I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 15, 1973. I grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a small town 120 miles south of Albuquerque, where I first took up acting in the fourth grade. While tagging along with Brian, my older brother by 3 years, I won the part of Toto in a school production of The Wizard of Oz.
My parents, Ron (a lawyer) and Sheila (a writer), moved us to Albuquerque in 1988, the same year that I made my film debut in two movies: Purple People Eater (1988) and Clara's Heart (1988), which starred Whoopi Goldberg. A year later, when I was 16, I landed the lead role in Steven Bochco's television series about a teen prodigy doctor at a local hospital, "Doogie Howser, M.D." (1989), which launched me into teen-heartthrob status. The series lasted1989-1993 and earned me a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Series (1990) and a Golden Globe Nomination (1990). I attended the same high school as Freddie Prinze Jr., La Cueva High School in Albuquerque. I acted on stage in a few plays while there, one of which was my senior play, Fiddler on the Roof (1971), in which I portrayed Lazar Wolf the butcher (1991).
When "Doogie Howser, M.D." stopped production in 1993, I took up stage acting, which I had always wanted to do. After a string of made-for-television movies, I acted in my first big screen roles in nine years, Starship Troopers (1997) with Casper Van Dien and then The Proposition (1998). In July 1997, I accepted the role of Mark Cohen for the Los Angeles production of the beloved musical, Rent (2005), which originated on Broadway. My performance in "Rent" garnered me a Drama-League Award in 1997. I continued in the musical, to rave reviews, until January 1998. I later reprised the role for six nights in my hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in December 1998.
In 1999, I returned to television in the short-lived sitcom "Stark Raving Mad" (1999), with Tony Shalhoub. I was also in the big-screen projects The Next Best Thing (2000) and Undercover Brother (2002), and I can be heard as the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the newest animated "Spider-Man" (2003) series. I have continued my stage work, making my Broadway debut in 2001 in "Proof." I have also appeared on stage in "Romeo and Juliet," "Cabaret," "Sweeney Todd" in Concert, and, most recently, "Assassins." In 2005, I returned to the small screen in a guest-starring role on "Numb3rs" (2005) and a starring role in the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005).
