Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, television host, comedian, and magician. He is widely recognized for his comedic roles on television as well as his dramatic and musical performances on stage. Throughout his career, Harris has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award and five Primetime Emmy Awards, along with nominations for a Grammy Award and three Actor Awards.

Harris was born on June 15, 1973, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was raised in Ruidoso, New Mexico. His parents, Sheila Gail and Ronald Gene Harris, were both lawyers and restaurant owners. He grew up alongside an older brother and attended La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, where he graduated with high honors in 1991 while receiving private tutoring on set for half of his school years.

Discovered at a drama camp in Las Cruces by playwright Mark Medoff, Harris began his professional career as a child actor. Medoff cast him in the 1988 drama film Clara's Heart, which earned Harris a Golden Globe nomination. In 1989, he starred in the children's fantasy film Purple People Eater and landed his breakthrough role as the title character in the ABC series Doogie Howser, M.D. Playing a child prodigy doctor from 1989 to 1993, he secured another Golden Globe nomination. Following this role, Harris appeared in various television projects, including the sitcom Stark Raving Mad and television films such as Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story and Joan of Arc.

His adult screen career expanded into feature films, including Starship Troopers, The Next Best Thing, and Undercover Brother. Starting in 2004, Harris portrayed a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold & Kumar film series. From 2005 to 2014, he gained widespread acclaim playing Barney Stinson in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, a role that earned him four Emmy nominations. His later screen work includes starring as Count Olaf in the Netflix adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events from 2017 to 2019, appearing in films such as The Smurfs, Gone Girl, and The Matrix Resurrections, and starring in the 2022 Netflix series Uncoupled.

On stage, Harris played Mark Cohen in the 1997 national tour of Rent and made his Broadway debut in the play Proof in 2002. He went on to appear in stage productions such as Cabaret, Assassins, Company, and Into the Woods. In 2014, he starred as the lead in the Broadway rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Beyond acting, Harris has hosted major award broadcasts, including four Tony Awards ceremonies, two Primetime Emmy Awards broadcasts, and the 87th Academy Awards in 2015. His hosting duties for the Tony Awards earned him four Primetime Emmy Awards.

In addition to his performance work, Harris is an accomplished magician and former president of the board of directors for Hollywood's Magic Castle. He has authored the young adult book series The Magic Misfits and released a bestselling memoir in 2014. In his personal life, Harris has been in a relationship with actor and chef David Burtka since 2004; the couple married in Italy in 2014 and have twin children, Gideon and Harper.