The 'Doogie Howser, M.D.' star has twins with his partner, David Burtka. Who is the most famous gay actor who has played straight characters? Neil Patrick Harris tops our list. One gay actor is best known for playing a lady-loving lawyer on a sitcom. In fact, some of the best acting on television requires actors adopting a radically different perspective. Several gay actors are famous for playing well-known straight characters in film and on television. One of the great things about being an actor is you can play characters that are different from yourself. List of straight characters played by gay actors, loosely ranked by fame and popularity.
