ACTOR · BORN 1973
Neil Patrick Harris
- Born
- 15 June 1973, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
- Known for
- Gone Girl (2014), The Simpsons (1989), The Matrix Resurrections (2021), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
35 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
All facts (35)
- #001
On and off the set of How I Met Your Mother (2005), Neil Patrick Harris enjoyed Red Bull so much that the company that produces the drink gave him a mini fridge for life for the amount of free advertising he provided.
- #002
Neil Patrick Harris has been singing since childhood; his father played folk guitar and they had fun together.
- #003
Actors who typically play themselves in a film are listed in the credits as "as Himself." Because of the exaggerated and bizarre nature of his role in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), Neil Patrick Harris requested that his credit read "Neil Patrick Harris" rather than "as Himself." This was to make clear that he was playing a fictional character that was in no way a real representation of himself.
- #004
Neil Patrick Harris is an amateur magician who once performed on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.
- #005
A lifelong comic book fan, Neil Patrick Harris has voiced famous characters such as The Flash, Nightwing and Spider-Man (both in series and in video games).
- #006
In 2011, Harris and Burtka told People magazine that each of them is the biological father of one of their twins. Harris said: "We found an anonymous egg donor through a funny process of looking at people's profiles, and then we found an amazing surrogate who had helped a gay couple before. Then we put in two eggs, one with my sperm and one with David's sperm, and both took." Burtka added: "We don't know who's whose."
- #007
Neil Patrick Harris is a big fan of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (1988) and has stated that he did not miss an episode during the production of Doogie Howser, M. D. (1989).
- #008
Neil Patrick Harris's favorite film is Sir Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954).
- #009
When he first got his SAG card, another actor named Neil Harris was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild, so Neil Patrick Harris uses all three names. On NPR's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross," Harris said he uses all three names because it is "far more theatrical," and joked that he and his parents had considered names like "Neil Danger Harris" or "Neil Patrick Rocket."
- #010
On October 12, 2010, he and David Burtka's twins, son Gideon Scott and daughter Harper Grace, were born via a surrogate.
- #011
Neil Patrick Harris had a relationship with Christine Taylor (1997-1998).
- #012
In the same awards season, Neil Patrick Harris hosted the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards (2009) and the 63rd Annual Tony Awards (2009), presented an award at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2010), and performed the opening number at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards (2010).
- #013
Neil Patrick Harris told Howard Stern that he had cosmetic surgery to pin his ears back so they would not stick out as they did in his teens.
- #014
A passionate Les Miserables fan, Neil Patrick Harris performed "The Confrontation" live on The Megan Mullally Show (2006) with his co-star Jason Segel (both of How I Met Your Mother (2005) fame). He took on the role of Javert amid wild cheers from the audience.
- #015
Neil Patrick Harris has been in a committed relationship with his partner, stage and screen actor David Burtka, since 2004.
- #016
On September 15, 2011, Neil Patrick Harris was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6243 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- #017
Neil Patrick Harris attended the same high school as Freddie Prinze Jr.
- #018
Neil Patrick Harris's parents have a restaurant called "Perreniel's" in Albuquerque. His brother currently runs the restaurant.
- #019
In 2010, Time magazine named Neil Patrick Harris one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Joss Whedon wrote the short article about Harris for that issue.
- #020
Neil Patrick Harris performed magic tricks on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), Late Show with David Letterman (1993), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992), The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005).
- #021
According to the oral history of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) published in Entertainment Weekly in July 2008, Neil Patrick Harris auditioned for the role of the doctor on Firefly (2002), a role that ultimately went to Sean Maher.
- #022
Neil Patrick Harris received the 2009 Trevor Life Award, which each year honors "a person who inspires Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Questioning youth through their example, support, volunteerism and/or profession." The award is given by The Trevor Project, a national crisis and suicide prevention organization that helps LGBTQ youth facing family rejection or considering suicide. The following year he was elected to The Trevor Project's Board of Directors.
- #023
Both of Neil Patrick Harris's parents are lawyers.
- #024
In June 2013, The New York Times reported that Neil Patrick Harris would star in the first Broadway production of John Cameron Mitchell's rock musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," planned for spring 2014.
- #025
Neil Patrick Harris and his partner David Burtka have two children, Gideon Scott and Harper Grace, born on October 12, 2010.
- #026
Neil Patrick Harris won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his leading performance in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at the Belasco Theatre.
- #027
After being impressed by the podcast's year-long "Neil Patrick Harris Project," Neil Patrick Harris agreed to become the announcer for the CoasterRadio.com podcast.
- #028
Based on his Los Angeles stage performance in the musical "Rent," Neil Patrick Harris was cast as Mark Cohen in a television miniseries based on the Broadway musical, which was to feature Wilson Cruz as Angel, Rikki Lee Travolta as Roger Davis and singer Shakira as Mimi, but the rights were withdrawn so that Chris Columbus could make a film adaptation using most of the original Broadway cast, including Anthony Rapp as Mark.
- #029
Within one year, Neil Patrick Harris hosted the 7th Annual TV Land Awards (2009), the 63rd Annual Tony Awards (2009) and the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards (2009). Each of the three ceremonies featured him singing an event-related song written for him by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
- #030
Neil Patrick Harris was honored with the 1997 Drama Logue Performance Award for his performance in "Rent" in the Center Theatre Group production at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- #031
Neil Patrick Harris was honored with the 1997 Back Stage Garland Award for his performance in "Rent" in the Center Theatre Group production at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- #032
Neil Patrick Harris is friends with Kal Penn, Alyson Hannigan and Dame Angela Lansbury.
- #033
In 2004, before their days on How I Met Your Mother (2005), Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor appeared fully nude on stage together in Jon Robin Baitz's play The Paris Letter, playing lovers.
- #034
Neil Patrick Harris's closest friends include his partner David Burtka, Amy Acker, Lori and Lex Medlin, Becky Baeling Lythgoe and Brandon Boyce.
- #035
Neil Patrick Harris is of English, German and Scottish descent.
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