American actor Neil Patrick Harris was BOTD in 1972. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to a middle-class family, he grew up in Ruidoso. A child actor, he made his screen debut at 15 in Clara’s Heart, earning a Golden Globe nomination. He rose to fame in the TV drama series Doogie Howser, M.D., playing a child prodigy doctor, attracting a global fanbase as a teen heartthrob. He transitioned successfully to adult roles, with a solid if unremarkable career in television and film throughout the 1990s. He made his Broadway debut in a 2001 concert performance of Stephen Sondheim‘s musical Sweeney Todd, followed by successful appearances in John Kander and Fred Ebb‘s musical Cabaret and Sondheim’s Assassins. He returned to television in 2005, playing a heterosexual womaniser in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. An inexplicable ratings success, the role earned him three Emmy nominations, and he remained with the show until 2014. He came out as gay in 2006, ending years of speculation about his sexuality; the news was received positively, with little adverse impact on his career. Beginning in 2009, he became a popular host of the Tony Awards, impressing audiences with his vaudevillian song-and-dance performances. In the 2011 ceremony, he encouraged straight men to visit Broadway, with a high-camp musical number titled It’s Not Just for Gays Anymore. Looking to re-set his career trajectory post-Mother, he starred in the 2014 Broadway revival of John Cameron Mitchell‘s glam rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, earning him critical praise and a Tony Award, and hosted the 2015 Oscars ceremony. His other work includes Ryan Murphy‘s TV drama series American Horror Story: Freak Show and Glee, and Russell T. Davies‘ AIDS-themed TV drama It’s A Sin, and the films Gone Girl, Downsizing and The Matrix Resurrections. He is married to his long-term partner David Burtka, with whom he has two children via a surrogate. He and Burtka have been prominent supporters of LGBTQ charities, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation and The Trevor Project.