Line #65 Creator/NeilPatrickHarris


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/HaroldAndKumarEscapeFromGuantanamoBay https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nph_3926.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:'''[[Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle Kumar]]''': Where will you go now?\
3	'''Neil Patrick Harris''': ...[[MissionFromGod wherever God takes me.]]]]
4
5	->''"Neil Patrick Harris won an Emmy for his one-episode stint as an embittered former Series/{{glee}} rival of Will's; something I didn't even know you could win an Emmy for but I guess when you are Neil Patrick Harris all things are possible."''
6	-->-- '''WebVideo/TheIdiotsLantern'''
7
8	Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973 in UsefulNotes/{{Albuquerque}}, UsefulNotes/NewMexico), occasionally nicknamed [=NPH=], got his first big break as the title character of ''Series/DoogieHowserMD'' when he was a teenager. He managed to establish himself in theater (''Theatre/{{Rent}}'', Toby in ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'') after that, as well as taking roles in films such as ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' and ''Film/UndercoverBrother''. He took his career to the big screen again in 2004, playing... [[AsHimself Neil Patrick Harris]], a crude {{Jerkass}} womanizer in ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle'' (pretty much an up to eleven version of the FormerChildStar stereotype). He then went on to play the part of the womanizing Barney Stinson in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. Shortly afterwards, he came out as gay, and proceeded to play a singing shoe fairy in a ''Series/SesameStreet'' cameo.
9
10	Of course, in Internet circles, he's probably most famous for his leading role in ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog''. He later used his musical talent to play TheMusicMeister in the MusicalEpisode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' and plays ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'', and again used his musical talent as Doctor Blowhole in ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar''. He worked alongside Mike Nelson on the Podcast/RiffTrax of ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory''. An episode of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' featured him as Prince Gumball, the {{gender flip}}ped version of Princess Bubblegum. He's done some voice acting, lending his voice to ComicBook/SpiderMan in both [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries the 2003 series]] and Amazing Spider-Man in ''VideoGame/SpiderManShatteredDimensions''. He is currently president of the Academy of Magical Arts (the famous "Magic Castle" in Hollywood, California). He is also the star of new ''Series/{{Nerdist}}'' web show, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl4T6p7km9dbx0o8J35KjWAwaiEo5tV7G Neil's Puppet Dreams.]]'' For the 2015 TV season, he's hosting an American adaptation of [[Creator/AntAndDec Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway]], called ''Best Time Ever'' on Creator/{{NBC}}.
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12	On August 21, 2010 he won his first Emmy awards thanks to his stellar guest appearance on ''Series/{{Glee}}'' and awesome hosting of last year's Tony Awards. After four years hosting the Tony's, on June 8, 2014 Neil took it up to eleven by [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome winning the Best Actor in a Musical Tony]] for his performance in the title role of a genderqueer glam-rock goddess in ''Theatre/HedwigAndTheAngryInch''. He hosted the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscars]] in 2015 and promptly declared, afterwards, that it would be his only time.
13
14	NPH has been in a relationship with Creator/DavidBurtka since 2004. In January 2010 he was voted "Gay Man of the Decade" after [[MundaneMadeAwesome a fierce Twitter war]] against Creator/JohnBarrowman. It was once said of NPH that "Neil Patrick Harris is so manly, only another man could possibly satisfy him." And in the fall of 2010, Neil and David became daddies to twins.
15
16	Played Count Olaf in ''A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)'' and the Toymaker in ''Doctor Who'' and was '''''utterly fucking terrifying.'''''
17
18	Not to be confused with Christopher Masterson (the actor who played older brother Francis on ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle''), who [[http://totallylookslike.icanhascheezburger.com/2010/08/20/christopher-masterson-neil-patrick-harris/ looks very similar to him.]]
19
20	!Some roles Neil has played include:
21
22	* ''Series/DoogieHowserMD'' (1989-1993): Doogie Howser
23	* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'' (1992): Todd Andrews (You may know him better as the victim from the AIDS episode)
24	* ''WesternAnimation/CapitolCritters'' (1992): Max
25	* ''Film/AnimalRoom'' (1995): Arnold Mosk
26	* ''Theatre/{{Rent}}'' (1997): Mark Cohen
27	* ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' (1997): Carl Jenkins
28	* ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' (1997): Alan Schack
29	* ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' (1998): Romeo Montague
30	* ''Series/StarkRavingMad'' (1999-2000): Henry [=McNeeley=]
31	* ''The Next Best Thing'' (2000) as David
32	* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' (2001): Toby
33	* ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' (2001): Johnny Morrow
34	* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' (2002): Ray Thompson
35	* ''Film/UndercoverBrother'' (2002): [[TokenWhite Lance]]
36	* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries'' (2003): Spider-Man
37	* ''Theatre/{{Assassins}}'' (2004): The Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald
38	* ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle'' (2004): [[AsHimself Neil Patrick Harris]]
39	* ''Series/Numb3rs'' (2005): Ethan Burdick
40	* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' (2005-2014): [[Characters/HowIMetYourMotherBarneyStinson Barney Stinson]]
41	* ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' (2008): Billy/Dr. Horrible
42	* ''[[ComicBook/DCTheNewFrontier Justice League: The New Frontier]]'' (2008): [[ComicBook/TheFlash Barry Allen]]
43	* ''Series/SesameStreet'' (2008): The Fairy Shoeperson
44	* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' (2008) and ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' (2013): DJ Veteran Child
45	* ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'' 1 and 2 (2008-2013): Steve
46	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' (2009): TheMusicMeister
47	* ''VideoGame/EatLeadTheReturnOfMattHazard'' (2009): Wallace "Wally" Wellesley
48	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'' (2010): ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}
49	* ''VideoGame/SpiderManShatteredDimensions'' (2010): Amazing ComicBook/SpiderMan
50	* ''Series/{{Glee}}'' (2010): Bryan Ryan
51	* ''California Screamin' at Paradise Pier in [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney California Adventure]]'' (2010-2017): PA/Safety announcer
52	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' (2010-2015): Dr. Blowhole
53	* ''WesternAnimation/TakeTwoWithPhineasAndFerb'' (2011): Himself
54	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' (2011-2013): [[SpearCounterpart Prince Gumball]]
55	* ''Film/TheSmurfs'' 1 and 2 (2011-2013): Patrick Winslow
56	* ''WebVideo/NeilsPuppetDreams'' (2012-2013): Himself
57	* ''Literature/GoneGirl'' (2014): Desi Collings
58	* ''Theatre/HedwigAndTheAngryInch'' (2014): Hedwig
59	* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryFreakShow'' (2015): Chester Creb
60	* ''Series/{{A Series of Unfortunate Events\|2017}}'' (2017): Count Olaf
61	* ''Series/HomeMovieThePrincessBride'' (2020): Westley
62	* ''{{Series/Its A Sin}}'' (2021): Henry Coltrane
63	* ''Anime/StarWarsVisions: The Twins'' (2021): Karre
64	* ''Film/EightBitChristmas'' (2021): Jake Doyle (Adult)
65	* ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'' (2021): The Analyst
66	* ''Film/TheUnbearableWeightOfMassiveTalent'' (2022): Nicolas Cage's Agent
67	* ''Series/{{Uncoupled}}'' (2022): Michael Lawson
68	* ''Series/DoctorWho'' (2023): The Toymaker ("[[Recap/DoctorWho60thASTheGiggle The Giggle]]")
69	-----
70	!This actor provides examples of:
71
72	* AsHimself / AdamWesting:
73	** Spoofed in ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle'', where he's credited "Neil Patrick Harris as Neil Patrick Harris". He had himself credited like this so people wouldn't think the way he acts in the film is how he acts in real life.
74	** Also in ''Neil's Puppet Dreams''.
75	* CareerResurrection: Though he was never completely off the radar, [[TheNineties the period]] between Doogie and H&K were a pretty thin stretch for Neil outside of maybe ''Film/StarshipTroopers''. H&K alongside ''How I Met Your Mother'' made him a household name for the 2010s.
76	* TheCastShowOff:
77	** Directors are quick to notice his beautiful voice with impressive range.
78	** He's also a magician and has showed off his talents on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' and ''Series/{{Glee}}''.
79	** His guest appearance on ''Series/DoctorWho'' made use of his magic skills, dancing abilities, ''and'' had him use four different accents (German, French, American and English).
80	* ChewingTheScenery: He regularly plays LargeHam characters, and tends to do them up to eleven.
81	* CoveredInGunge: Happened to him, along with Creator/SandraBullock, at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2013 while presenting an award to Creator/KristenStewart.
82	* EvilIsHammy: His villain roles are... not subtle.
83	* ForeheadOfDoom: A minor example.
84	* FormerChildStar: Notably averted. And hilariously subverted in ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle''.
85	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Doing his Spider-Man bit behind Angela Lansbury and Ted Chapin at the 2012 Tony Awards, Harris [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F6LiV8lVan4 appears to get stuck.]]
86	-->'''Ted''': Thank you for your undivided attention!
87	* IconicOutfit: Thanks to [[Series/HowIMetYourMother Barney Stinson]], he became heavily associated with [[SharpDressedMan suits]].
88	* IronyAsSheIsCast: He is an openly gay actor most well-known for playing [[Series/HowIMetYourMother an impulsive]] [[Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle womanizer]], though notably he wasn't openly out until after he was cast. Prior to this, he's played HappilyMarried men with wives.
89	* PlayingAgainstType: He's played some unsavory types before, as well as the requisite LargeHam, but never a cartoonishly evil child-abuser like [[Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017 Count Olaf]], or the godlike and very evil [[Series/DoctorWho Toymaker]].
90	* PromotedFanboy: A life-long [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]] fan, he's on the Podcast/RiffTrax ([=MST3K=]'s online successor) for ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory''. In the 2017 relaunch of [=MST3K=], he plays Creator/FeliciaDay's long-distance love interest.
91	* SesameStreetCred: He was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDaszN9ByxM the Sesame Street Fairy Shoe Person.]]
92	** He's also [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxdPYMRSg5A&feature=relmfu friends with Elmo.]]
93	* ShakespeareanActors: An acclaimed theater actor, he played the titular Romeo in ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' during a 1998 event.
94	* SitcomArchNemesis: There is tension to be had whenever he and Creator/HughJackman share the stage and screen.
95	* TakeThat: A mild one to ''Film/LesMiserables2012'', specifically TheOner shot of Creator/AnneHathaway singing "I Dreamed A Dream":
96	-->''"You see, on Broadway we don't need extreme close-ups to prove we're singing live. We sing live eight shows a week! Check it!"''
97	* VillainSong: Has [[invoked]][[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic rocked]] quite a few, notably "[[WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog Slipping]]", "[[WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog Brand New Day]]", "[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold Drives Us Bats]]", [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold I'm The Music Meister]] "[[Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017 It’s The Count]]" and "[[WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar Brand New Plan]]". In his ''Doctor Who'' appearance as the returning villain the Toymaker, he lip-synchs and dances to Music/SpiceGirls' "Spice Up Your Life".
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Context Creator / NeilPatrickHarris