David Michael Burtka (born May 29, 1975) is an American actor and chef.
Early life
David Burtka was born in Dearborn, Michigan, the son of Deborah A. Zajas (died 2008) and Daniel Burtka. He is of Polish descent. He grew up in Canton, Michigan, and graduated from Salem High School in 1993. He trained in acting at Interlochen Center for the Arts, obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan 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.
Burtka appeared in seven episodes of How I Met Your Mother, playing Scooter, the former high school boyfriend of Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan). Burtka made a cameo appearance in A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, as himself, opposite Neil Patrick Harris.
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 and entitled It Shoulda Been You.
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 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
thumb|right|Burtka with his husband, [[Neil Patrick Harris, in September 2011.]]
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 became legal in their state. They married in Italy in September 2014.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1999
| 24 Nights
| Toby
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2007
| Worldly Possession
| Andrew Bates
| Television film
|-
| Open House
| Husband
| Short film
|-
| Army Guy
| Keith
| Short film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011
| A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
| Himself
|
|-
| Gaysharktank.com
|Broadway Guy
| Short film
|-
| 2012
| Annie and the Gypsy
| Martin
|
|-
| 2013
| The Gay Christian Mingle
|Alan
| Short film
|-
| 2014
| Dance-Off
| JT
|
|-
| 2020
| Cicada
| Bo
|
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2002
| The West Wing
| Bruce
| Episode: "The Black Vera Wang"
|-
| 2005
| Crossing Jordan
| Craig Heeley
| Episode: "Total Recall"
|-
| 2006–2014
| How I Met Your Mother
| Scooter
| 7 episodes
|-
| 2007
| CSI: NY
| David King
| Episode: "Down the Rabbit Hole"
|-
| 2012–2013
| Neil's Puppet Dreams
| Himself
| 7 episodes
|-
| 2013
| Iron Chef America
| Himself
| Episode: "Zakarian vs. Chiarello: Scotch"
|-
| 2014
| RuPaul's Drag Race
| Himself (guest judge)
| Episode: "Drag My Wedding"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| Beat Bobby Flay
| Himself (guest judge)
| Episode: "No Training Wheels"
|-
| American Horror Story: Freak Show
| Michael Beck
| Episode: "Curtain Call"
|-
| 2018
| A Series of Unfortunate Events
| Mr. Willums
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2020
| Home Movie: The Princess Bride
| Princess Buttercup
| Episode: "Chapter Five: Life Is Pain"
|-
| 2022
| Uncoupled
| Jerry
| Episode: "Chapter 6"
|-
| 2023
| Drag Me to Dinner
| Himself (judge)
| 10 episodes
|-
| 2026
| Elle
| Chad
| Filming
|}
Bibliography
- Life Is a Party: Deliciously Doable Recipes to Make Every Day a Celebration (2019), ()
- Both Sides of the Glass: Paired Cocktails and Mocktails to Toast Any Taste (2025), (with Neil Patrick Harris) ()
See also
- LGBT culture in New York City
- List of LGBT people from New York City
- NYC Pride March
References
External links
- David Burtka at the Lortel Archives