Hugh Laurie was born in Oxford, England, and educated at Eton College and Cambridge University, where he took a degree in anthropology. He rowed in the Cambridge and Oxford Boat Race of 1980 and was elected president of the venerable Footlights Revue. Along with Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson, Laurie produced “The Cellar Tapes,” which won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe of 1981 and propelled the trio into a number of groundbreaking British television shows, including four seasons of “A Bit of Fry and Laurie”; three seasons of “Blackadder”; three seasons of “Saturday Live”; and four seasons of “Jeeves and Wooster,” based on the novels of P.G. Wodehouse, which aired in America on “Masterpiece Theatre” from 1990-1995.
On the big screen, Laurie’s credits include the upcoming holiday animated release “Arthur Christmas” opposite James McAvoy and Jim Broadbent. He recently completed production in Papua, New Guinea on the upcoming film “Mister Pip.” Previous feature credits include the animated films “Hop” and “Monsters vs. Aliens”; “Street Kings” opposite Forest Whitaker and Keanu Reeves; “Flight of the Phoenix” opposite Dennis Quaid; “Peter’s Friends,” directed by and co-starring Kenneth Branagh; “Sense and Sensibility” with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet; “Cousin Bette”; “The Man in the Iron Mask”; “101 Dalmatians”; and the “Stuart Little” movies.
On American television, Laurie portrayed Vincente Minnelli opposite Judy Davis in the network telefilm “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.” He also appeared in “Tracey Takes On… and Friends,” and his voiceover credits include “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror.”
Laurie’s performance as Dr. Gregory House on the hit series “House” has garnered him two Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, six Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, including the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards to be held on September 18, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. He has twice been honored by the Television Critics Association with TCA Awards for Individual Achievement in Drama.
Laurie has directed television programs and commercials, including the “House” season six episode “Lockdown,” composed and recorded numerous original songs, and written articles for London’s The Daily Telegraph newspaper. His first novel The Gun Seller was published in both the U.K. and the U.S. to critical acclaim and has been adapted into a screenplay. After signing a record deal with Warner Bros. records, Laurie recorded the New Orleans blues album “Let Them Talk,” which has been released internationally and will be released in the US in early September. Recorded at sessions in Los Angeles and New Orleans, the musical and vocal collaboration is produced by two-time Grammy Award winner Joe Henry. The performance documentary about Laurie’s musical passion, “Hugh Laurie: Let Them Talk – A Celebration of New Orleans Blues” airs on PBS’s “Great Performances” in September 2011.
Laurie was recently named a spokesperson for L’Oréal Paris Men. While filming “House,” Laurie lives in Los Angeles.
