Hugh Laurie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hugh Laurie CBE
Laurie singing at the 2012 Montreux Jazz Festival
Born	James Hugh Calum Laurie (1959-06-11) 11 June 1959 (age 66) Blackbird Leys, Oxfordshire, England
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	Selwyn College, Cambridge (BA)
Occupation	Actor author comedian singer director musician producer
Years active	1981–present
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	Jo Green ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	3
Parent(s)	Ran Laurie (father)
Musical career
Genres	Blues jazz
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar harmonica drums saxophone
Labels	Warner Records

James Hugh Calum Laurie (born 11 June 1959) is a talented English actor, comedian, singer, musician, and writer. He first became well-known as part of a comedy duo called Fry and Laurie with his friend Stephen Fry.

Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry worked together on many projects in the 1980s and 1990s. These included the BBC comedy show A Bit of Fry & Laurie and the TV series Jeeves and Wooster, based on the books by P. G. Wodehouse. From 1986 to 1989, Laurie also appeared in three seasons of the comedy series Blackadder. He started as a guest star in Blackadder II and then became a main cast member in Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth. He also appeared in many related TV specials.

From 2004 to 2012, Laurie starred as Dr. Gregory House in the medical drama series House on Fox. He won two Golden Globe Awards and many other awards for this role. In 2011, he was listed in the Guinness World Records as the most-watched leading man on television. He was also one of the highest-paid actors in TV dramas at that time.

His other TV roles include playing the arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper in the miniseries The Night Manager (2016), which earned him his third Golden Globe. He also played Senator Tom James in the HBO comedy show Veep (2015–2019), for which he received his 10th Emmy Award nomination.

Laurie has appeared in many films, such as Peter's Friends (1992), Sense and Sensibility (1995), and 101 Dalmatians (1996). He was also in The Borrowers (1997), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), and Stuart Little (1999). More recently, he was in Tomorrowland (2015) and The Personal History of David Copperfield (2020). He also voiced Steven Claus in the animated movie Arthur Christmas (2011).

Beyond acting, Hugh Laurie is also a talented singer and musician. He has released two blues albums, Let Them Talk (2011) and Didn't It Rain (2013), both of which received good reviews. Laurie also wrote a novel called The Gun Seller (1996). He was recognized for his contributions to drama, first as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2007, and then as a Commander of the same Order (CBE) in 2018.

Hugh Laurie's Early Life and Education

Hugh Laurie was born on 11 June 1959, in Oxford, England. He was the youngest of four children. His father, William George Ranald Mundell "Ran" Laurie, was a doctor and an Olympic gold medalist in rowing at the 1948 London Games. Hugh has an older brother, Charles, and two older sisters, Susan and Janet. His mother passed away in 1989 from a serious illness.

Hugh's parents were both from Scotland and attended a Presbyterian church in Oxford. He mentioned that while belief in God wasn't a big part of his home life, a certain way of looking at life was. He felt that pleasure was something to be viewed with suspicion.

Laurie grew up in Oxford and attended the Dragon School from age seven to 13. He later said he was "a horrible child" who wasn't very interested in books. He then went to Eton College, a very famous private school. In 1978, he started at Selwyn College, Cambridge, following his father's footsteps. His father was a successful rower there. Hugh studied archaeology and anthropology and graduated in 1981.

Like his father, Laurie was also a rower in school and university. In 1977, he won a British national title in junior rowing. In 1980, he and his rowing partner were runners-up in a major rowing competition. He also competed in the 1980 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, where Cambridge lost by a very small margin. At one point, Laurie trained for up to eight hours a day and was on track to become an Olympic rower.

Hugh Laurie's Career Journey

Becoming an Actor and Comedian

Laurie in 2005

Hugh Laurie had to stop rowing because he got sick with glandular fever. This led him to join the Cambridge Footlights, a university drama club known for producing many famous actors and comedians. There, he met Emma Thompson, who became a good friend and introduced him to Stephen Fry, who would become his comedy partner.

In 1980–81, Laurie was the president of the Footlights. Their annual show, The Cellar Tapes, won the first Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This award helped them bring their show to London's West End and even led to a TV version in 1982. This success meant Laurie, Fry, Thompson, and others like Ben Elton and Robbie Coltrane were chosen to create a new sketch comedy show for Granada Television called Alfresco.

Working with Stephen Fry

Fry and Laurie worked together on many projects throughout the 1980s and 1990s. They were in the Blackadder series, where Laurie played different characters, including Prince George in Blackadder the Third and Lieutenant George in Blackadder Goes Forth.

Their own BBC sketch comedy series was A Bit of Fry & Laurie. Another popular show was Jeeves and Wooster, where Laurie played the kind but silly Bertie Wooster. They also performed together for charity events and TV shows like Comic Relief. They reunited for a special show in 2010 called Fry and Laurie Reunited.

Famous TV and Film Roles

Laurie appeared in music videos, including "Experiment IV" by Kate Bush in 1986 and "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox in 1992. He also had a small role in the Spice Girls' film Spice World (1997) and a brief guest appearance on Friends in 1998.

His film roles include Sense and Sensibility (1995) and the Disney live-action film 101 Dalmatians (1996), where he played Jasper, one of the clumsy villains. He also starred in Stuart Little (1999).

Before House, Laurie appeared in British TV dramas like Spooks (2002) and fortysomething (2003), which he also directed. He voiced characters in cartoons like Preston Pig and the animated show Family Guy.

Laurie with House, MD executive producers Katie Jacobs and David Shore in 2009

From 2004 to 2012, Laurie played Dr. Gregory House in the Fox medical drama House. For this role, he used an American accent. He even recorded his audition tape in a hotel bathroom while filming another movie, as it was the only place with good light. The show's producer, Bryan Singer, was so convinced by Laurie's American accent that he didn't realize Laurie was British! Laurie kept the accent even between takes.

He was nominated for many awards for House, winning Golden Globes in 2006 and 2007, and Screen Actors Guild awards in 2007 and 2009. His salary also increased significantly due to the show's success. He also hosted Saturday Night Live twice, showing his comedic and musical talents.

Hugh Laurie at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2007

After House ended in 2012, Laurie took a break from TV and film for three years. He returned to TV in 2015 with a role in Veep as Senator Tom James. He also played the villain David Nix in the 2015 film Tomorrowland.

In 2016, Laurie starred as arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper in the BBC miniseries The Night Manager. This was his first British TV role in 13 years, and he won a Golden Globe for it. He also played Dr. Eldon Chance in the thriller series Chance from 2016 to 2017.

More recently, Laurie appeared in The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) and the space comedy Avenue 5 for HBO, which aired its second season in 2022. In 2024, he starred as Eric Peterson in the third season of Tehran. He is also set to star in a new thriller drama called The Wanted Man for Apple TV+.

Hugh Laurie's Music and Albums

Hugh Laurie playing with his jazz band at Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 2014

Hugh Laurie is a very skilled pianist and started lessons at age six. He can sing and play the piano, guitar, drums, harmonica, and saxophone. He has shown his musical talents in many of his acting roles, including A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, and House. He is also a singer and keyboard player for a charity rock group called Band From TV.

In 2010, Laurie signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records to release a blues album. His first album, Let Them Talk, came out in 2011. It featured collaborations with famous artists like Tom Jones and Dr. John.

In May 2011, Laurie and his jazz band performed at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. He also explored his love for music of New Orleans in a documentary for ITV. His second album, Didn't It Rain, was released in 2013. He also performed a concert on the RMS Queen Mary cruise ship, which was filmed and released as Live on the Queen Mary.

Hugh Laurie's Writing Books

In 1996, Hugh Laurie's first novel, The Gun Seller, was published and became a best-seller. It's a thrilling story with a lot of humor. He has been working on a movie script for the book. He had planned a second novel, The Paper Soldier, but it has not been released yet.

About Hugh Laurie's Life

Hugh Laurie married Jo Green, a theatre administrator, on 16 June 1989. They have three children: Charlie, Bill, and Rebecca. His best friend and comedy partner, Stephen Fry, was the best man at his wedding and is the godfather to his children.

In 2006, Laurie spoke about his struggles with severe clinical depression. He realized he had a problem when he felt bored watching cars crash and explode in a charity demolition derby. He joked that "boredom is not an appropriate response to exploding cars." He has had therapy to help with this.

Laurie enjoys the books of P. G. Wodehouse and has said that reading them helped him a lot. He is also an atheist. He loves motorcycles and owns two, one in London and one in Los Angeles. His bike in the U.S. is a Triumph Bonneville, which he calls his "feeble attempt to fly the British flag."

In 2013, Laurie was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, where he chose his eight favorite songs. He is also a supporter of Arsenal FC, a football club.

Awards and Honors

Hugh Laurie has won many awards for his work. He has received three Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also been nominated for 10 Primetime Emmy Awards.

In 2007, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama. In 2018, he was promoted to Commander of the same Order (CBE).

In 2012, his old university, Selwyn College, Cambridge, made him an Honorary Fellow. In 2016, he received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.

What Hugh Laurie Has Been In

Live-action Performances

Film Roles

Television Roles

Voice Performances

Documentaries

Video Games

Hugh Laurie's Music Albums

Albums

Singles

Featured Singles

Other Charting Songs

Music Videos

DVDs/Blu-ray

See also

In Spanish: Hugh Laurie para niños