Barney Stinson

Barney Stinson is one of the five main characters of How I Met Your Mother. Barney is known to be an extreme player, having over the course of his life slept with over 200 (last specific count being: 282 as of "The Perfect Cocktail") women. He has an odd affinity for suits and lives his life by a set of rules known as "The Bro Code" (which he wrote).

He did not start out as a womanizing suit wearer, but was originally a hippie working at a coffee shop with his girlfriend. As they were about to set off on their journey, his girlfriend meets a man in a suit and leaves Barney for him. Feeling betrayed and angry, Barney sees that the only thing he can do is suit up and become a man.

Barney grew up without a father this led to his mother being very protective of him and his adopted brother, telling them many lies in the process (the most notable being that Bob Barker was Barney's father). Although his brother caught on early Barney didn't carrying many false beliefs into his adulthood . Barney is also extremely protective of his mother even going so far as to hire actors to portray his family so she would believe he found true love.

Although extremely womanizing and destructive Barney does have a sensitive side. As explained by Ted in voiceover narration the absence of a father figure left him extremely lonely as a child and at least on one occasion he revealed sadness over the fact that he has not yet found a woman to settle down with. Still to his friends he will always be the devilish womanizing Barney Stinson. Barney is played by Neil Patrick Harris.