Actors Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka got married

Neil Patrick Harris is an actor, singer, showman and magician from the United States. The role of Barney Stinson in the television sitcom How I Met Your Mother brought him real success.

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vagueonthehow/

Interesting facts from Neil's biography, career and personal life.

Neil Patrick Harris's career

The beginning of a creative journey

The young actor made his debut in the films “The Purple Ogre” (1988) and “The Heart of Clara”; at that time he was fifteen. His debut nomination for the Globe was a success.

He was later offered a role in Steven Bochco's television series Doogie Howser.

In 1997, the well-known action film Starship Troopers saw the light of day, in which Neil played one of the key roles. Unfortunately, although the film was nominated for an Oscar for its excellent graphic effects, it was a complete failure at the box office.

Theater successes

Subsequently, the artist decided to express himself on the theater stage and played many roles: he participated in the productions of “The Killers,” “Cabaret” and “Sweeney Todd.” Merits on stage brought Harris three Tony Awards, which was his first major achievement.

Working on films and cartoons

In 2011, Neil voiced a key role in the comedy The Smurfs. The cartoon was quite successful at the box office, which is why, after the premiere, a sequel was announced, which was released on big screens in 2013.

He also participated in dubbing for animated series. It is worth mentioning separately such as: “Penguins of Madagascar”, “The Legend of Tarzan” and “Justice League”.

Cameo

Actors rarely play themselves in films, however, during his acting career he managed to play a cameo three times, all within the framework of the series “Harold and Kumar”.

The unexpected success of How I Met Your Mother

The sitcom, which to a certain extent adopted the style of the well-known “Friends,” was presented to the public in 2005. The character of Neil Harris in this series was Barney Stinson, a womanizer who often deceives girls.

To film How I Met Your Mother, Neil's family had to move to Los Angeles, but they did not dare to sell their house in New York. The actor believed that the show was doomed to failure and would soon have to return home.

However, despite Harris' pessimistic sentiments, the series became a hit, received many awards and fans, and lasted for nine seasons, which is why his and David's temporary move dragged on for ten years. The couple returned to Harlem only after the show ended. Later, however, the arrival of twins forced them to look for a new place to live, and after considering many options, they decided not to leave Harlem, moving to another nineteenth-century house.

It is also interesting that, like the main character of the series “How I Met Your Mother,” Neil is a good magician and even holds the post of president of the Los Angeles club The Magic Castle. By the way, he has several awards for this activity.

Despite the established tradition in the sitcom genre, due to the huge number of plot transitions and flashbacks, the show How I Met Your Mother decided not to film in front of a live audience. The off-screen laughter was recorded with the help of live viewers as they watched the finished final version of the episode. Five years after the premiere, the actor was awarded an Emmy for this work.

Role in the film “Gone Girl”

David Fincher's film Gone Girl (2014) tells the story of the tragedy of a married couple played by Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. But Harris played a small role as the main character's ex-boyfriend.

American Horror Story

In 2014, he played the role of Chester Crab in one of the episodes of the series “American Horror Story”. As in some other projects, Neil played the role of a magician.

Series “Lemony Snicket: 33 Misfortunes”

Since 2020, he has participated in the filming of the series “Lemony Snicket: The 33 Misfortunes,” where he played one of the main roles – the villain Count Olaf. The series develops the story of the film of the same name starring Jim Carrey.

On January 1, 2020, the last season of the series was shown.

Biography

Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor. He is best known for his title role in the TV series Doogie Howser, MD, his role as Barney Stinson in the comedy show How I Met Your Mother, and his role in the series Harold and Kumar' and the title role in the network musical 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog'.

Neil Patrick Harris photography

Harris was born in Albuquerque and grew up in Ruidoso.
His parents, Sheila and Ron, owned the restaurant. Neil became interested in acting thanks to his older brother Brian; Together with him, he went to audition for the school theater troupe - and received the role of Toto in the school production of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Throughout his studies at school, the boy actively took part in the activities of the school drama club; He graduated from school with honors in 1991. Advertisement:
Harris became a professional actor even before graduating from school; At a theater camp in La Cruces, he attracted the attention of playwright Mark Medoff. It was Mark who invited Harris to the film 'Clara's Heart' with Whoopi Goldberg; This role brought the guy his first Golden Globe nomination. Also in 1988, Neil played in the children's film 'Purple People Eater'.

Neil Patrick Harris photography

A year later, Harris received a leading role in the project 'Dr. Doogie Howser'; For this role he was again nominated for a Golden Globe. The series aired for four years; After its graduation, Neil spent some time playing supporting roles in various TV series - in particular, in Murder She Wrote. In 1995, the actor played his first adult role in the little-known film Animal Room. A number of supporting roles followed; Harris played in 'The Next Best Thing', 'Undercover Brother' and 'Starship Troopers'.

From 1999 to 2000, Harris played one of the main roles in the comedy series 'Stark Raving Mad'. Around the same time, he became more or less famous on Broadway - in 2001, Neil played Tobias Wragg in 'Sweeney Todd', in 2002 he worked with Anne Heche in 'Proof', in 2003 he embodied the image of MC in 'Cabaret'. It was the latter role that attracted considerable press attention to him. In 2004, Harris got a double role - Balladeer and Lee Harvey Oswald in the rather scandalous Broadway project 'Assassins' ('Assassins') by Stephen Sondheim. After some time, he was invited to the musical 'RENT', playing the role of Mark Cohen; again, the actor coped with the role simply brilliantly and again made people talk about himself.

Neil Patrick Harris photography

Since the fall of 2005, Neil has played the role of Barney Stinson in the CBS comedy series How I Met Your Mother; Stinson's portrayal is somewhat a reference to his earlier roles in the Harold and Kumar film series. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Harris was nominated for an Emmy as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Stinson.

In 2008, Harris, along with Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, played in Joss Whedon's online music project 'The Musical Diary of Doctor Terror'.

Neil Patrick Harris photography

On June 7, 2009, the actor hosted the sixty-third Tony Awards; On September 20, he also became the host of the sixty-first Emmy Awards ceremony (prime time category). On March 7, 2010, Harris played in the opening musical number of the Oscar ceremony.

Best of the day

In November 2006, after the affair between Harris and actor David Burtka became known, Neil officially announced his homosexuality. At the moment, he does not hide his orientation, but does not focus much attention on it. It is known that Burtka and Harris have been together since April 2004.

Neil Patrick Harris photography

Neil is known to be fond of magic tricks; this, in particular, was played out in the image of the already mentioned Barney Stinson.

Best weeks

Personal life of Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka

Harris is homosexual, a fact he personally confirmed with a public statement back in 2006. When this became possible, he entered into an official marriage with an actor and chef named David Burtka.

Their relationship began back in 2004, but was kept under wraps until the 2007 Emmy Awards, which they attended together. The couple has twin children who were born by a surrogate mother at the end of 2010, they received the names Gideon and Harper.

In 2011, a law legalizing homosexual marriage was approved in the United States. Bartka and Harris told the public that they had been engaged for several years and scheduled an engagement, saying that they had been waiting for the moment of legalization for a long time. Three years later they got married in Italy.

The celebration, where Elton John performed, was hosted by director Pamela Fryman.

By the way, now Harris and Bartka collect modern paintings, having a considerable collection in their house. However, much more space and attention of the owners are occupied by all kinds of circus objects and props for tricks, which Nill is fond of.

Original Halloween costumes

Despite the unconventionality of Neil's own family, they honor American traditions - on Halloween, the whole family dresses in costumes of the same theme. They were already characters from “Peter Pan”, “Land of OZ”, “Alice in Wonderland”, the “Star Wars” universe, Frankenstein and Dracula, residents of Gotham and others.

A small selection of their family Halloween photos.

Patti Lupone wasn't having it.

During the company's 2011 production, the relationship between Neil Patrick Harris and co-star Patti LuPone allegedly took a snarly turn (via Gay Star News). Harris got the lead role of Bobby, but he was so caught up in How I Met Your Mother that he didn't have time to learn his lines in time for the first rehearsal.

Lupone reportedly watched Harris fiddle around in a scene with Jennifer Laura Thompson and Jon Cryer, who were already off the book. Then, she told Cryer and Thompson, “You guys are incredibly funny. She then turned to Harris and addressed him with her coldest glare: “You’re getting there,” she allegedly said as she walked meaningfully.

Harris allegedly lost it and stewed in silent confusion for an hour. When LuPone finally asked Harris what had him so upset, he lashed out at her: "I'm failing at every turn, and you're telling everyone else they're amazing, and you're saying, 'I'll get there!'" It's not doing any good. ! This isn't funny at all!" Well, Lupone wasn't going to let him get away with that particularly plaintive, "Oh, no, that's on you," she allegedly snapped. "Don't put this on me, it's your business, you..." what followed, according to Harris, was "a colorful variety of Anglo-Saxon words." With that, LuPone grabbed her script and stormed the stage.

Other interesting facts

Came on stage at the Oscars wearing only underpants

At the 2020 Oscars, Neil decided to go on stage in his underwear, parodying the run through Times Square from Birdman. Most spectators disapproved of this trick.

Later, after an unsuccessful experience as the host of the Oscar ceremony, the actor decided to refuse further participation in it, having received a lot of criticism of his jokes and behavior.

Instagram and social networks

The actor actively maintains accounts on several social networks at once: Instagram (8 million subscribers), Twitter (27 million) and Facebook (2.9 million).

Looks like Christopher Masterson

Actor Christopher Masterson looks like Neil, which is noted on several sites specializing in finding doubles.

Masterson himself is known for his key roles in the series “Malcolm in the Middle,” as well as the films “Wuthering Heights” and “Scary Movie 2.”

Charity

Neil regularly donates to a variety of charities. His page on the English-language Wikipedia lists dozens of foundations that have received money from the actor at least once.

Writes books

If you look at the list of films and TV series that Neil has been involved in recently, it may seem that he is working very little. In fact, he simultaneously studies music and even writes books.

His autobiography spent two weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Also in November 2020, he released the novel for adults “The Magic Misfits,” which became the first book in a series of similar ones.

Movies

Soon fate presented him with an unexpected gift. The influential playwright Mark Medoff drew attention to the young talent and recommended him for the role of David in the film “The Heart of Clara” with Whoopi Goldberg. This work brought the aspiring actor the love and recognition of the audience, as well as a Golden Globe nomination. Neil's next bright appearance on the screen was the role of a young doctor-prodigy in the TV series "Dr. Doogie Howser", for which he was again included in the list of nominees for the prestigious statuette.

Neil Patrick Harris early in his career

After graduating from school with honors, Neil plunged headlong into creativity. He starred in films and TV series, was involved in major television projects, voiced animated films, and even managed to try his hand at Broadway.

In 1997, the actor starred in Paul Verhoeven's fantasy action film Starship Troopers, where he played a friend of the main character. The film did not live up to the hopes of its creators and failed at the box office, but was nominated for an Oscar for its stunning special effects. This failure cooled Neil's interest in cinema a little, and he decided to devote more time to the theater. Over the course of several years, his track record included many striking dramatic roles in various theatrical productions, for which he was awarded the prestigious Tony Award three times.

Neil Patrick Harris in the movie Starship Troopers

In 2005, the actor received the role of ladies' man and womanizer Barney Stevens in the TV series How I Met Your Mother, which became perhaps the most successful in his film career and brought Neil worldwide fame. The series became equal in popularity to the famous “Friends” and aroused enormous interest among various segments of the American audience. Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Britney Spears and many other world-famous stars were happy to appear in it for a symbolic fee.

For nine whole seasons, Neil basked in the rays of fame and audience love, and was also able to thoroughly improve his financial situation. For each episode with his participation, the actor received more than 100 thousand dollars. This work brought Harris a well-deserved Emmy statuette, a Tony Award and another nomination for the Golden Globe, and his name is now on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother

Neil successfully combined filming in the series with work on other projects. His participation in the fairy-tale comedy “The Smurfs”, in which Neil got the main role, is noteworthy. The film was a great success at the box office, which immediately inspired the producers to create a second part.

It is worth noting Harris’s participation in the filming of the cult film of overseas youth “American Pie”, where he again met on the set with his “Mom” partner Alyson Hannigan, as well as his work in the film “Harold and Kumar Go Away”, where he played himself.

Neil Patrick Harris in the movie "The Smurfs"

It’s impossible to ignore Neil’s presence in David Fincher’s detective thriller Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck. Harris himself considers his participation in this film, where he played a devoted fan of the main character, incredibly lucky. The actor considered it a great honor to meet the famous director, and the film’s script delighted him.

Neil Patrick Harris and Sting

At the beginning of 2020, the premiere of the new series “Lemony Snickett: 33 Misfortunes” based on the fairy tales of the famous American writer Daniel Handler took place. Viewers did not immediately recognize the handsome Neil in Count Olaf, who in everyday life is often compared to the young Sting. In the previous film adaptation, this role was played by Jim Carrey, but now the creators have changed the concept and relied on Harris. And they were not mistaken. Unusual makeup, black humor and Neil's ability to ventriloquize gave the count's image the necessary darkness and mystical flair, causing an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.

It is worth mentioning Neil Harris's passion for magic and magic tricks. This talent came in handy on the set of the actor more than once; his character in “Mama” was also a magician. Neil can ventriloquize, which makes his voice indispensable when dubbing cartoons. For his successes as an illusionist, the actor was awarded several prestigious awards.

Neil Patrick Harris at the 2015 Oscars

In recent years, Neil has established himself as a successful showman and presenter. In 2020, during the Oscar ceremony, he shocked the audience by appearing on stage in only his underpants. According to Harris, in this way he wanted to parody a scene from the film “Birdman” with the participation of Michael Keaton, but not everyone present could appreciate his humor.

Questions and answers

Is Neil Patrick Harris gay?

Neil announced his gay orientation back in 2006. Since 2004, he dated actor David Burtka, and the couple got married in 2014.

What did you become famous for?

His first notable role on television came on the series “Dr. Doogie Howser.” World fame came to him after playing the role of Barney Stinson in the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.”

Why did you go to the Oscars in just shorts?

It was a parody of the film “Birdman”, which Neil presented to the public. The audience did not appreciate the joke.

How rich is Neil Patrick Harris?

According to media reports, his fortune is estimated at $40 million.

Kevin Smith accused him of "incomprehensible ignorance"

Back in 2008, Neil Patrick Harris managed to raise the ire of film director Kevin Smith by going after his Jay and Silent Bob co-star Jason Mewes. When promoting Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Harris suggested Mewes as a non-actor, saying yes, the cool news is that he was basically just a "pumped up good-for-nothing guy."

Needless to say, Smith didn't appreciate the feeling even a little, but it took him two years to finally talk about his feelings. "Why say something like that?" he later wrote (via Moveline.) "The dude basically said Mewes isn't an actor. Wow...that's a snobbish, reductive diss." Accusing Harris of displaying "bewildering ignorance," Smith added that "it's a narrow-minded, ignorantly reductive sentiment."

Harris apparently agreed with the general sentiment, as he later apologized to Smith, tweeting: "Didn't realize my words caused upset. … Ignorance on my part.”

Quick Facts

22. I would like to work with JJ Abrams in the future. 23. If I took acting lessons from anyone, it would be from Anthony Hopkins. 24. In his house there is the same table from the McLarens bar. 25. Favorite episode of How I Met Your Mother is “Girls or Suits.” 26. He considers “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” to be the best film.

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