Neil Patrick Harris Biography

Actor. Born June 15, 1973 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The son of attorneys, Harris grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, where he got his start in acting as Toto in a grade school production of The Wizard of Oz. He appeared in several plays and musicals while attending La Cueva High School.

In 1988 at age 15, Neil Patrick Harris won a Golden Globe nomination for his performance opposite Whoopi Goldberg in the drama Clara's Heart. The following year, he landed the leading role as a teenage surgeon on ABC's Doogie Howser, M.D. The show was a hit, and for several years Harris was synonymous with his small-screen persona. He was nominated again for a Golden Globe for his work on the show, which ran for four seasons.

For the next several years, Neil Patrick Harris continued to stay busy, though his projects failed to reach the same success as Doogie Howser, M.D. He appeared in supporting roles on the big screen in such films as Starship Troopers, The Next Best Thing and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. He also starred as a neurotic editor opposite Tony Shalhoub in the NBC sitcom Stark Raving Mad. Harris also appeared on Broadway in Proof, Assassins and Rent, as well as a critically acclaimed performance as the host in Cabaret.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Neil Patrick Harris earned acclaim for several made-for-TV movies, including My Antonia, Joan of Arc and The Christmas Blessing. He landed another sitcom success in 2005 with his role as the womanizing Barney Stinson in CBS's How I Met Your Mother.

In 2006, following media speculation about his sexual orientation, Neil Patrick Harris made a public statement in People magazine: "I am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest." He is dating Broadway actor David Burtka.

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