Hugh Laurie

Hugh Laurie (born James Hugh Calum Laurie) is an actor, comedian, musician and author best known for playing Dr. Gregory House on the medical drama House and for his decades-long career in British television. Laurie was born in Oxford, England, and was raised the youngest of four children. He went on to study archaeology and anthropology at Selwyn College, Cambridge, joining the rowing team during his time in school. He later joined the Cambridge Footlights drama club, where he met future collaborators Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson.

Laurie launched his career in British comedy alongside Fry, starring in A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster. He achieved international fame in 2004 when he was cast as the brilliant but unconventional Dr. Gregory House in House, a role he played until 2012. His performance earned him three Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and multiple Emmy nominations. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2007 and was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2018 for his contributions to the drama world.

In addition to House, Laurie has starred in The Night Manager, Veep, Chance and All the Light We Cannot See. He has also released the blues albums Let Them Talk (2011) and Didn’t It Rain (2013), and, in 1996, he penned the novel The Gun Seller.

While at Cambridge, Laurie dated Thompson. He married Jo Green in 1989 and they have three children: Charles (born in 1988), William (born in 1991) and Rebecca (born in 1992).