Doogie Howser on Doogie Howser, M.D. was played by Neil Patrick Harris.
Doogie Howser, M.D. . Created by Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley , it stars Neil Patrick Harris in the title role as a teenage physician who also faces the problems of being a normal teenager . Neil Patrick Harris . On television , he is known for playing the title character on Doogie Howser , M.D. ( 1989 -- 1993 ) , Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother ( 2005 -- 2014 , for which he was nominated for four Emmy Awards ) , and Count Olaf on A Series of Unfortunate Events ( 2017 onward ) .