On How I Met Your Mother, Barney Stinson (played by Neil Patrick Harris) is the stalwart bachelor of the main group of friends, a dedicated womanizer whose brief foray into relationships (with Robin Scherbatsky) was only a short detour in his relentless pursuit of hot women. Barney is always the one to encourage his friends Ted Mosby and Marshall Eriksen to assert their alpha-male tendencies, and he’s often the architect of crazy schemes for which he ropes in others.
Barney Stinson's Family Life:
Not much is known about Barney’s childhood, other than that he has a brother (played by Wayne Brady in two episodes), and that his rather promiscuous mother claims that his father is game-show host Bob Barker. Whether this (or anything about Barney’s background, really) is true remains a mystery.
Early Years:
At one time, Barney was an earnest young man with a devoted girlfriend, and he planned to join the Peace Corps. When Barney’s girlfriend left him for a lothario in a suit, he became a changed man, soon losing his virginity to a friend of his mother’s, and devoting his own life to being a stud in a suit.
Current Life:
Barney’s occupation, like much of his background, is shrouded in mystery, although it’s often implied that the company he works for is not particularly ethical. Whatever Barney does, he makes a lot of money doing it, which helps him woo women. Although he spends a great deal of time seducing women, he is also a devoted friend, and for a time was in a relationship with Robin, after declaring his love for her at the end of the show’s fourth season. They remain friends after ending their relationship amicably.
Notable Barney Stinson Catch Phrases:
“Suit up!”
“Legen … wait for it … dary!”
“Have you met Ted?”
“True story.”
