Tony Awards: Neil Patrick Harris to host

Stage and screen star Neil Patrick Harris will, for the third time, host the annual Tony Awards to be held at the Beacon Theatre on 10 Jun 2012. The 66th annual Tony Awards telecast will air live that evening on CBS at 8/7c (time delayed PT).

Harris, who also hosted the Awards in 2009 and 2011, said, "I'm thrilled to be a part of this year's Tony Awards. Not only will I be shining a spotlight on the best that Broadway has to offer, but hopefully I'll score some free house seats to a show or 5."

Harris, along with with executive producers Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry, won an Emmy Award for his emceeing of the 63rd Annual Tony Awards.

Harris can currently be seen as "Barney Stinson" in the CBS comedy series "How I Met Your Mother," a role which has garnered him two consecutive Golden Globe nominations and four consecutive Emmy Award nominations. Harris was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his guest appearance in the TV comedy "Glee". He won the Young Artist Awards three times in a row for his starring role in "Doogie Howser, M.D."

His Broadway credits are 'Assassins' (Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald: 2004), 'Proof' (Hal - replacement: 2000) and 'Cabaret' (Master of Ceremonies: revival 1998).

The 2012 Tony Award nominations will be announced on 1 May 2012.