Neil Patrick Harris was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 15, 1973. He grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a small town 120 miles south of Albuquerque, where he first took up acting in the fourth grade. While tagging along with Brian, his older brother by 3 years, Harris won the part of Toto in a school production of The Wizard of Oz.

His parents, Ron (a lawyer) and Sheila (a writer), moved the family to Albuquerque in 1988, the same year that Harris made his film debut in two movies: Purple People Eater and Clara's Heart, which starred Whoopi Goldberg. A year later, when Neil was 16, he landed the lead role in Steven Bochco's television series about a teen prodigy doctor at a local hospital, Doogie Howser, M.D., which launched Harris into teen-heartthrob status. The series lasted1989-1993 and earned him a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Series (1990) and a Golden Globe Nomination (1990). Harris attended the same high school as Freddie Prinze Jr., La Cueva High School in Albuquerque. Neil acted on stage in a few plays while there, one of which was his senior play, Fiddler on the Roof, in which he portrayed Lazar Wolf the butcher (1991).

When "Doogie Howser, M.D." stopped production in 1993, Harris took up stage acting, which he had always wanted to do. After a string of made-for-television movies, Harris acted in his first big screen roles in nine years, Starship Troopers with Casper Van Dien and then The Proposition. In July 1997, Harris accepted the role of Mark Cohen for the Los Angeles production of the beloved musical, Rent, which originated at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego before moving to Broadway. His performance in "Rent" garnered him a Drama-League Award in 1997. He continued in the musical, to rave reviews, until January 1998. He later reprised the role for six nights in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in December 1998.

In 1999, Harris returned to television in the short-lived sitcom Stark Raving Mad, with Tony Shalhoub. He was also in the big-screen projects The Next Best Thing and Undercover Brother, and he can be heard as the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the newest animated Spider-Man series. Harris has continued his stage work, making his Broadway debut in 2001 in "Proof." He has also appeared on stage in "Romeo and Juliet," "Cabaret," "Sweeney Todd" in Concert, and, most recently, "Assassins." In 2005, Harris returned to the small screen in a guest-starring role on Numb3rs and a starring role in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother.
Both of his parents are lawyers. Neil is an amateur magician, which he once demonstrated on a Jerry Lewis telethon. Went to the same high school as Freddie Prinze Jr.. Has performed magic tricks on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Perfomed as Mark in "Rent" at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles to rave reviews Has sung since he was a child. His father played the folk guitar and together they entertained. His favorite movie is Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock. His parents own a restaurant called Perreniel's in Albuquerue. Shares a birthday with Ice Cube, Helen Hunt, Shane Stanley, Leah Remini, Courteney Cox, and Jake Busey. Based on his Los Angeles stage performance in the musical, he was attached to play Mark Cohen in a television mini series based on the Broadway musical, with Wilson Cruz as Angel, Rikki Lee Travolta as Roger Davis, and singer Shakira as Mimi, but the rights were pulled in order for Chris Columbus to make a film adaptation using much of the original Broadway cast including Anthony Rapp in the role of Mark.