David Burtka
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David Michael Burtka (born May 29, 1975) is an American actor and chef.


Early life

David Burtka was born in
Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, roughly west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 United States ...
, the son of Deborah A. Zajas (died 2008) and Daniel Burtka. He is of Polish descent. He grew up in
Canton, Michigan Canton Township (commonly known simply as Canton) is a charter township in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Canton is located roughly west of downtown Detroit, and e ...
, and graduated from Salem High School in 1993. He trained in acting at
Interlochen Center for the Arts Interlochen Center for the Arts ( '; also known as I.C.A. or Inty) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit corporation which operates Visual arts education, arts education institutions and Music venue, performance venues. Established in 1928 b ...
, obtained his
Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...
from the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
and had further training at the William Esper Studios.


Acting career

Burtka made his television debut in 2002 with a guest role on ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
''. This was followed by a guest appearance on ''
Crossing Jordan ''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed ...
.'' Burtka made his Broadway debut as Tulsa in the 2003 revival of ''
Gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...
,'' which starred Bernadette Peters. He played The Boy in the American premiere of
Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...
's ''
The Play About the Baby ''The Play About the Baby'' is a play by Edward Albee. Productions The play premiered in London in September 1998 at the Almeida Theatre Company in Malvern, Worcestershire, directed by Howard Davies. The play's American premiere was in Houston ...
,'' for which he won the 2001
Clarence Derwent Award The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom. Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 ...
for most promising male performer. In 2004, Burtka originated the role of Matt Mateo in the musical '' The Opposite of Sex'' and reprised the role in the work's East Coast premiere in the summer of 2006. Burtka appeared in seven episodes of ''
How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...
'', playing Scooter, the former high school boyfriend of Lily Aldrin ( Alyson Hannigan). Burtka made a cameo appearance in ''
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas ''A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas'' is a 2011 American buddy stoner Christmas comedy film directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. The sequel to '' Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay'' ( ...
,'' as himself, opposite
Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...
. Burtka starred in Osiris Entertainment's 2013 film ''Annie and the Gypsy,'' and had a featured role in the 2014 film ''Dance-Off.'' In 2015, Burtka returned to Broadway in a musical comedy, directed by
David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born David Pierce; April 3, 1959) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, he received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting A ...
and entitled '' It Shoulda Been You.'' An
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
revival of
Yasmina Reza Yasmina Reza (; born 1 May 1959) is a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter best known for her plays ''Art (play), 'Art and ''God of Carnage''. Many of her brief satiric plays have reflected on contemporary middle-class issues. ...
's '' God of Carnage'' at Theatre Row featuring Burtka began previews on April 18, 2023, and opened on April 27, 2023. Burtka starred along with Carey Cox, Gabe Fazio and Christiane Noll.


Culinary career

While living in Los Angeles, Burtka took a hiatus from acting full-time to become a professional chef. He graduated from
Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon Bleu (; French: " The Blue Ribbon"; LCB) is a French hospitality and culinary education institution, teaching haute cuisine. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The institution consists ...
College of Culinary Arts Pasadena in the summer of 2009; afterwards, he began running a Los Angeles catering company, "Gourmet MD". Burtka's cookbook, ''Life is a Party'', a collection of recipes and tips on entertaining, was published in April 2019.


Personal life

Burtka was in a relationship with Lane Janger in the early 2000s, around the time Janger was expecting twins via surrogacy. Although not the biological or legal father of the children, Burtka helped raise them during his relationship with Janger, and has remained close to them after he and Janger split. Burtka has been in a relationship with Neil Patrick Harris since April 2004. In October 2010 they became parents to twins, Harper and Gideon, who were born via a surrogate mother. Following the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in New York on June 24, 2011, Burtka and Harris announced their engagement, stating that they had proposed to each other five years earlier but had kept the engagement secret until
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
became legal in their state. They married in Italy in September 2014.


Filmography


Film


Television


See also

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LGBT culture in New York City New York City has been described as the gay village, gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ political sociology, sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Br ...
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List of LGBT people from New York City New York City has been described as the gay village, gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ political sociology, sociopolitical ecosystem. It is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ populations. LGBTQ ...
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NYC Pride March The NYC Pride March is an annual event celebrating the LGBT culture in New York City, LGBTQ community in New York City#Sexual orientation and gender identity, New York City. The largest pride parade and the List of largest LGBT events, larges ...


References


External links

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David Burtka
at the Lortel Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Burtka, David 1975 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American male actors Alumni of Le Cordon Bleu American gay actors American male chefs American male dancers American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American people of Polish descent Gay dancers LGBTQ chefs LGBTQ people from Michigan Living people Male actors from Michigan People from Canton, Michigan University of Michigan alumni