Neil Patrick Harris to Host Academy Awards

BURBANK: Neil Patrick Harris, who can currently be seen starring opposite Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in the box-office hit Gone Girl, is set to host the 87th Oscars, which will air live on ABC on February 22, 2015.

The show is being produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who also produced the last two Oscars telecasts. It marks Harris' first time hosting the ceremony.

Harris has starred in film, TV and stage productions. He garnered multiple Emmy and Golden Globe award nominations for the hit series How I Met Your Mother. He also recently starred in the title role of Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway, scoring a Tony Award for best actor in a musical.

“We are thrilled to have Neil host the Oscars,” said Zadan and Meron. “We have known him his entire adult life, and we have watched him explode as a great performer in feature films, television and stage. To work with him on the Oscars is the perfect storm, all of his resources and talent coming together on a global stage.”

“It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year’s Academy Awards. I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show,” said Harris. “To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true.”

“We share Craig and Neil’s excitement in welcoming the incredibly talented Neil Patrick Harris,” said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “He is the consummate entertainer. Neil’s distinctive charm and showmanship make him the ideal host to honor the Oscar legacy and insure we all enjoy another unforgettable celebration.”

“Neil is a terrific actor, singer, risk-taker and collaborator,” said Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO. “We can't wait to see the show that he, Craig and Neil create together.”

“Neil Patrick Harris is highly energetic and a definitive entertainer,” said Paul Lee, the president of ABC Entertainment Group. “We are thrilled to have him as our 2015 Oscar host.”