NEIL PATRICK HARRIS has been tapped to host next year’s Oscars.

    Organizers announced Wednesday that the versatile actor, whose credits include “How I Met Your Mother,” current box office hit “Gone Girl” and a Tony-winning turn in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” will emcee the 87th Academy Awards on Feb. 22, 2015.

    Telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said in a statement, “We have known him his entire adult life, and we have watched him explode as a great performer in feature films, television and stage. To work with him on the Oscars is the perfect storm, all of his resources and talent coming together on a global stage.”

    “I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show,” Harris added. “To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true.”

    No stranger to hosting awards ceremonies, Harris presided over the Tony Awards four times (2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013) and the Emmys twice (in 2009 and 2013). Variety noted that with the Oscars job Harris will have done three of the four so-called EGOT full house of hosting duties — the Emmys, Oscars and Tonys, with only the Grammys to go. Harris has been nominated for four Golden Globes and won five Emmys, including four for hosting the Tonys.

    The Oscars’ Academy head Cheryl Boone Isaacs voiced confidence in Harris. “He is the consummate entertainer. Neil’s distinctive charm and showmanship make him the ideal host to honor the Oscar legacy and ensure we all enjoy another unforgettable celebration,” she said.(SD-Agencies)