Neil Patrick Harris Biography

Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, producer, singer, and director. He is best known for the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold & Kumar series, and the title role in Joss Whedon's musical web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Harris was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2010, and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2011. Harris has also hosted the Tony Awards on Broadway in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Early life

Harris was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico. His parents, Sheila (Scott) and Ron Harris, ran a restaurant. He attended La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, where he acted in school plays and musicals. Harris graduated as an honors student in 1991.

Career

Film

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 his 1988 film Clara's Heart, a drama starring Whoopi Goldberg 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.

His first film role as an adult was 1995's Animal Room, although he portrayed a teenager. His subsequent film work has included supporting roles in The Next Best Thing, Undercover Brother, and Starship Troopers. Harris plays a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold and Kumar stoner comedy films Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.

In 2010, he 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 movies The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013).

Stage

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, topping fellow celebrity stars John Stamos and Alan Cumming. In 2004, he performed a dual role of the Balladeer and Lee Harvey Oswald on Broadway, in the musical revival of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins. He also sang the role of Charles (first played by Anthony Perkins) on the Nonesuch recording of Sondheim's Evening Primrose, and has portrayed Mark Cohen in the touring company of the musical Rent, a role he mockingly reprised on the January 10, 2009, episode of Saturday Night Live, which he hosted.

In 2010, he 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. The same year, he directed The Expert at the Card Table at Broad Stage's Edye in Santa Monica, California.

Harris has hosted the Tony Awards four times including: the 63rd Tony Awards on June 7, 2009, 65th Tony Awards on June 12, 2011, the 66th Tony Awards on June 10, 2012, and the 67th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 9, 2013. Only Angela Lansbury, who hosted five ceremonies, has hosted the Tony Awards more times. Hosting the Tony Awards has earned him three Emmy Awards; on 2010, 2012 and 2013 for the 63rd, 65th and 66th respectively.

A week after hosting the Tonys, it was announced that Harris would portray the titular role in the first Broadway production of the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch in 2014.

Television

In 1989, Harris won the lead role 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, Harris starred with Tony Shalhoub in the NBC sitcom Stark Raving Mad, which lasted 22 episodes. He has taken 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.

In 2008, he guest-starred on Sesame Street as the Sesame Street Fairy Shoe Person. In 2009, Harris hosted the 7th Annual TV Land Awards and appeared as a guest judge on Season 9 of American Idol.

He also hosted the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20 of the same year. 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 the second time he hosted the event.

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. As a character who could make anyone do his bidding by singing, he spent most of the episode singing several original songs.

Since 2005, Harris has played Barney Stinson, a serial womanizer, in the CBS ensemble sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The role earned him Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominations every year from 2007 to 2010.

Magic

Harris is a fan of magic, like his character on How I Met Your Mother. He serves as the President of the Board of Directors of Hollywood's Magic Castle. Harris won the Tannen's Magic Louis Award in 2006 and hosted the 2008 World Magic Awards on October 11, 2008. Additionally, Harris and Burtka were guests of honor for a Top Chef Masters episode which took place at the Magic Castle. Harris also performed magic in his Emmy-winning performance on Glee.

Other media

In 2007, Harris worked with Mike Nelson on an audio commentary for RiffTrax. The two "riffed" on the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Harris is a big fan of the cult TV series Nelson worked on, Mystery Science Theater 3000. He was interviewed for a 1992 Comedy Central special This Is MST3K hosted by Penn Jillette about the series and its fans. 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. The first episode of the series debuted July 15, 2008. He has also provided his voice for the Disney California Adventure Park attraction California Screamin'.

On December 11, 2010, Harris hosted the Spike Video Game Awards.

In 2012, Harris starred in the web-series Neil's Puppet Dreams.

Personal life

Harris confirmed that he is gay in November 2006 by 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 attended the Emmy awards in September 2007 with his fiancé David Burtka, later confirming the relationship, which he said began in 2004, in an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. On August 14, 2010, Harris announced that he and Burtka were expecting twins via a surrogate mother. The fraternal twins Gideon Scott, a boy, and Harper Grace, a girl, were born in 2010.

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.

In A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, a joke refers to his coming out. As his persona in the film is heterosexual and womanizing, he is presented as only pretending to be gay so that women will find him less intimidating at first. Burtka also played himself, as Harris's secret drug dealer.

Discography

Cast recordings

Year	Album title	Notes
2000	Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas	2000 New York Concert Cast
2001	Evening Primrose	Studio Cast
2004	Assassins	Revival Cast Recording
2006	Wall to Wall: Stephen Sondheim	Concert Cast
2008	Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog	Original Cast Recording
2009	Batman: The Brave and the Bold " Mayhem of the Music Meister	Original Cast Recording

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions					Sales	Album
		AUS	CAN	IRE	UK	US
2010	"Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit"	113	76	"?	50	"?	"?	How I Met Your Mother season 5
	"Dream On" (featuring Matthew Morrison)	91	24	44	47	26	84,000 (US)	Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	Clara's Heart	David Hart
1988	Too Good to Be True	Danny Harland	TV movie
1988	Purple People Eater	Billy Johnson
1989	Cold Sassy Tree	Will Tweedy/Narrator	TV movie
1989	Home Fires Burning	Lonnie Tibbits	TV movie
1990	The Earth Day Special	Doogie Howser	TV movie
1991	Stranger in the Family	Steve Thompson	TV movie
1993	For Our Children: The Concert	Himself (Presenter)	TV movie
1993	'	Brian Hannigan	TV movie
1994	Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story	Jim Stolpa	TV movie
1995	The Man in the Attic	Edward Broder	TV movie
1995	Animal Room	Arnold Mosk
1995	Not Our Son	Paul Kenneth Keller	TV movie
1995	My Antonia	Jimmy Burden	TV movie
1995	Legacy of Sin: The William Coit Story	William Coit	TV movie
1997	Starship Troopers	Carl Jenkins
1998	The Proposition	Roger Martin
1998	The Christmas Wish	Will Martin	TV movie
1999	Joan of Arc	The Dauphin	TV movie
2000	'	David
2001	The Wedding Dress	Travis Cleveland	TV movie
2001	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert	Tobias Ragg	TV movie
2002	The Mesmerist	Benjamin
2002	Undercover Brother	Lance
2004	Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle	Neil Patrick Harris
2005	'	Nathan Andrews	TV movie
2008	Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay	Neil Patrick Harris
2008	Beyond All Boundaries	1st Lt. David Hettema	Voice only
2008	Justice League: The New Frontier	Barry Allen/The Flash	Voice only
2009	Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs	Steve	Voice only
2009	Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special	Ace	Voice only; TV Movie
2009	Yes Virginia	Dr. Philip O'Hanlon	Voice only; TV Movie
2010	Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore	Lou the Beagle	Voice only
2010	The Best and the Brightest	Jeff
2010	Batman: Under the Red Hood	Dick Grayson / Nightwing	Voice only
2011	Beastly	Will Fratalli
2011	'	Patrick Winslow
2011	'	Neil Patrick Harris
2011	The Muppets	Himself	Cameo
2012	American Reunion	Celebrity Dance-Off Host	Cameo
2013	The Smurfs 2	Patrick Winslow
2013	Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2	Steve the Monkey	Voice only
2014	A Million Ways to Die in the West	Foy	Post-production
2014	Gone Girl	Desi Collins	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Hallmark Hall of Fame	Lonnie Tibbetts	Episode: "Home Fires Burning"
1989	B.L. Stryker	Buder Campbell	Episode: "Blues for Buder"
	Doogie Howser, M.D.	Douglas 'Doogie' Howser	97 Episodes
1991	Blossom	The 'Charming' Derek Slade	Episode: "Blossom " A Rockumentary"
1991	'	Himself as Bart Simpson	Voice only; Episode: "Bart the Murderer"
1992	Roseanne	Dr. Doogie Howser	Episode: "Less Is More"
1992	Captain Planet and the Planeteers	Todd Andrews	Voice only; Episode: "A Formula for Hate"
1992	Capitol Critters	Max	Voice only; 13 Episodes
1993	Quantum Leap	Mike Hammond	Episode: "Return of the Evil Leaper " October 8, 1956"
1993	Murder, She Wrote	Tommy Remsen	Episode: "Lone Witness"
1996	'	Howie Morrison	Episode: "From Within"
1997	Homicide: Life on the Street	Alan Schack	Episode: "Valentine's Day"
	Stark Raving Mad	Henry McNeeley	22 Episodes
2000	Will & Grace	Bill	Episode: "Girls, Interrupted"
2001	Static Shock	Johnny Morrow	Voice only; Episode: "Replay"
2001	Son of the Beach	Loverboy	Episode: "Queefer Madness"
2001	'	Moyo	Voice only; Episode: "Tarzan and the Challenger"
2001	Ed	Joe Baxter	Episode: "Replacements"
2002	Touched by an Angel	Jonas	Episode: "The Princeless Bride"
2002	Justice League	Ray Thompson	Voice only; 2 episodes
2003	Boomtown	Peter Corman	Episode: "Monster's Brawl"
2003	Spider-Man: The New Animated Series	Peter Parker /	Voice only; 13 Episodes
2004	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	John Tagman	Episode: "Want"
2005	Numb3rs	Ethan Burdick	Episode: "Prime Suspect"
2005	Jack & Bobby	Prof. Preston Phelps	Episode: "Querida Grace"
	How I Met Your Mother	Barney Stinson	Main role
2006	Me, Eloise		Voice only; Episode: "Eloise Goes to School"
	Family Guy	Barney Stinson	Voice only; 2 episodes
2006	Big Brother 7	Himself
2008	Sesame Street	The Fairy Shoeperson	Episode: "Telly's New Shoes"
2008	Anytime with Bob Kushell	Himself	Guest star
2008	Million Dollar Password	Himself	Guest Star
2009	Saturday Night Live	Himself (host)	Episode: "Neil Patrick Harris/ Taylor Swift"
2009	Batman: The Brave and the Bold	The Music Meister	Episode: "Mayhem of the Music Meister!"
2009	Robot Chicken	Various	2 episodes
2009	63rd Tony Awards	Himself (host)	TV special
2009	61st Primetime Emmy Awards	Himself (host)	TV special
2010	Glee	Bryan Ryan	Episode: "Dream On"
	'	Dr. Blowhole	Voice only; 2 episodes
2011	Brain Games	Narrator	Season 1; 3 episodes
	Adventure Time	Prince Gumball	Voice only; 2 episodes
2011	65th Tony Awards	Himself (host)	TV special
2012	66th Tony Awards	Himself (host)	TV special
2012	Robot Chicken	Two-Face	Voice only; Episode: "Robot Chicken DC Universe Special"
2013	67th Tony Awards	Himself (host)	TV special
2013	65th Primetime Emmy Awards	Himself (host)	TV special

Theater

Year	Title	Role	Venue
1997	Rent	Mark Cohen	2nd National Tour: LA, San Diego
1998	Romeo and Juliet	Romeo Montague	Old Globe Theatre, San Diego
2001	Sweeney Todd	Tobias Ragg	San Francisco Symphony Orchestra concert version
2002	Proof	Hal	Broadway
2003	Cabaret	Emcee	Broadway
2004	'	Young Anton / Burt Sarris
2004	Assassins	Lee Harvey Oswald / The Balladeer	Broadway
2005	Tick, Tick... BOOM!	Jon	Menier Chocolate Factory, London
2006	All My Sons	Chris Keller	Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles
2006	Amadeus	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Hollywood Bowl
2010	Rent Live at the Hollywood Bowl	Director	Hollywood Bowl
2011	Company	Robert	New York Philharmonic Concert Version
2011	A Snow White Christmas	The Magic Mirror	El Portal Theater
2014	Nothing to Hide	Director	Off-Broadway; Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre

Web television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog	Dr. Horrible/Billy
2008	Prop 8: The Musical	A Very Smart Fellow
2012	Neil's Puppet Dreams	Neil Patrick Harris
2012	Team Four Stars' Dragon Ball Z Abridged	The Spirit Bomb	YouTube, Episode 29

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Saints Row 2	Veteran Child	Voice only
2009	Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard	Wallace "Wally" Wellesley	Voice only
2010	Rock of the Dead	Unnamed character	Voice only
2010	Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions	Peter Parker /	Voice only
2013	Saints Row IV	Veteran Child	Voice only

Awards

List of awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Title
1989	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture " Drama		Clara's Heart
	Golden Globe Award	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
1990	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series		Doogie Howser, M.D.
	People's Choice Award	Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Series
1991	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series
1992
	Golden Globe Award	Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series " Comedy/Musical
2007	Teen Choice Award	Choice TV Actor: Comedy		How I Met Your Mother
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
2008	People's Choice Award	Favorite Scene Stealing Star
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
2009	Golden Globe Award	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
	Bravo A-List Award	A-List Male Actor
	Streamy Award	Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series		Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
2009"2010	Golden Icon Award	Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Television Series		How I Met Your Mother
2010	Golden Globe Award	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
		Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series		Glee
		Outstanding Special Class Program		63rd Annual Tony Awards
	Spike Video Game Award	Best Performance by a Human Male		Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
2011	People's Choice Award	Favorite TV Comedy Actor		How I Met Your Mother
2012
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Special Class Program		65th Tony Awards
2013				66th Tony Awards