Neil Patrick Harris' Main TV Roles Show Character(s) How I Met Your Mother Barney Stin… Doogie Howser, M.D. Dr. Douglas… Spider-Man Spider-Man Peter Parker Stark Raving Mad Henry McNee… 100 Greatest Teen Stars Neil Patric… Capitol Critters Max The RuPaul Show Neil Patric…

Main Movie Roles 2010 - Beastly 2010 - Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore 2009 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2008 - Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay 2004 - Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle 2002 - Undercover Brother 2000 - The Next Best Thing 1998 - The Proposition 1997 - Starship Troopers 1995 - Animal Room

BIOGRAPHY:

Neil Patrick Harris was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 15, 1973. He grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a small town 120 miles south of Albuquerque, where he first took up acting in the fourth grade. While tagging along with Brian, his older brother by 3 years, Harris won the part of Toto in a school production of The Wizard of Oz (1939).

His parents, Ron (a lawyer) and Sheila (a writer), moved the family to Albuquerque in 1988, the same year that Harris made his film debut in two movies: Purple People Eater (1988) and Clara's Heart (1988), which starred Whoopi Goldberg. A year later, when Neil was 16, he landed the lead role in Steven Bochco's television series about a teen prodigy doctor at a local hospital, "Doogie Howser, M.D." (1989), which launched Harris into teen-heartthrob status. The series lasted1989-1993 and earned him a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Series (1990) and a Golden Globe Nomination (1990). Harris attended the same high school as Freddie Prinze Jr., La Cueva High School in Albuquerque. Neil acted on stage in a few plays while there, one of which was his senior play, Fiddler on the Roof (1971), in which he portrayed Lazar Wolf the butcher (1991).

When "Doogie Howser, M.D." stopped production in 1993, Harris took up stage acting, which he had always wanted to do. After a string of made-for-television movies, Harris acted in his first big screen roles in nine years, Starship Troopers (1997) with Casper Van Dien and then The Proposition (1998). In July 1997, Harris accepted the role of Mark Cohen for the Los Angeles production of the beloved musical, Rent (2005). His performance in "Rent" garnered him a Drama-League Award in 1997. He continued in the musical, to rave reviews, until January 1998. He later reprised the role for six nights in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in December 1998.

In 1999, Harris returned to television in the short-lived sitcom "Stark Raving Mad" (1999), with Tony Shalhoub. He was also in the big-screen projects The Next Best Thing (2000) and Undercover Brother (2002), and he can be heard as the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the newest animated "Spider-Man" (2003) series. Harris has continued his stage work, making his Broadway debut in 2001 in "Proof." He has also appeared on stage in "Romeo and Juliet," "Cabaret," Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert (2001) (TV), and, most recently, "Assassins." In 2005, Harris returned to the small screen in a guest-starring role on "Numb3rs" (2005) and a starring role in the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005). Neil played the title role in the web-exclusive musical comedy "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" (2008), widely downloaded via iTunes to become the #1 TV series for five straight weeks, despite not actually being on television.


TRIVIA:

• According to an oral history of _"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" (2008)_ (qv) published in July 2008 in Entertainment Weekly, he auditioned to play the doctor role on _"Firefly" (2002)_ (qv) that was eventually filled by 'Sean Maher (I)' (qv).
• Harris's closest friends include his companion 'David Burtka' (qv), 'Amy Acker' (qv), Lori and 'Lex Medlin' (qv), 'Becky Baeling' (qv), and 'Brandon Boyce' (qv).
• Is an avid Les Miserables fan, and performed the song "The Confrontation" with his co-star 'Jason Segel' (qv) (both of _"How I Met Your Mother" (2005)_ (qv) fame) live on _"The Megan Mullally Show" (2006)_ (qv). He performed the role of Javert, to wild cheers from the audience.
• Based on his Los Angeles stage performance in the musical Rent, he was attached to play Mark Cohen in a television mini series based on the Broadway musical, with 'Wilson Cruz' (qv) as Angel, 'Rikki Lee Travolta' (qv) as Roger Davis, and singer 'Shakira (I)' (qv) as Mimi, but the rights were pulled in order for 'Chris Columbus' (qv) to make a film adaptation using much of the original Broadway cast including 'Anthony Rapp' (qv) in the role of Mark.
• He was the "Not My Job" guest on the April 5, 2008, episode of the National Public Radio quiz show "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!".
• Both of his parents are lawyers.
• Has sung since he was a child. His father played the folk guitar and together they entertained.
• Enjoys Red Bull so much on and off the set of _"How I Met Your Mother" (2005)_ (qv) that he was given a lifetime supply of it and a mini-refrigerator by the company that makes the drink because of the amount of free advertising he has given it.