Neil Patrick Harris has long been a household name. From his debut as a child actor, to his recent ventures into the world of business and authorship, the middle-aged star has already established a reputable legacy. Here is a full outline of the career evolution and personal history of Neil Patrick Harris.
Early Life and Childhood Roles
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1973, Neil Patrick Harris quickly emerged as one of the rising stars of child acting in the 80s. A talent for incredibly diverse and successful careers, such as the one that Harris now enjoys, seems to run in the family. His own parents were not only successful lawyers, but also the owners and operators of a local restaurant. The youngest of two sons, Harris developed a passion for acting early on, one that his parents made sure to nurture and encourage. By the age of fifteen, he was set to star in the film Clara’s Heart with Whoopi Goldberg— a role that would earn him a Golden Globe nomination. This kicked off a procession of notable projects for him, with Harris starring in Purple People Eater later that same year. The decade of rapid rise at the very onset of his career culminated with what is perhaps one of his most prominent roles as the titular character in Doogie Howser, M.D. His performance on this program likewise earned him another Golden Globe, with the venture marking his first entry into the world of television, a medium he would continue to work in throughout his career.
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Harris credits his time as Doogie Howser as an educational experience for him; a hands-on and recurring lesson on television sets and acting. The experience also marked a rather pivotal career decision. Until he began work on the aforementioned series, Harris’ parents had little interest in their son becoming a television star. One thing was to have him star in films, for which he would be away for a given amount of time, but could then return to his home base of Albuquerque. Committing to the lengthy production schedules of a television program would require the young actor, and thus his family, to be based out of Los Angeles permanently. In the end, and despite their hesitation, Harris’ parents made the decision to uproot their lives and livelihoods in pursuit of their son’s promising future. The risk paid off, with the role becoming an iconic career highlight for the star.
Neil Patrick Harris, however, was not immune to the issue that plagues many child actors. Having established esteem in the acting world by playing wholesome and family-friendly characters, Harris struggled for a brief period to break into roles that would have him portraying more mature and complex characters. This relatively brief, but nonetheless challenging transitional period was relieved with his recurring roles in the Harold and Kumar franchise, in which Harris decidedly ditched the image of an innocent child star. Harris played a version of himself that was a recreational drug-enthusiast and strip club aficionado, effectively shirking his innocent and somewhat infantilized image.
Expansion Across Film, TV, and Stage
As covered in the previous section, Neil Patrick Harris has enjoyed acting roles across various platforms. Along with television and film, Harris has also expressed a deep love of the theater. Having started his career on stage with amateur productions, Harris graced the stage professionally for the first time as Tobias Ragg in the 2011 production of Sweeney Todd. The early 2000s became a time for massive career expansion in the world of theater, the venture into which coincided with the temporary lull in his career as he struggled to break away from childish roles. Harris’ involvement on the stage, and on Broadway particularly, became a significant element of his career. After performing a notable opening music number at the 2010 Oscars, and previous experience hosting the Tony Awards, Harris became a prominent and recurring figure at the latter ceremony, serving four times as the program’s host.
Having established himself in the theater community, Harris then went on to direct his own production of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl. To many, his most iconic character was neither Doogie nor one of his stage portrayals, but rather as the memorable Barney Stinson in the CBS comedy, How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM). The hit show, which ran for nearly a decade, drew in vast audiences that continue to engage with the show years after it left the air. HIMYM was known for its intricate interloping of small details across its nine seasons, with fans continuing to find various “Easter eggs” in the episodes. The show has also received some extent of criticism, with the brunt of unfavorable character analysis being directed towards Harris’ Barney Stinson.
In the post “Me Too” world, it is unlikely that characters such as Barney would be well received, and cast members have yielded that they should have objected to some things in hindsight. Harris said of his character and a potential reprisal thereof in the spinoff series, How I Met Your Father, that he would only return if significant character improvements were made. Regardless, Barney Stinson remains a fan-favorite character.
Personal Life
Neil Patrick Harris was on track to be one of America’s sweethearts, as he stole hearts playing wholesome, likable characters. He took a significant step back from this with his roles in Harold and Kumar and subsequent role on How I Met Your Mother, but he remained a well-respected figure — this transition just served to prime him for more mature roles. His reputation had the potential to become derailed, however, with the 2000s not yet being a fully favorable climate for gay individuals to live their lives out loud. Not too long before Harris came out, in the mid-90s, Ellen DeGeneres faced the cancellation of her TV show following her coming out.
Nonetheless, Harris helped to pioneer the rise in openness resulting from the gay rights movement of the 2000s, announcing his sexual orientation in 2006. The trepidation necessary to make such an announcement in 2006 may seem strange to a young reader, who has grown accustomed to a rather accepting and liberal Hollywood culture, but the recent decade has only become so accepting on account of individuals such as Harris, who stood up for their truth during a pivotal time of societal change. Harris is now happily married to fellow actor David Burtka, with whom he shares twins.
Current Updates and Career Trajectory
Neil Patrick Harris’ career continues to rise and evolve. On the heels of the successful run of HIMYM, Harris shifted to a more serious tone with his role as Desi Collings in the psychological drama, Gone Girl. He went on to also star as Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events, a role that showcased his acting chops as he transformed into an unrecognizable version of himself to play this villain. He has also dabbled into the world of literature, releasing an auto-biography which charted on the New York Times Bestseller List, and later a fictional novel he intends to release further installments for. He has even released his very own card game, a fitting venture considering his passion for card tricks– a personality trait that was woven into the character of Barney Stinson. Most recently, Harris portrayed a newly single Manhattan man in the Netflix series Uncoupled. He also appeared in the fourth installment to the Matrix franchise.
