Neill Patrick Harris is a multi-talented American personality, born on June 15, 1973, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He spent his childhood in Ruidoso, New Mexico, where he was raised by his parents, Sheila Gail and Ronald Gene Harris, who were both lawyers and restaurant owners. Neil graduated with high honors from La Cueva High School in 1991.
Harris is known for his work as an actor, producer, director, magician, comedian, and singer. He gained fame as a child star for playing the title character in the television series Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-1993). Neil's career continued to flourish, and he became a household name for his role as Barney Stinson in the comedy series How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014), for which he received four Emmy nominations. Neil's other acting credits include 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). He has also appeared in several films, including Starship Troopers (1997), Beastly (2011), The Smurfs (2011), The Smurfs 2 (2013), and Gone Girl (2014).
Neil has received recognition for his work in the entertainment industry, including being named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2010. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2011. Neil has hosted several prestigious events, including the Tony Awards on Broadway in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013, for which he won several special class Emmy Awards. He also hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009 and 2013 and the 87th Academy Awards in 2015, making him the first openly gay man to host the Academy Awards. In 2014, Neil starred as the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway, for which he won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.