While most people recognize him as Barney Stinson on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, actor Neil Patrick Harris has many other talents. He is a skilled host, singer, and writer. Darren Star and Jeffrey Richman’s Uncoupled, a romantic comedy series, will premiere on Netflix on July 29 with Harris in the starring role. The eight-part series, directed by Andrew Fleming, will follow Harris’s character, Michael Lawson, a New York City real estate agent in his forties who is newly single after being abandoned by his boyfriend of 17 years.
Check out these lesser-known facts about The Matrix Resurrections actor Harris before you see him in Uncoupled, where he plays a middle-aged homosexual guy who is suddenly forced to start over and explore the dating scene.
Here are 5 Facts about Neil Patrick Harris that you probably didn’t know.
1) He was nominated for a Golden Globe when he was just 15 years old.
While attending acting camp, Neil was noticed by writer Mark Medoff. He starred in the film version of Clara’s Heart, based on the book of the same name by Joseph Olshan, which was cast him by director and producer Michael Medoff. Starring opposite Whoopi Goldberg, Neil received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of David Hart in the film at the tender age of 15.
2) He also has the magical ability to conjure objects from thin air.
There was a reason why Harris’s Barney Stinson enjoyed magic on How I Met Your Mother and why his characters on American Horror Story: Freak Show and Glee had similar abilities. Since he was a youngster, Neil has enjoyed performing magic as a hobby. In 1990, he performed magic on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show.
Harris presided as the Magic Castle of Hollywood’s board of directors from 2011 to 2014. Aside from his hosting duties for the 2008 World Magic Awards on October 11, 2008, and his 2006 win of Tannen’s Magic Louis Award, he was also a winner in both categories.
3) In addition to adult fiction, he has written a series of books for young readers.
The Magic Misfits is a four-book series written by Neil Patrick Harris that is aimed at young adults. Series published in 2017; follows Carter Locke, Leila Vernon, Ridley Larsen, Theo Stein-Meyer, and Izzy and Olly Golden as they become magicians. Neil’s memoir, Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography, was released in 2018. It is the first and only memoir written in the manner of the popular Choose Your Own Adventure series.
4) He made history by hosting the Academy Awards as the first openly homosexual person to do so.
The day after Thanksgiving in 2006, Neil publicly declared his sexual orientation, saying:
“I am pleased to clear the air and state that I am a very content homosexual guy enjoying his life to the fullest and feel extremely lucky to be working with beautiful people in the industry I love,”
The two started dating after he met David Burtka in 2004. Through surrogacy, the couple had twins, Gideon Scott and Harper Grace, in October 2010. With the enactment of New York’s Marriage Equality Act on June 24, 2011, Harris and Burtka were able to be married in Italy in 2014. Pamela Fryman, the show’s longtime director, performed the ceremony. The legendary openly homosexual musician Elton John, a personal friend of Harris, sang at the couple’s wedding. Thus, Neil Patrick Harris made history in 2015 by being the first homosexual man to host the Academy Awards during the 87th ceremony.
5) He is a multiple-award-winning host
Even though he is most known for his acting, Neil Patrick Harris has also hosted a lot of award events and is a master of the emceeing and entertainment industries. He has served as host for the Tony Awards four times (2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013) and the Primetime Emmy Awards twice (2009 and 2013). He hosted the Tony Awards four times and earned a Primetime Emmy each time.
