Hugh Laurie: The Man Who Plays Gregory House

Hugh Laurie was born June 11, 1959 in Oxford UK. Ran Laurie, his father, was a doctor and an Olympic gold medalist (coxless pairs, 1948 London Games). When Hugh was 29 his mother, Patricia Laidlaw, died. He has a brother and two sisters.

Laurie was educated at Eton and graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Anthropology.

In June 1989 Laurie wed Jo Green. Currently they have three children; Charlie born in 1988, Bill born in 1991 and Rebecca born in 1993, and reside in in north London. When in the US filming House Hugh lives in an apartment in West Hollywood.

His first novel, The Gun Seller was published in 1996 and is a thirller spoof. His second novel, The Paper Soldier, is scheduled to be published on September 27, 2007.

Laurie is a skilled musician and capable with play several instruments (guitar, drums piano, saxophone and harmonica). He is a member of 16:9, a celebrity band, and plays keyboard for the band Poor White Thrash.

Laurie was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2005 for his role on House and received a Golden Globe in 2006. In January 2007 he won another Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama for House and received the Screen Actors' Guild Award on for Best Actor in a Television Drama. In the 2007 Queen's New Year Honours List Laurie was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to drama.

Awards:

Emmy Awards: nominated Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (2005); Golden Globe Awards: winner - Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama (2006), winner - Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama (2007); Satellite Awards: winner - Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama (2005), winner - Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama (2006); Screen Actors Guild Awards: nominated - Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (2006), winner - Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (2007); Television Critics Association: winner - Individual Achievement in Drama 2006 - Winner - Individual Achievement in Drama (2005)

Quotes:

"I grew up with an impatience with the anti-scientific. So I'm a bit miffed with our current love affair with all things Eastern. If I sneeze on the set, 40 people hand me echinacea. But I'd no sooner take that than eat a pencil. Maybe that's why I took up boxing. It's my response to men in white pajamas feeling each other's chi."

The American Accent: "It's as if you're playing left-handed. Or like everyone else is playing with a tennis racket and you have a salmon."

How his father would have reacted to House: "He would be absolutely appalled. He was an endlessly polite, generous and soft-spoken man. He was no pushover, but he would never hurt, shock or outrage people just for the hell of it. At the same time, I hope he would be entertained and see that science and logic are like a religion to House. He'd approve of that."