Hugh Laurie

[CarMELita]

Hugh Laurie

I already did his thread, but it got lost during the crash so here we are again

Facts taken from wikipedia.org and imdb.com. Pics are various webfinds, bwgreyscale, livejournal, allstars-online and I use google.

James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born June 11, 1959 in Oxford, England) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He is known professionally as Hugh Laurie.

Early life and education

Laurie was born in Oxford, England. His father, William "Ran" Laurie, was a doctor who also won an Olympic gold medal in the coxless pairs at the 1948 London Games. His mother, Patricia Laidlaw, died when Laurie was 29. Laurie was raised in the Presbyterian church. He was brought up in Oxford and attended the Dragon School, a prestigious preparatory school. He later went on to Eton and then to Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he achieved a Third-Class Honours degree in archaeology & anthropology.

Like his father, Laurie was an oarsman at school and university; in 1977, he was half of the junior cox-ed pair that won the English national title before representing England's Youth Team at the 1977 World Championships. Later, he also achieved a Blue taking part in the 1980 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Cambridge lost that year by five feet (1.5 m). Laurie is a member of the Leander Club, one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world. One of the boats at Selwyn, his old college at Cambridge, is named "Laurie" in his honour.

Forced to abandon rowing during a bout of infectious mononucleosis, he joined the Cambridge Footlights, which has been the starting point for many successful British comedians. There he met Emma Thompson, with whom he had a romantic relationship and is still good friends. She introduced him to his future comedy partner, Stephen Fry. Laurie, Fry and Thompson later parodied themselves as the University Challenge representatives of "Footlights College, Oxbridge" in "Bambi", an episode of The Young Ones, with the series' co-writer Ben Elton completing their team. In 1980–81, his final year at university, Laurie managed to find time outside his rowing to become president of the Footlights, with Thompson as vice-president. They took their annual revue, The Cellar Tapes, written principally by Laurie and Fry, the cast also including Thompson, Tony Slattery, Paul Shearer and Penny Dwyer, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and won the first Perrier Comedy Award.

Career

The Perrier Award led to a West End transfer for The Cellar Tapes and a television version of the revue, broadcast in May 1982. It also resulted in Laurie, Fry and Thompson being selected along with Ben Elton, Robbie Coltrane and Siobhan Redmond to write and appear in a new sketch comedy show for Granada Television, Alfresco, which ran for two series.

Laurie and Fry went on to work together on various projects throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Among them were the Blackadder series, written by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis and starring Rowan Atkinson, with Laurie in various roles, but most notably Prince George and Lieutenant George; their BBC sketch comedy series, A Bit of Fry and Laurie; and Jeeves and Wooster. The latter was an adaptation of P. G. Wodehouse's stories, in which Laurie played Jeeves' employer, the amiable twit Bertie Wooster. It was a role for which Laurie was considered particularly well suited, displaying his talent as a pianist and singer, alongside his celebrated 'posh' voice. He and Fry also worked together at various charity stage events, such as Hysteria! 1, 2 & 3 and Amnesty International's The Secret Policeman's Third Ball, Comic Relief TV shows and the variety show Fry and Laurie Host a Christmas Night with the Stars. They collaborated again on the film Peter's Friends.

Laurie appeared in the music video for the 1992 single "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox, in full Regency-period costume as in Blackadder the Third (and opposite John Malkovich, similarly reprising Dangerous Liaisons). He also appears as a scientist in the video for "Experiment IV" by Kate Bush.

Laurie's later film appearances include Sense and Sensibility (1995), adapted by and starring Emma Thompson; the Disney live-action movie 101 Dalmatians (1996), where he played Jasper, one of the bumbling criminals hired to kidnap the puppies; Elton's adaptation of his novel Inconceivable, Maybe Baby (2000); Girl From Rio; the 2004 remake of The Flight of the Phoenix; and the three Stuart Little films.

In 1996 Laurie's first novel, The Gun Seller, a spoof of the thriller genre, was published and became a best seller. It was also critically very well received. He has since been working on the screenplay for a movie version and on a second novel, The Paper Soldier.

In 1998, Laurie had a brief guest-starring role on Friends in the episode "The One with Ross's Wedding, Part Two". With the popularity of House, his short scenes in the episode have become favourites of fans of both series, largely due to his comically disdainful use of the name "Pheebs".

Since 2002, Laurie has appeared in a range of British television dramas, guest-starring that year in two episodes of the first season of the spy thriller series Spooks on BBC One. In 2003, he starred in and also directed ITV's comedy-drama series Fortysomething (in one episode of which Stephen Fry appears). In 2001, he also voiced the character of a bar patron in the Family Guy episode "One If by Clam, Two If by Sea". Laurie was the character of Mr. Wolf in the cartoon Preston Pig. He was also a panellist on the first episode of QI, alongside Fry as host. In 2004, Laurie guest-starred as a professor in charge of a space probe called Beagle, on The Lenny Henry Show.

Although Laurie has been a household name in Britain since the 1980s, he only really came to the attention of a broader American public in 2004, when he first starred as the acerbic attending physician Dr. Gregory House in the popular FOX medical drama, House. For his portrayal, Laurie assumes an American accent. As the story goes, Laurie was in Namibia filming Flight of the Phoenix and recorded the audition tape for the show in the bathroom of the hotel, the only place he could get enough light. His US accent was so convincing that the executive producer, Bryan Singer, who was unaware at the time that Laurie is English, pointed to him as an example of just the kind of compelling American actor he had been looking for. Laurie also adopts the voice between takes on the set of House, as well as during script read-throughs.

Following Laurie's American success, Stephen Fry expressed a desire to make a cameo appearance in House, but due to commitments in England, he is unable to do so for now.

In July 2005, Laurie was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role in House. Although he did not win, he did receive a Golden Globe in both 2006 and 2007 for his work on the series (one of very few to have received the award in consecutive years) and the Screen Actors Guild award in 2007. Laurie has also been awarded a large increase in salary, from what was rumoured to be a mid-range five-figure sum to $350,000 per episode. His House contract was also extended for an additional year, allowing for at least a fifth season to be produced. Laurie was not nominated for the 2006 Emmys, apparently to the "outrage" of Fox executives, but he still appeared in a scripted, pre-taped intro, where he parodied his House character by rapidly diagnosing host Conan O'Brien and then proceeded to grope him as the latter asked him for help to get to the Emmys on time. He would later go on to speak in French whilst presenting an award with Dame Helen Mirren on stage.

Laurie was cast as Daily Planet editor Perry White in the film Superman Returns but had to bow out of the project due to his involvement in House (incidentally, the series is produced by Bad Hat Harry Productions, which is owned by Superman Returns director Bryan Singer).

In July 2006, Laurie appeared on Bravo!'s Inside the Actors Studio, where he also performed one of his own songs, "Mystery", on the piano with vocal accompaniment.

Laurie hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live where he dressed in drag in a sketch about a man (Kenan Thompson) with a broken leg who accuses his doctor of being dishonest. Laurie played the man's wife.

In August 2007, Laurie appeared on BBC Four's documentary, Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out, filmed in celebration of Fry's fiftieth birthday.

Personal life

Laurie married Jo Green, a theatre administrator, in June 1989. They live in north London with their daughter, Rebecca (born 1993), and two sons, Bill (born 1991) and Charlie (born 1988). Rebecca had a role in the film Wit as five-year-old Vivian Bearing. Laurie is close friends with actress Emma Thompson and his House co-star Robert Sean Leonard.

He stated on BBC Radio 2 in an interview with Steve Wright in January 2006 that he is currently living in an apartment in West Hollywood while he is in the United States working on House. Laurie can play the piano, guitar, drums, harmonica and saxophone. He has displayed his musical talents in episodes of several series, most notably A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, House and when he hosted Saturday Night Live on October 28th, 2006. He is a vocalist and keyboard player for the Los Angeles charity rock group "Band From TV."

Laurie was awarded an OBE in the 2007 New Year Honours List for his services to drama. On May 23, 2007, he was given the honour by Queen Elizabeth II.

Laurie has periodically struggled with severe clinical depression, and continues to receive regular treatment from a psychotherapist. He stated in an interview that he first concluded he had a problem while driving in a charity demolition derby in 1996, and he realised that driving around explosive crashes caused him to be neither excited nor frightened (he said that he felt, in fact, bored). "Boredom," he commented in an interview on Inside the Actors Studio, "is not an appropriate response to exploding cars". Laurie admitted in an interview with Rolling Stone and during a guest appearance on The Tonight Show that he once tried hydrocodone/APAP (Vicodin) as part of his preparation for the role of Dr. Gregory House.

Laurie was considered in 2006 the most versatile artist of all times by Life magazine.

Laurie admires the writings of P.G. Wodehouse: he explained in a 27 May 1999 article in The Daily Telegraph how reading Wodehouse novels had saved his life.

Awards

Emmy Awards

* 2005 - Nominated - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

* 2007 - Nominated - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Golden Globe Awards

* 2006 - Winner - Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

* 2007 - Winner - Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

Satellite Awards

* 2005 - Winner - Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama

* 2006 - Winner - Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama

Screen Actors Guild Awards

* 2006 - Nominated - Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

* 2007 - Winner - Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Television Critics Association

* 2005 - Winner - Individual Achievement in Drama

* 2006 - Winner - Individual Achievement in Drama

* 2007 - Nominated - Individual Achievement in Drama [12]

Teen Choice Award

* 2007 - Winner - TV Actor: Drama

Filmography

Actor:

1. The Night Watchman (2008) (post-production)

2. "Fortysomething" .... Paul Slippery (3 episodes, 2003-2007)

- Episode #1.3 (2007) TV Episode .... Paul Slippery

- Episode #1.2 (2003) TV Episode .... Paul Slippery

- Episode #1.4 (????) TV Episode .... Paul Slippery

3. "House M.D." .... Dr. Gregory House (80 episodes, 2004-2007)

... aka House (USA: short title)

- Games (2007) TV Episode .... Dr. Gregory House

- You Don't Want to Know (2007) TV Episode .... Dr. Gregory House

- Ugly (2007) TV Episode .... Dr. Gregory House

- Whatever It Takes (2007) TV Episode .... Dr. Gregory House

- Mirror Mirror (2007) TV Episode .... Dr. Gregory House

(75 more)

4. The Big Empty (2005) .... Doctor #5

5. Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005) (V) (voice) .... Mr. Frederick Little

6. Valiant (2005) (voice) .... Gutsy

7. The Tale of Jack Frost (2004) (TV) (voice) .... Narrator

8. Flight of the Phoenix (2004) .... Ian

9. "The Lenny Henry Show" .... Professor (1 episode, 2004)

- Episode #1.1 (2004) TV Episode .... Professor

10. The Young Visiters (2003) (TV) .... Lord Bernard Clark

11. "Stuart Little" (2003) TV Series .... Mr. Fredrick Little (unknown episodes)

12. Lost in the Snow (2002) (V) (voice) .... Teddy

13. Stuart Little 2 (2002) .... Mr. Frederick Little

14. "Spooks" .... Jools Siviter / ... (2 episodes, 2002)

... aka MI-5 (USA)

- The Rose Bed Memoirs (2002) TV Episode .... Jules Siviter

- Traitor's Gate (2002) TV Episode .... Jools Siviter

15. Dragans of New York (2002) (TV)

16. Second Star to the Left (2001) (TV) (voice) .... Archie the Bunny

17. "Family Guy" .... Bar Patron (1 episode, 2001)

... aka Padre de familia (USA: Spanish title)

- One If by Clam, Two If by Sea (2001) TV Episode (voice) .... Bar Patron

18. Chica de Río (2001) .... Raymond

... aka Girl from Rio (UK)

19. The Piano Tuner (2001) .... Charles

20. Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001) (TV) .... Vincente Minnelli

... aka Judy Garland: L'ombre d'une étoile (Canada: French title)

21. "Preston Pig" (2000) TV Series (voice) .... Mr. Wolf (2000)

22. "Dominion" (2000) TV Series .... Freleng

23. Maybe Baby (2000) .... Sam Bell

24. "Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)" .... Dr. Lawyer (1 episode, 2000)

- Mental Apparition Disorder (2000) TV Episode .... Dr. Lawyer

25. Carnivale (2000) (voice) .... Cenzo

... aka Carnivale (France)

26. "Little Grey Rabbit" (2000) TV Series (voice) .... Hare

27. Lounge Act (2000) (voice)

28. The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything (1999) (TV) .... French Ambassador

29. Blackadder Back & Forth (1999) .... Viscount George Bufton-Tufton/Georgius

30. Stuart Little (1999) .... Mr. Fredrick Little

31. Santa's Last Christmas (1999) (TV) (voice) .... Geoffrey the Seagull

32. Cousin Bette (1998) .... Baron Hector Hulot

33. "Friends" .... The Gentleman on the Plane (1 episode, 1998)

- The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 2 (1998) TV Episode .... The Gentleman on the Plane

34. The Man in the Iron Mask (1998/I) .... King's Advisor

35. "The Bill" .... Harrap (1 episode, 1998)

- Good Faith: Part 1 (1998) TV Episode .... Harrap

36. Spice World (1997) .... Poirot

37. The Borrowers (1997) .... Police Officer Steady

38. "The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends" .... Johnny Town-Mouse (1 episode)

- The Tale of the Two Bad Mice and Johnny Town-Mouse (????) TV Episode (voice) .... Johnny Town-Mouse

39. The Ugly Duckling (1997) (voice) .... Tarquin

40. The Place of Lions (1997) (TV) .... Steve Harris

41. 101 Dalmatians (1996) .... Jasper

42. "Murder Most Horrid" .... Jerry Bryce (1 episode, 1996)

- The Body Politic (1996) TV Episode .... Jerry Bryce

43. "Tracey Takes On..." .... Timothy 'Timmy' Bugge (2 episodes, 1996)

- Death (1996) TV Episode .... Timothy 'Timmy' Bugge

- Royalty (1996) TV Episode .... Timothy 'Timmy' Bugge

44. The Snow Queen's Revenge (1996) (voice)

45. The Best of Tracey Takes On... (1996) (TV) .... Timothy 'Timmy' Bugge

46. Sense and Sensibility (1995) .... Mr. Palmer

47. "Look at the State We're In!" (1995) (mini) TV Series .... Director/Sir Michael Jaffa

48. "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" .... Various Characters (26 episodes, 1987-1995)

- Episode #4.7 (1995) TV Episode .... Various Characters

- Episode #4.6 (1995) TV Episode .... Various Characters

- Episode #4.5 (1995) TV Episode .... Various Characters

- Episode #4.4 (1995) TV Episode .... Various Characters

- Episode #4.3 (1995) TV Episode .... Various Characters

(21 more)

49. The Adventures of Mole (1995) (TV) .... Toad

... aka The Wind in the Willows Collection: The Adventures of Mole (USA: video title)

50. The Snow Queen (1995) (voice) .... Peeps

51. A Pin for the Butterfly (1994) .... Uncle

52. All or Nothing at All (1993) (TV) .... Leo Hopkins

53. "The Legends of Treasure Island" .... Squire Trelawney (2 episodes, 1993)

- The Watch Tower (1993) TV Episode (voice) .... Squire Trelawney

- The Quest Begins (1993) TV Episode (voice) .... Squire Trelawney

54. "Jeeves and Wooster" .... Bertie Wooster (23 episodes, 1990-1993)

- The Ex's Are Nearly Married Off (1993) TV Episode .... Bertie Wooster

- Totleigh Towers (1993) TV Episode .... Bertie Wooster

- Arrested in a Night Club (1993) TV Episode .... Bertie Wooster

- Honoria Glossop Turns Up (1993) TV Episode .... Bertie Wooster

- Lady Florence Craye Arrives in New York (1993) TV Episode .... Bertie Wooster

(18 more)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNSUPlcz4Bg...feature=related

55. Peter's Friends (1992) .... Roger Charleston

56. "Blackadder Goes Forth" .... Lt. the Honorable George Colhurst St. Barleigh (6 episodes, 1989)

- Goodbyeee (1989) TV Episode .... Lt. the Honorable George Colhurst St. Barleigh

- General Hospital (1989) TV Episode .... Lt. the Honorable George Colhurst St. Barleigh

- Private Plane (1989) TV Episode .... Lt. the Honorable George Colhurst St. Barleigh

- Major Star (1989) TV Episode .... Lt. the Honorable George Colhurst St. Barleigh

- Corporal Punishment (1989) TV Episode .... Lt. the Honorable George Colhurst St. Barleigh

(1 more)

57. Strapless (1989) .... Colin

58. "The New Statesman" .... Waiter (1 episode, 1989)

- The Haltemprice Bunker (1989) TV Episode .... Waiter

59. "Les Girls" (1988) TV Series

60. Blackadder: The Cavalier Years (1988) (TV) (uncredited) .... Roundhead with Cromwell

61. Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988) (TV) .... George, the Prince Regent/Lord Pigmot

62. "Blackadder the Third" .... George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent (6 episodes, 1987)

... aka Blackadder 3 (UK)

... aka Blackadder III (USA: video title)

- Duel and Duality (1987) TV Episode .... George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent

- Amy and Amiability (1987) TV Episode .... George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent

- Sense and Senility (1987) TV Episode .... George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent

- Nob and Nobility (1987) TV Episode .... George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent

- Ink and Incapability (1987) TV Episode .... George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent

(1 more)

63. The Laughing Prisoner (1987) (TV) .... Assistant

64. "Filthy Rich & Catflap" .... Alfons N'Bend (1 episode, 1987)

- Episode #1.2 (1987) TV Episode .... Alfons N'Bend

65. Up Line (1987) (TV)

66. "Girls on Top" .... Tom (1 episode, 1986)

- Big Snogs (1986) TV Episode .... Tom

67. "Blackadder II" .... Prince Ludwig / ... (2 episodes, 1986)

... aka Black-Adder II

- Chains (1986) TV Episode .... Prince Ludwig

- Beer (1986) TV Episode .... Simon Partridge

68. "Happy Families" .... Jim (2 episodes, 1985)

- Reunion (1985) TV Episode .... Jim

- Edith (1985) TV Episode .... Jim

69. Mrs. Capper's Birthday (1985) (TV) .... Bobby

... aka Star Quality: Mrs. Capper's Birthday (UK)

70. Plenty (1985) .... Michael

71. "The Young Ones" .... Lord Monty (1 episode, 1984)

- Bambi (1984) TV Episode .... Lord Monty

72. The Crystal Cube (1983) (TV) .... Max Belhaven/Various Roles

73. "Alfresco" .... Various Roles (1 episode, 1983)

- Episode #1.1 (1983) TV Episode

74. Cambridge Footlights Revue (1982) (TV) .... Various Characters

75. Who Sold You This, Then? (1975) (V)

... aka The Selling Line: Who Sold You This, Then? (UK: complete title)

Writer:

1. Dragans of New York (2002) (TV)

2. "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" (26 episodes, 1987-1995)

- Episode #4.7 (1995) TV Episode (written by)

- Episode #4.6 (1995) TV Episode (written by)

- Episode #4.5 (1995) TV Episode (written by)

- Episode #4.4 (1995) TV Episode (written by)

- Episode #4.3 (1995) TV Episode (written by)

(21 more)

3. The Laughing Prisoner (1987) (TV)

4. "Saturday Live" (1986) TV Series

5. The Crystal Cube (1983) (TV)

6. "Alfresco" (1983) TV Series (unknown episodes)

7. Cambridge Footlights Revue (1982) (TV)

Director:

1. "Fortysomething" (1 episode, 2003)

- Episode #1.2 (2003) TV Episode

2. Maybe Baby (2000) (some scenes) (uncredited)

3. "Look at the State We're In!" (1995) (mini) TV Series

Soundtrack:

1. "House M.D." (1 episode, 2004)

... aka House (USA: short title)

- Damned If You Do (2004) TV Episode (performer: "Silent Night")

2. Maybe Baby (2000) (writer: "Sperm Test In The Morning")

3. Peter's Friends (1992) (writer: "Roger's Coffee Commercial Jingle") (performer: "The Way You Look Tonight", "Roger's Coffee Commercial Jingle", "Orpheus In the Underworld")

Producer:

1. Dragans of New York (2002) (TV) (producer)

Composer:

1. "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" (1986) TV Series (unknown episodes)

Other works

Does many voiceovers for TV commercials.

Album: "The World of Jeeves & Wooster" (1992, soundtrack for the ITV TV series "Jeeves and Wooster" (1990), with music by Anne Dudley and songs performed by Laurie and Stephen Fry).

Book: "The Gun Seller" (1996, isbn 0434002976)

Stage: Co-wrote "The Cellar Tapes", for the Cambridge Footlights Dramatic Club, 1981.

Appears in the Annie Lennox video "Walking on Broken Glass".

2001: TV commercial for Marks & Spencer.

2002: TV commercial for Bradford & Bingley plc.

1986: Plays a lab assistant in Kate Bush's science fiction music video "Experiment IV."

TV commercial for Alliance & Leicester (with Stephen Fry)

Early 1980s: TV commercial for Polaroid cameras (UK).

Narrated Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" for Audible.com

Trivia

Birth Name:

James Hugh Calum Laurie

Height:

6' 2½" (1.89 m)

Spouse:

Jo Green (16 June 1989 - present) 3 children

Trade Mark:

His fluent American accent from "House".

He frequently plays upper-class and dim-witted English characters.

Achieved a third-class degree in anthropology & archaeology at Selwyn College, Cambridge University.

Bought an all-black Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, a replica of the '60s British model, in Los Angeles, upon getting the role in "House M.D." (2004), but he was always an avid motorcyclist, even in England. He enjoys the anonymity the motorcycle helmet gives him.

Attended the Dragon School, a renowned British "public" college preparatory school located in Oxford, England. Also attended by actress Emma Watson and tennis player Tim Henman.

Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), originally wanted him to play Arthur Dent for the film adaptation. A deal was almost in place to have Hugh play Dent, along with Jim Carrey as Zaphod and Jay Roach directing, before Adams's untimely death.

1977: Won the National Junior Championship for rowing (coxed pair). In the same year, he and his rowing partner represented England in the World Junior Championship for rowing where they finished fourth place.

He lives in a West Hollywood apartment rental while working on "House M.D." (2004), but flies home to London to be with his family whenever he has a break in filming. He has said that he will move his whole family to America to be with him if the second season looks to be equally successful as the first.

Plays the husband opposite Imelda Staunton's characters in two films: Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Peter's Friends (1992).

His father, William George Ranald Mundell Laurie (known as Ran), and mother, Patricia, are both of Scottish descent.

Is the youngest of four children, by six years. He has a brother, Charles, who works as a lawyer/shepherd in Scotland, and two sisters.

His father won an Olympic gold medal for coxless pairs in the 1948 Games. Hugh also had a promising career as an oarsman, but he was forced to give it up while at Cambridge when he contracted glandular fever (mononucleosis). His brother was also an oarsman.

He is an accomplished piano player.

Entered the 1980 Silver Goblets and Nicklass Cup with his Eton rowing partner J.S. Palmer at the Henley Royal Regatta, becoming the only British crew to reach the final that year. They finished in second place behind the favored American crew.

Was first cast in the role of Perry White in Superman Returns (2006). However, the popularity of his TV show "House M.D." (2004) caused schedule conflicts. Frank Langella was then cast.

Auditioned for the part of Rimmer in "Red Dwarf" (1988). Others to audition for the part were Norman Lovett, Lee Cornes, Alfred Molina, Alan Rickman, and Craig Ferguson. The role went to Chris Barrie.

He was a house captain (senior prefect) in his last year at Eton College. He also played percussion for the school's orchestra and was a "wet bob" - a member of Eton's prestigious rowing team.

He received his first motorcycle when he was 16 as a present from his father. The same year he owned his first guitar, a Yamaha.

Although his first name is James, he has never been called that. His third name, Calum, is an old Scottish variant of the name Malcolm. His brother's full name is Charles Alexander Lyon Mundell Laurie.

He took up diving a few years ago.

He's a big fan of Clint Eastwood.

Was a member of Cambridge Footlights throughout his university years, serving as a writer and cast member for two years (1978-1980) and president during his last year (1980-1981). Emma Thompson was the vice president.

He is a member of the Leander Club, one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world. His father once served as the club's president.

His son Bill auditioned for a role in a Harry Potter film but was told he was too young.

His daughter Rebecca Laurie starred in the film Wit (2001) (TV) as Emma Thompson's character aged five.

He is a member of the celebrity band 16:9 with Greg Grunberg of "Alias" (2001) and "Felicity" (1998), James Denton of "Desperate Housewives" (2004), Bob Guiney of "The Bachelor" (2002), and other special guests.

Plays keyboard in the band Poor White Thrash with Lenny Henry, Shade Adejumo, Kate McKenzie, Sophie Elton (wife of Ben Elton), 'Ken Bowley', Andy Gangadeen, John Thirkell, and Phil Smith.

He has three children: Charles Archibald Laurie (b. Nov 1988), William (Bill) Albert Laurie (b. Jan 1991), and Rebecca Laurie (Rebecca Augusta Laurie, b. Sep 1993).

Directed some scenes of his film Maybe Baby (2000) when Ben Elton had to go to hospital for the birth of his children.

He is a big fan of Steve McQueen.

He was a member of the Cambridge Footlights and in 1981, along with Stephen Fry, Tony Slattery, Emma Thompson, Paul Dwyer and Paul Shearer, he became the winner of the first ever Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Stephen Fry is godfather of his three children.

Is a published author (The Gun Seller - 1997). He has another book due in 2007.

He was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2007 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to drama.

Is very good friends with "House M.D." (2004) co-star Robert Sean Leonard.

Great-great-nephew of George Alexander.

When Bryan Singer cast Laurie as Gregory House on "House M.D." (2004), he was unaware that Laurie is British.

In the 1980s he shared a house in London with Stephen Fry. They needed some plastering doing. The plasterers turned out to be Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson, who were inspired by Fry and Laurie to have a go at comedy.

Personal Quotes

[on Cambridge] I went there to row. I'll be blunt with it. It's been ten years, and I think the admissions tutor can take it now . . . but that's really what I went for, and anthropology was the most convenient subject to read while spending eight hours a day on the river.

[on the Oxford-vs.-Cambridge Boat Race] The year was 1980, I was #4 in this particular encounter, and the result was a loss by Cambridge by a distance of five feet, which is something which I will carry to my grave . . . in fact, I shouldn't really say this, because I still to this day wouldn't want to give any pleasure or satisfaction to the opposing crew. But yes, it's true, it was a very bitter defeat.

[on picking up his new hobby] Boxing is fascinating. It's good for the soul to be made to feel clumsy. I swank around during the week thinking I'm a big cheese, but you don't feel like that when you're in the ring with a chap who knows what he's doing. It's ritual humiliation. I'm going to be slugged about and probably killed, but I love it and have to do something to keep fit.

I picked a reverence for medicine because I rather hero-worshiped my father [a former doctor], and because I admire doctors, I admire study, empiricism and rational thought. I don't admire crystals and chewing willow bark and herbal remedies.

[on his late father's reaction to his character Dr. Gregory 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.

[]on what he misses about England] The buildings and the cruelty. They're very harsh people, the British: hard to impress, very tough on each other, but I rather like that. It's not that the British are more honest - you're just under no illusion with them. L.A. runs on optimism, enthusiasm and flattery. I think you can go a little bit crazy. I've heard people say there's a limit to the number of years you can stay in this city without going slightly mad. It's just too damn sunny in every dimension - weather-wise, socially and professionally.

I travel to work on my motorcycle, so it's jeans, boots and a brown Aero leather jacket that weighs as much as I do. If it were black, it would seem like I've got a [Marlon Brando] idea going on, which I don't.

[on raising his daughter] Girls are complicated. The instruction manual that comes with girls is 800 pages, with chapters 14, 19, 26 and 32 missing, and it's badly translated, hard to figure out.

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.

[on the difficulty of performing with an 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.

[his speech after winning a Golden Globe for "House M.D." (2004)] I am absolutely speechless. Seriously, I don't have a speech. People are falling all over themselves to send you free shoes and free cuff links and colonic irrigations for two. Nobody ever offers you a free acceptance speech. There just seems to be a gap in the market. I would love to be able to pull out a speech by Dolce & Gabbana.

Guilt I can do. If [i have] any expertise at all, it's in the area of guilt. I have a black belt in guilt. If you ever want a guilt-off, the next time we meet let's see how we match up. I'm pretty confident in that area.

[Reeyo]

He definitely belongs to those people, who look better the older they get And he looks much better with his beard.

House is one of my favourites; Hugh is a great actor!

Thanks for all the information carmelita

[CarMELita]

He definitely belongs to those people, who look better the older they get And he looks much better with his beard.

House is one of my favourites; Hugh is a great actor!

Thanks for all the information carmelita

[encantador]

He really is a great actor with a great sense of humor.

[floflandrin]

thanks

[66Lucy]

[floflandrin]

[Diabolo Fraise]

Thanks for this topic =)

I love this actor, he's so great <3

[66Lucy]

Schweppes ad

[CarMELita]

Thanks, Kukim!

Some pics I've just found at Livejournal, house daily

[floflandrin]

i don't like this pix, he looks so old

[controversiaster]

He is old but his charm in "House" makes him SOOO damn attractive.

[CarMELita]

Well, flo, he IS old, maybe that's why he's looking old

Nevertheless, I think he's drop dead gorgeous.

... but then I really do have a rather strange taste in men I have to admit ...

[controversiaster]

LOL! I have a strange taste in men. I love love love Tom Hanks and yeah, nobody my age likes them THAT much.

[encantador]

He is old but his charm in "House" makes him SOOO damn attractive.

Helen!! I agree with you again

[@lice]

i love him he is a great actor

[CarMELita]

source: LJ, mag lib

[Diabolo Fraise]

source: LJ, mag lib

[controversiaster]

WOOHOOOO!

HOTNESS!

Oh Doctor, Doctor! I am feeling faint.....!