Actor Neil Patrick Harris, 41, will be hosting next year's Academy Awards ceremony, to be held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Feb 22, 2014.

Here are five things to know about the Albuquerque-born actor:

1. He hosted the Tony Awards

In 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Emmy Awards in 2009 and 2013. With his upcoming Oscar gig in 2015, the only major awards show he has not hosted is the Grammys.

2. He is a star of screen, stage and television

His first film role, in Clara's Heart (1988), also starring Whoopi Goldberg, netted him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture. On TV, his most notable roles have been as Barney Stinson on the TV comedy series How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014), for which he was nominated for four Emmy awards; and as the title character in Doogie Howser, M.D, (1989-1993), about a teen doctor. On stage, he played Emcee in Cabaret in 2003, and was in the touring company of the musical Rent.

3. He has achieved great accolades

He was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2010 and awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in Sept 2011.

4. He is also a magician

The actor is also a fan of magic and is president of the Board of Directors of Hollywood's Magic Castle, a private nightclub for magicians and magic enthusiasts in Los Angeles.

5. He is already taken

He and his partner David Burtka, an actor and chef, married in Italy in September. They have a son and daughter via a surrogate mother. Their children, Gideon Scott and Harper Grace, were both born in 2010.