Hugh Laurie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hugh Laurie CBE
Laurie in 2012
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 director musician producer singer
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 famous English actor, comedian, musician, and writer. He first became well-known as one half of the comedy duo 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. Laurie also appeared in the popular comedy series Blackadder from 1986 to 1989. He played different roles, including Prince George.

From 2004 to 2012, Laurie starred as Dr. Gregory House in the TV show House. He won two Golden Globe Awards for this role. In 2011, he was listed in Guinness World Records as the most watched leading man on television. He was also one of the highest-paid TV actors at that time. Later, he starred in the miniseries The Night Manager (2016) and the sitcom Veep (2015–2019).

Laurie has also been in many films like Sense and Sensibility (1995) and 101 Dalmatians (1996). He voiced characters in animated movies such as Arthur Christmas (2011). Outside of acting, he released two blues albums, Let Them Talk (2011) and Didn't It Rain (2013). He also wrote a novel called The Gun Seller (1996). He was honored by the British Empire for his work in drama.

Early Life and Education

Hugh Laurie was born on 11 June 1959 in Oxford, England. He was the youngest of four children. His father, Ran Laurie, was a doctor and won an Olympic gold medal in rowing in 1948.

Hugh grew up in Oxford. He went to the Dragon School from age seven to 13. He later attended Eton College, a very famous private school. In 1978, he went to Selwyn College, Cambridge, where his father had also studied. He studied archaeology and social anthropology and graduated in 1981.

Like his father, Laurie was a talented rower. He won a British national title in 1977. In 1980, he competed in the famous Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Cambridge lost that year by a very small distance. He trained hard and was almost an Olympic-level rower.

Career Highlights

Starting in Comedy

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 and his future comedy partner, Stephen Fry.

In 1980–81, Laurie was the president of the Footlights. Their show, The Cellar Tapes, won the first Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This success led to the show being performed in London and a TV version in 1982. It also helped Laurie, Fry, and Thompson get roles in a new sketch comedy show 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. They also had their own BBC sketch comedy show, A Bit of Fry & Laurie. Another popular show was Jeeves and Wooster, based on P. G. Wodehouse's stories. In this show, Laurie played Bertie Wooster, a kind but silly character. They also appeared together in the film Peter's Friends (1992).

Film and TV Roles

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

His other early film roles include Sense and Sensibility (1995) and 101 Dalmatians (1996), where he played Jasper, one of the clumsy villains. He also appeared in Stuart Little (1999) as Mr. Frederick Little.

In the early 2000s, Laurie was in British TV dramas like Spooks and fortysomething. He also voiced characters in cartoons like Family Guy.

Starring in House

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

From 2004 to 2012, Hugh Laurie starred as Dr. Gregory House in the Fox medical drama House. He played a very smart but grumpy doctor who solved difficult medical cases. For this role, he used an American accent. He even kept the accent between takes to stay in character.

Laurie was nominated for many awards for his role in House. He won Golden Globe awards in 2006 and 2007. He also won Screen Actors Guild awards in 2007 and 2009. He became one of the highest-paid actors on TV.

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

In 2006, Laurie appeared on Inside the Actors Studio, where he played one of his own funny songs on the piano. He also hosted Saturday Night Live twice, showing his comedic skills.

After House ended in 2012, Laurie took a break from TV and film for three years.

Recent Acting Work

Laurie in 2012

In 2015, he returned to TV with a role on Veep as Senator Tom James. The same year, he played the villain David Nix in the film Tomorrowland.

Laurie then starred as Richard Onslow Roper, an arms dealer, in the BBC miniseries The Night Manager (2016). He won another Golden Globe Award for this role. This was his first role on British TV in 13 years.

From 2016 to 2017, Laurie starred in the Hulu thriller series Chance. In 2019, he appeared in the film The Personal History of David Copperfield. He also worked on the space comedy Avenue 5 for HBO, which aired its second season in 2022. In 2023, it was announced that Laurie would be a guest star in the third season of Tehran.

Music Career

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

Hugh Laurie is a very talented musician. He started piano lessons at age six. He can sing and play the piano, guitar, drums, harmonica, and saxophone. He often showed his musical skills on shows like 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 famous artists like Tom Jones and Dr. John. In 2011, he performed at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. He also made a TV show called Perspectives about his love for the music of New Orleans.

His second album, Didn't It Rain, was released in 2013. He performed concerts with his band, including one filmed on the RMS Queen Mary.

Writing

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

Personal Life

Hugh Laurie married Jo Green, a theatre administrator, on 16 June 1989. They have three children: Charlie, Bill, and Rebecca. His son Charlie had a small role in A Bit of Fry & Laurie. His daughter Rebecca appeared in the film Wit. Stephen Fry, Laurie's best friend and comedy partner, is the godfather of his children.

Laurie has spoken about dealing with clinical depression. He realized he needed help when he felt bored watching cars crash and explode in a charity demolition derby. He thought boredom was not a normal reaction to exploding cars. He has had therapy sessions to help him.

He enjoys the books of P. G. Wodehouse. He also 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 way of showing British pride.

In 2013, Laurie was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. He chose songs by artists like Joe Cocker, Nina Simone, and Van Morrison as his favorites. He is also a fan of Arsenal FC, a football team.

Awards and Recognition

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

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

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

Film and Television Roles

Live-action performances

Film

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Television

Voice performances

Documentaries

Video games

Discography

Albums

Singles

Featured singles

Other charting songs

Music videos

DVDs/Blu-ray

Awards and Honours

Commonwealth honours

Commonwealth honours

Scholastic

See also

In Spanish: Hugh Laurie para niños