Luckily, at 14, a trip to drama camp got him "plucked out of obscurity" by Children of a Lesser God playwright Mark Medoff-leading to his first part in the 1988 pic Clara's Heart and a diverse career of starring on sitcoms, hitting the stage and hosting the Emmys, Oscars and Tonys. And yet, his roles as a gay-rights advocate and devoted husband and father are just as important to Neil. "It took me a while to feel comfortable in my own skin," admits Neil, who turns 51 on June 15. "[Now] I just feel good in my life."
1 1989 THE DOCTOR IS IN "I'm very proud of that role," shared Neil of his hit turn on TV's Doogie Howser, M.D. "But it was a kind of f-ed-up name. [It] kind of stuck around with me for a while. To be called that everywhere you go when you're that age and you're trying to find some kind of identity unique to yourself [was difficult]."
2 1997 A REAL TROOPER Neil landed a part in the sci-fi pic Starship Troopers, but remarked, "Back in the mid-'90s, when you were an actor on television, you weren't welcomed into the world of film. You [hope] that you can pull a Sally Field and just stick around long enough that the rules [change]."
3 2004 GO TIME "I wasn't really looking to change anyone's perception of me," said Neil of playing "a messed-up version of myself" in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its two sequels. "My favorite thing about working is just the new chapters. I get a little bit tired of redundancy."
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