Neil Patrick Harris has yet to slow down since his time as Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother came to an end. The actor portrayed the character for all nine seasons on the CBS sitcom before it concluded in 2014. Since Harris' acting career started in the late '80s, he has split his time between TV, films, and theatre. Harris got his start at 15 years old with the 1988 film Clara's Heart. He then got minor roles in TV and film before acquiring his breakout role as the titular character in the ABC series, Doogie Howser, M.D., which Harris starred in for four seasons.
Over the next decade, Harris continued acting in various TV shows including roles in titles such as Blossom, Roseanne, Quantum Leap, Joan of Arc, Will & Grace, and Law & Order. He also appeared in a number of films, including Starship Troopers, Undercover Brother, and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, as a lewd version of himself. In 2005, he won the part of Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother. Despite playing the character for nearly a decade, Harris didn't stop working on other projects. Harris cameoed in both Harold & Kumar sequels while also working on multiple animated franchises, such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The Smurfs. As for TV, the actor worked on Family Guy, Glee, and Adventure Time while also hosting a number of awards shows. In addition, Harris spent time on various theatre projects including a 2010 production of Rent.
In the year that How I Met Your Mother ended, Harris appeared in two major movies: A Million Ways to Die in the West and Gone Girl. That same year, Harris starred as Hedwig in Belasco Theatre's production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch for which he won a Tony Award. Following 2014, Harris joined American Horror Story: Freak Show in the role of Chester Creb. In 2015, Harris debuted his variety show, Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, for NBC, but the series only lasted one season.
More recently, Harris played Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Netflix series ran for three seasons before ending in 2019. Harris' performance as Count Olaf received critical acclaim and award nominations. During that time, Harris also appeared in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the 2017 film, Downsizing, alongside Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig.
Next up, the former How I Met Your Mother star will appear in the forthcoming movie Spinning Gold. The biographical film is being written and directed by Timothy Scott Bogart and it focuses on the life of his father, Neil Bogart, the founder of Casablanca Records. Neil Bogart is credited to discovering well-known musical artists such as Kiss, Village People, and Gladys Knight. Spinning Gold also stars Jeremy Jordan, Samuel L. Jackson, Kenan Thompson, Jason Isaacs, Jason Derulo, Jay Pharoah, and D. L. Hughley.