Who is Neil Patrick Harris?The entertainment and acting world knows Harris a
s an American actor, singer, and
magician.
Prominent roles of his career include the
title role in
Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in
Starship Troopers, 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.
He also hosted the
63rd Tony Awards on June 7, 2009,
[2] and the
61st Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20, 2009. On March 7, 2010, he made a surprise appearance at the
82nd Academy Awards, delivering the opening musical number, and on August 21, 2010 he won two Emmy Awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony. On December 11, 2010, Harris hosted
Spike's Video Game Awards.
He was named as one of
Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2010.
[3]
In June 2010, it was announced that Harris would receive a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.
[4]
Early life
Harris was born June 15, 1973 in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and grew up in
Ruidoso, New Mexico. His parents, Sheila and Ron, ran a restaurant.
[5] He attended
La Cueva High School in
Albuquerque and was active in school plays and musicals there. Harris was an
honors student, and graduated with honors in 1991.
Career
Harris began his career as a
child actor, and was discovered by playwright
Mark Medoff at a Drama Camp in
Las Cruces, New Mexico.
[6] Medoff cast him in his 1988 film
Clara's Heart, a drama with
Whoopi Goldberg based on the novel of the same name by
Joseph Olshan, that won him a
Golden Globe nomination. In 1988, he also starred in
Purple People Eater, a children's fantasy. The following year, he won the lead in
Doogie Howser, M.D., for which he was again nominated for a
Golden Globe. After
Doogie Howser's four-season run ended in 1993, Harris played a number of
guest roles on
television series such as
Murder She Wrote, before taking his first film role as an adult in 1995 in the little-seen shocker
Animal Room. Since then, his film work has included supporting roles in
The Next Best Thing,
Undercover Brother, and
Starship Troopers. In the
Harold and Kumar stoner comedy films (
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay), he plays a drug-crazed, lecherous version of himself.
From 1999 to 2000, Harris starred with
Tony Shalhoub in the 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, as well as series guest roles.
Harris has worked on
Broadway in both
musical and dramatic roles. He played
Tobias Ragg in 2001 concert performances of
Sweeney Todd. In 2002, he performed on Broadway 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 celeb stars
John Stamos and
Alan Cumming.
[7]
In 2004, he performed a dual role of the Balladeer and
Lee Harvey Oswald on Broadway in the controversial 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. He has also portrayed
Mark Cohen in the touring company of the musical
RENT, a character who he mockingly reprised on the January 10, 2009, episode of
Saturday Night Live, which he hosted. Since fall of 2005, Harris has played Barney Stinson, a serial womanizer, in the
CBS ensemble sitcom
How I Met Your Mother. The Stinson role earned him 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominations.
In 2007, Harris worked with
Mike Nelson on an audio commentary for
RiffTrax. The two riffed on the film
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. Harris is a big fan of the cult TV series Nelson worked on,
Mystery Science Theater 3000 and was interviewed for a 1992 Comedy Central special hosted by
Penn Jillette, who did voiceovers for
Comedy Central's programming at that time, about the series and its fans,
This Is MST3K.
[8] In 2008, Harris took 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.
[9] In 2008, Harris also guest-starred on
Sesame Street as the Sesame Street Fairy Shoe Person.
[10][11][12][13] On April 26, 2009, Harris hosted the 7th Annual
TV Land Awards.
After a highly successful 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.
[14]
Harris starred in the movie
Beastly[15] alongside
Alex Pettyfer and
Vanessa Hudgens. He played a blind tutor named Will. The film was originally set for release on July 30, 2010,
[16] but was pushed back to March 4, 2011.
[17]
He also plays the lead in the upcoming indie comedy
The Best and the Brightest as a carefree father who uproots his family from
Delaware to move to
New York City's
Upper East Side.
[18]
Harris appeared as a guest judge on Season 9 of
American Idol in August 2009 auditions taped in
Dallas, Texas.
[19]
English stage producer
Cameron Mackintosh has voiced interest in producing a Broadway revival of the musical
Barnum (which originally starred
Michael Crawford and
Jim Dale) with Harris in the title role.
Harris provided his voice for the role of the adult
Dick Grayson (
Nightwing) for the animated film
Batman: Under the Red Hood. It was released July 27, 2010.
[citation needed]
Harris also voiced the beagle Lou in the film
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore that was released July 30, 2010.
He directed a production of the
rock musical Rent. The stage production ran from August 6 – 8, 2010 at the
Hollywood Bowl. Harris cast his
Beastly co-star
Vanessa Hudgens as Mimi.
[20]
Harris won an Emmy for his performance as Bryan Ryan in the television series
Glee in the episode titled "
Dream On."
[21]
On November 8, 2010, it was revealed that Harris had provided his voice to the
Disney California Adventure attraction
California Screamin'.
[22]
Harris will perform the lead role of Bobby, in
Stephen Sondheim's
Company from April 7–9, 2011 with the
New York Philharmonic in concert opposite
Patti LuPone and others.
[23]
Personal life
|
David Burtka & Neil Patrick Harris |
|
|
Harris is openly
gay, confirming this 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."
[24]
Harris attended the Emmy awards in September 2007 with his partner
David Burtka, later confirming the relationship, which began in 2004, in an interview on
The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
[25] On August 14, 2010, Harris announced that he and Burtka were expecting twins via a
surrogate mother.
[26][27] Fraternal twins Gideon Scott, a boy, and Harper Grace, a girl, were born on October 12, 2010.
[28][29]
Harris is a fan of
magic and is a magician similar to his character on
How I Met Your Mother. He serves on the Board of Directors of Hollywood's
Magic Castle.
[30] Harris won the Tannen's Magic Louis Award in 2006 and hosted the 2008 World Magic Awards on October 11, 2008. Additionally, Harris was the celebrity guest of honor for
Top Chef Masters, which took place at the Magic Castle, and included Burtka as a fellow guest. Harris also performed magic in his Emmy-winning performance on
Glee.
[31]
Discography
Cast recordings
Singles
Acting credits
Theater
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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 | The Paris Letter | 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 |
2011 | Company | Robert | New York Philharmonic Concert Version |
Theme parks
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2010–Present | California Screamin' | Victorian Carnival Character | safety spiels and launch countdown |
Awards
List of awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Result | Title |
1989 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated | Clara's Heart |
1989 | Golden Globe Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | Nominated | Clara's Heart |
1990 | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series | Won | Doogie Howser, M.D. |
1991 | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series | Won | Doogie Howser, M.D. |
1992 | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series | Won | Doogie Howser, M.D. |
1992 | Golden Globe Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical | Nominated | Doogie Howser, M.D. |
2007 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor: Comedy | Nominated | How I Met Your Mother |
2007 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | How I Met Your Mother |
2008 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Scene Stealing Star | Nominated | How I Met Your Mother |
2008 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | How I Met Your Mother |
2009 | Golden Globe Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated | How I Met Your Mother |
2009 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | How I Met Your Mother |
2009 | Bravo A-List Awards | A-List Male Actor | Won |
|
2009 | Streamy Awards | Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series | Won | Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog |
2010 | Golden Globe Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated | How I Met Your Mother |
2009–2010 | Golden Icon Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Television Series | Won | How I Met Your Mother |
2010 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | How I Met Your Mother |
2010 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | Glee |
2010 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Special Class Program | Won | 63rd Annual Tony Awards |
2010 | Spike Video Game Awards | Best Performance by a Human Male | Won | Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions |
2011 | People's Choice Awards | Favourite TV Comedy Actor | Won | How I Met Your Mother |
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