Neil Patrick Harris reflects on 'Doogie Howser, M.D.' 30 years later

In 1989, a then-unknown Neil Patrick Harris got his big break on a show about a young medical prodigy, called "Doogie Howser, M.D."

It's hard to believe that the show made its debut 30 years ago today (feel old yet?), especially when you think about Harris' stellar run since then as Oscars host, "How I Met Your Mother" star, and cult icon.

The show lasted almost 100 episodes and a star was born in the process, with Harris earning a Golden Globe nod in 1992.

Harris recently spoke to "GMA" and shared his fond memories of the game-changing series.

"It gave me an albatross of a nickname and was incredibly hard work," he said, adding that coming from a small town in New Mexico, this was a big deal.

He wasn't always sure he wanted to be an actor, but he knew he wanted to perform, sing and dance.

The process of filming the pilot for "Doogie," and being the lead on a TV series, helped him learn about the business.

"My life lesson was, I learned good skills of how to act on a set," he explained. "It wasn't a sitcom with a bunch of laughing audience members."

He added the that cast, which included Kathryn Layng and Max Casella, worked very hard to make acclaimed creator Steven Bochco proud.

"I learned a lot of [medical] dialogue and [even] how to suture," he said. "How to hit marks, regurgitate dialogue."

"That was sort of my film education," he said.