2003, he took the role of the Emcee in Cabaret alongside Deborah Gibson and Tom Bosley. As a result of his critically acclaimed performance in Cabaret, Harris was named the top-drawing headliner in the role of the Emcee by GuestStarCasting.com.

2004–2014

In 2004, he performed the dual role of the Balladeer and Lee Harvey Oswald on Broadway in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Assassins. He also sang the role of Charles (initially played by Anthony Perkins in a 1966 ABC telecast) on the Nonesuch recording of Sondheim's Evening Primrose and portrayed Mark Cohen in the 1997 touring company of the musical Rent, a role he satirized on the January 10, 2009, episode of Saturday Night Live, which he hosted. In 2004, Harris played a fictionalized, hyper-womanising, lewd version of himself in the Harold and Kumar stoner comedy film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. He said that was the shift from roles associated with his sanitized "Doogie Howser" character to the more unscrupulous and bawdy part in the Harold & Kumar franchise lead to his role of Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother the following year. He would go on to reprise the role of "Neil Patrick Harris" in the Harold & Kumar sequels: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.

From 2005 to 2014, Harris played Barney Stinson, a serial womanizer, in the CBS ensemble sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The role earned him Emmy nominations every year from 2007 to 2010. In 2008, Harris guest-starred on Sesame Street as the Sesame Street Fairy Shoe Person. In 2009, he hosted the 7th Annual TV Land Awards and appeared as a guest judge on Season 9 of American Idol.

In 2007, Harris worked with Mike Nelson on an audio commentary for RiffTrax. The two "riffed" on the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. In 2008, Harris played the title role in Joss Whedon's musical web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog alongside Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. He has also provided his voice for the Disney California Adventure Park attraction California Screamin'. After a preview at the San Diego Comic-Con, a musical episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold featuring Harris as the villainous Music Meister premiered on October 23, 2009, on Cartoon Network.

Harris hosted the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20, 2009. On August 21, 2010, he won two Emmy Awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony, one of which was for his guest performance in the television series Glee. Harris hosted the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 22, 2013, marking his second time hosting the event. Harris has hosted the Tony Awards four times: the 63rd Tony Awards on June 7, 2009, the 65th Tony Awards on June 12, 2011, the 66th Tony Awards on June 10, 2012, and the 67th Tony Awards on June 9, 2013. Only Dame Angela Lansbury, with five ceremonies, has hosted the Tony Awards more times. Hosting the Tony Awards has earned him four Primetime Emmy Awards in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 for the 63rd, 65th, 66th and 67th, respectively.

In 2010, Harris directed a production of the rock musical Rent at the Hollywood Bowl; he cast his Beastly co-star Vanessa Hudgens as Mimi. In 2011, Harris played the lead role of Bobby in Stephen Sondheim's Company with the New York Philharmonic in concert, opposite Patti LuPone and others. That same year, he directed The Expert at the Card Table at Broad Stage's Edye in Santa Monica, California. Also in 2010, Harris provided voice acting for the role of the adult Dick Grayson (Nightwing) in the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood and the beagle Lou in the film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. The same year, he played the lead in the indie comedy The Best and the Brightest. On March 7, 2010, he made a surprise appearance at the 82nd Academy Awards, delivering the opening musical number. He starred in the films The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013). Harris provided the voice of Steve the Monkey in the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs film franchise. In December 2010, Harris hosted the Spike Video Game Awards.

Harris portrayed the titular role in the first Broadway production of the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, from March through August 2014. Harris received acclaim for the role with Variety declaring, "It's astonishing how polished a physical performance Harris gives. Channeling his inner Rockette, along with Iggy Pop and Lou Reed by way of the Ramones, he carries off some advanced dance and acrobatic moves". Harris went on to win the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Later in 2014, Harris played the role of Desi Collings in Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher.

In 2014, Harris turned down the chance to replace David Letterman as host of the Late Show on CBS, stating that he feared he would get bored of the repetition that hosting a nightly talk show would entail. He also rejected the suggestion of replacing Craig Ferguson as host of The Late Late Show on the same grounds, although he claims he was never actually offered either job. In October 2014, Harris released a memoir titled Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography, which is structured like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. His autobiography spent two weeks on The New York Times Best Seller List. His debut young adult novel, The Magic Misfits, was released in November 2017 and is the first in a four-book series of the same name.

2015–present

On September 15, 2015, Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, a live variety series hosted by Harris on NBC, made its debut and ran for eight episodes. On February 22, 2015, Harris hosted the 87th Academy Awards. On January 15, 2016, Netflix cast Harris in the television adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, in which he starred as Count Olaf. It ran for 3 seasons and 25 episodes before ending on January 1, 2019. On March 31, 2017, NBC picked up Harris's game show titled Genius Junior, the format would test the smarts of the most brilliant children in the country. Harris would serve as host and executive producer. The series received a 10-episode order and debuted on March 18, 2018.

Harris appeared in the fourth installment of the Matrix franchise, released in 2021.

In October 2020, Harris released a single-player board game named Box One, produced by luxury playing card company Theory11. It is currently available exclusively through Target. Harris has been a frequent guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World.

In January 2021, Harris starred in the British drama series It's a Sin, broadcast on Channel 4, depicting the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United Kingdom. In June 2021, Harris was announced to be a judge on Australia's Got Talent: Challengers & Champions, a spin-off series of Australia's Got Talent.

In July 2022, Harris starred in the Netflix series Uncoupled as gay Manhattanite Michael Lawson, a realtor re-navigating the dating scene after 17 years. In 2022, he joined the New York City Center Encores! presentation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods as The Baker opposite Sara Bareilles as The Baker's Wife. The limited production ran from May 4 to 15.

In 2023, he joined the cast of Peter Pan Goes Wrong for a limited engagement from April 11 to May 7 playing the role of Francis Beaumont. In December 2023, Harris guest starred as the Toymaker in the third and final special, "The Giggle", of the 60th Anniversary Specials of Doctor Who.

From 1997 to 1998, Harris dated actress Christine Taylor. In a 2008 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, he discussed how the relationship made him realize his true sexuality: "She's the coolest, nicest chick ever. She's an absolute catch, and I thought, 'If I'm not going to feel the super sparks with her... it probably means I'm gay.'"

Harris publicly came out as gay in November 2006, saying, "I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love."

Harris has been in a relationship with actor and chef David Burtka since April 2004. In October 2010, they became parents to twins, son Gideon and daughter Harper, born via a surrogate mother.

Following the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in New York on June 24, 2011, Harris and Burtka announced their engagement via Twitter, stating that they had proposed to each other five years earlier but kept the engagement secret until same-sex marriage became legal. Harris and Burtka married in Italy in September 2014. Pamela Fryman, the long-time director of How I Met Your Mother, officiated the wedding while Elton John performed at the reception. In 2013, the couple bought a townhouse in Harlem which they sold in 2022 for $6.9M. The family currently reside in East Hampton, NY.

Harris is a fan of magic, which was written into his characters on How I Met Your Mother, American Horror Story: Freak Show, and Glee. Harris won the Tannen's Magic Louis Award in 2006 and hosted the 2008 World Magic Awards on October 11, 2008. He previously served as the President of the board of directors of Hollywood's Magic Castle, from 2011 to 2014. Additionally, Harris and partner David Burtka were guests of honor for a Top Chef Masters episode that took place at the Magic Castle.

In May 2022, it resurfaced on Twitter that Harris had hosted a Halloween party in October 2011 in which he served guests a meat platter designed to resemble the corpse of Amy Winehouse. He apologized later that month.

Harris has supported and contributed to various charities, organizations, and foundations. These include:

In October 2014, Harris attended a dinner for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and in September 2016, he and his husband were the honorary hosts of a culinary cookout to help raise money for the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. In April 2019, Harris hosted We Day California, a charity event that celebrates students who have made a change in their community.

Cast recordings

Singles

Film

Television

Theater

Web

Video games

• 2014: Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography (read by the author), Random House Audio, ISBN 978-0-385-36794-3