Hugh Laurie Explained

Hugh Laurie
Birth Name:James Hugh Calum Laurie
Birth Date:11 June 1959
Birth Place:Blackbird Leys, Oxfordshire, England
Children:3
Alma Mater:Selwyn College, Cambridge (BA)
Education:Eton College
Father:Ran Laurie
Years Active:1981–present
Works:Full list
Module:
Embed:yes
Background:solo_singer
Genre:Blues
Label:Warner Records

James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two acted together in a number of projects during the 1980s and 1990s, including the BBC sketch comedy series A Bit of Fry & Laurie and the P. G. Wodehouse adaptation Jeeves and Wooster. From 1986 to 1989 he appeared in three series of the period comedy Blackadder, first as a recurring guest star in the last two episodes of Blackadder II, before joining the main cast in Blackadder the Third, and going on to appear in Blackadder Goes Forth and many specials of the show except for The Black Adder and .

From 2004 to 2012, Laurie starred as Dr. Gregory House on the Fox medical drama series House. He received two Golden Globe Awards and many other accolades for the role. He was listed in the 2011 Guinness World Records as the most watched leading man on television and was one of the highest-paid actors in a television drama at the time, earning $409,000 (£250,000) per episode.[1] [2] By the end of the series, he was earning $700,000 an episode.[3] His other television credits include appearing in the London-based Friends episode, "The One with Ross's Wedding" (1998), starring as the main antagonist, arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper in the miniseries The Night Manager (2016), for which he won his third Golden Globe, and playing Senator Tom James in the HBO sitcom Veep (2012–2019), for which he received his 10th Emmy Award nomination.

Laurie has appeared in the films Peter's Friends (1992), Sense and Sensibility (1995), 101 Dalmatians (1996), The Borrowers (1997), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), Stuart Little (1999), (2001), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Tomorrowland (2015), Arthur Christmas (2011) in which he voiced Steven Claus, and The Personal History of David Copperfield (2020).[4] Outside acting, he released the blues albums Let Them Talk (2011) and Didn't It Rain (2013), both to favourable reviews. Laurie wrote the novel The Gun Seller (1996). He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours and CBE in the 2018 New Year Honours, both for services to drama.[5]

Early life

Laurie was born on 11 June 1959, in the Blackbird Leys area of Oxford,[6] [7] the youngest of four children of Patricia (née Laidlaw) and William George Ranald Mundell "Ran" Laurie, who was a physician and winner of an Olympic gold medal in the coxless pairs (rowing) at the 1948 London Games.[7] [8] He has an older brother, Charles Alexander Lyon Mundell Laurie, and two older sisters, Susan and Janet.[9] [10] He had a strained relationship with his mother,[11] whom he noted as "Presbyterian by character, by mood".[7] He later said, "I was frustration to her. She didn't like me."[7] His mother died from motor neurone disease in 1989, at the age of 73. According to Laurie, she endured the disease for two years and suffered "painful, plodding paralysis" while being cared for by Laurie's father, whom he has called "the sweetest man in the whole world".[10]

Laurie's parents, who were both of Scottish descent, attended St Columba's Presbyterian Church (now United Reformed Church)[12] in Oxford.[13] [14] He notes that "belief in God didn't play a large role" in his home, but "a certain attitude to life and the living of it did".[7] He followed this by stating, "Pleasure was something that was treated with great suspicion, pleasure was something that... I was going to say it had to be earned but even the earning of it didn't really work. It was something to this day, I mean, I carry that with me. I find pleasure a difficult thing; I don't know what you do with it, I don't know where to put it."[7] He later stated, "I don't believe in God, but I have this idea that if there were a God, or destiny of some kind looking down on us, that if he saw you taking anything for granted, he'd take it away."[15]

Laurie was brought up in Oxford and attended the Dragon School from ages seven to 13, later stating, "I was, in truth, a horrible child. Not much given to things of a 'bookey' nature, I spent a large part of my youth smoking Number Six and cheating in French vocabulary tests."[16] He went on to Eton College, which he described as "the most private of private schools". He arrived at Selwyn College, Cambridge, in 1978,[17] which he says he attended "as a result of family tradition" since his father went there.[7] Laurie notes that his father was a successful rower at Cambridge and that he was "trying to follow in [his] father's footsteps". He studied archaeology and anthropology, specialising in social anthropology,[18] and graduated with third-class honours in 1981.[19]

Like his father, Laurie rowed at school and university.[7] In 1977, he was a member of the junior coxed pair that won the British national title before representing Britain's Youth Team at the 1977 Junior World Rowing Championships. In 1980, Laurie and his rowing partner, J.S. Palmer, were runners-up in the Silver Goblets[20] coxless pairs for Eton Vikings rowing club. He also achieved a Blue while taking part in the 1980 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.[21] Cambridge lost that year by five feet.[22] During this time, Laurie was training for up to eight hours a day and was on course to become an Olympic-standard rower.[23] He is a member of the Leander Club, one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and was a member of the Hermes Club and Hawks' Club.[7]

Career

Acting

Forced to abandon rowing during a bout of glandular fever, Laurie joined the Cambridge Footlights,[24] a university dramatic club that has produced many well-known actors and comedians including members of the popular British surreal comedy group, Monty Python. There he met Emma Thompson, with whom he had a romantic relationship; the two remain good friends.[7] 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.[25]

In 1980–81, his final year at university, besides rowing Laurie was president of the Footlights, with Thompson as vice-president. They took their annual revue, The Cellar Tapes, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and won the first Perrier Comedy Award which was presented to them by Rowan Atkinson. The revue was written principally by Laurie and Fry, and the cast also included Thompson, Tony Slattery, Paul Shearer and Penny Dwyer. 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 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.

Fry and Laurie worked together on various projects throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Among them were the Blackadder series, written by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, starring Rowan Atkinson, with Laurie in various roles, including two roles in Blackadder II which marked his debut appearance in the series, first as drunk Simon Partridge in "Beer" and then as the villainous Prince Ludwig the Indestructible in the Blackadder II final episode, "Chains" and then Prince George in Blackadder the Third and Lieutenant George in Blackadder Goes Forth.[7] Other projects followed, of which one was their BBC sketch comedy series A Bit of Fry & Laurie; another project was Jeeves and Wooster,[7] an adaptation of P. G. Wodehouse's stories, in which Laurie played Jeeves's employer, the amiable twit Bertie Wooster. He and Fry participated in 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 (1992) and came together for a retrospective show in 2010 titled Fry and Laurie Reunited.

Laurie starred in the Thames Television film Letters from a Bomber Pilot (1985) directed by David Hodgson. This was a serious acting role, the film being dramatised from the letters home of Pilot Officer J.R.A. "Bob" Hodgson, a pilot in RAF Bomber Command, who was killed in action in 1943.[26]

Laurie appeared in the music videos for the 1986 single "Experiment IV" by Kate Bush, and the 1992 Annie Lennox single "Walking on Broken Glass" in British Regency period costume alongside John Malkovich.[27] Laurie appeared in the Spice Girls' film Spice World (1997) and had a brief guest-starring role on Friends in "The One with Ross's Wedding" (1998).

Laurie's later film appearances include Sense and Sensibility (1995), adapted by and starring Emma Thompson; the Disney live-action film 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 adaptation of The Flight of the Phoenix, and Stuart Little.

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 voiced the character of a bar patron in the Family Guy episode "One If by Clam, Two If by Sea". Laurie voiced the character of Mr. Wolf in the cartoon Preston Pig. He was 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.

Between 2004 and 2012, Laurie starred as an acerbic physician specialising in diagnostic medicine, Dr. Gregory House, in the Fox medical drama House. For his portrayal, he assumed an American accent.[7] He was in Namibia filming Flight of the Phoenix and recorded his audition tape for the show in the bathroom of the hotel, as it was the only place he could get enough light.[28] Jacob Vargas operated the camera for the audition tape. Laurie's American accent was so convincing that executive producer Bryan Singer, who was unaware at the time that Laurie was British, pointed to him as an example of just the kind of "compelling American actor" he had been looking for.[28] Laurie also adopted the accent between takes on the set of House,[29] as well as during script read-throughs, although he used his native accent when directing the episode "Lockdown".[29] He also served as director for the episode "The C-Word".[30]

Laurie was nominated for an Emmy Award[31] for his role in House in 2005. Although he did not win, he did receive a Golden Globe in both 2006 and 2007 for his work on the series and the Screen Actors Guild award in 2007 and 2009. Laurie was also awarded a large increase in salary, from what was rumoured to be a mid-range five-figure sum to $350,000 per episode. Laurie was not nominated for the 2006 Emmys, apparently to the outrage of Fox executives,[32] 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 while presenting an Emmy with Dame Helen Mirren, and has since been nominated in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Laurie was initially cast as Perry White, the editor of the Daily Planet, in Singer's film Superman Returns but had to bow out of the project because of his commitment to House.[33] In July 2006, Laurie appeared on Inside the Actors Studio, where he also performed one of his own comic songs, "Mystery", accompanying himself on the piano.[7] He hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live, in which he appeared 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 50th birthday. In 2008, he took part in Blackadder Rides Again which saw him reuniting with former Blackadder producer, John Lloyd who had travelled to the set of House MD in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California to interview Laurie who recalled his time working on the Blackadder series. Laurie also appeared as Captain James Biggs in Street Kings, opposite Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker, and then in 2009 as the eccentric Dr. Herbert Cockroach, PhD in DreamWorks' Monsters vs. Aliens. He also hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time on the Christmas show in which he sang a medley of three-second Christmas songs to close his monologue. In 2009, Laurie returned to guest star in another Family Guy episode, "Business Guy", parodying Gregory House. In 2010, Laurie guest starred in The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XXI" as Roger, a castaway who is planning a murder scheme on a ship during Homer and Marge's second honeymoon.[34]

On 8 February 2012 Fox announced that season eight of House would be the last. On 13 June 2012 the media announced that Laurie was in negotiations to play the villain in RoboCop, a remake of the original RoboCop film.[35] These negotiations ultimately fell through and Laurie passed on the project.[36] In 2012, Laurie starred in an independent feature called The Oranges that had a limited release. The Star-Ledger of Newark, New Jersey thought that he was "particularly good".[37] After the end of House Laurie took a three-year hiatus from film and TV work.

Laurie was in negotiations to be cast in the role of Blackbeard for the 2014 series Crossbones. However, the role went to John Malkovich.[38] In 2015 he returned to TV work with a recurring role on Veep as Tom James, a role written specifically for him after showrunner Armando Iannucci heard he was a fan of the show.[39] Laurie continued to recur on the show until the final season in 2019. The same year he played the villain David Nix in Brad Bird's 2015 film Tomorrowland.[40] [41]

Laurie played arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper in the BBC 1 mini-series The Night Manager. The series started filming in spring 2015 and aired first on the BBC.[42] He was nominated for two Emmys for his work on the miniseries and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. In addition to being an Executive Producer on the show alongside Tom Hiddleston, it was also Laurie's first role on British TV in thirteen years.

Laurie starred as Dr Eldon Chance, a San Francisco-based forensic neuropsychiatrist in the Hulu thriller series Chance which lasted for two seasons from 2016 to 2017.[43] [44] In 2018 Laurie had a small role in the critically panned film Holmes & Watson.

In 2019 Laurie appeared in Veep creator Armando Iannucci's film The Personal History of David Copperfield, an adaptation of the novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. That same year it was announced he would also work with Iannucci on the upcoming space comedy Avenue 5 for HBO.[45] Season 2 of Avenue 5 was released on 10 October 2022, with Laurie reprising his role as Captain Ryan.[46]

It was reported in February 2023 that Laurie would be the feature guest star for the third season of Tehran.[47] [48]

Music

Laurie took piano lessons from the age of six. He sings and plays the piano, guitar, drums, harmonica, and saxophone. He has displayed his musical talents throughout his acting career, such as on A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, House and when he hosted Saturday Night Live in October 2006. He is a vocalist and keyboard player for the Los Angeles charity rock group Band From TV.

Following Meat Loaf's appearance in the House episode "Simple Explanation", Laurie played piano as a special guest on the song "If I Can't Have You" from Meat Loaf's 2010 album Hang Cool Teddy Bear. Laurie co-wrote and performed the humorous blues song, "Sperm Test in the Morning", in the film Maybe Baby.[49]

On House Laurie played several classic rock 'n roll instruments including Gibson Flying V and Les Paul guitars. His character has a Hammond B-3 organ in his home and on one episode performed the introduction to Procol Harum's classic "Whiter Shade of Pale".[50]

On 26 July 2010 it was announced that Laurie would be releasing a blues album after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records.[51] The album, called Let Them Talk, was released in France on 18 April 2011 and in Germany on 29 April. The album features collaborations from well-known artists such as Tom Jones, Irma Thomas and Dr. John.

On 1 May 2011 Laurie and a jazz quintet closed the 2011 Cheltenham Jazz Festival to great acclaim.[52] He followed that up as the subject of the 15 May 2011 episode of ITV's series Perspectives, explaining his love for the music of New Orleans and playing music, from his album Let Them Talk, at studios and live venues in the city itself.[53] He was the subject of PBS Great Performances Let them Talk, also about New Orleans jazz, first broadcast on 30 September 2011.[54]

His second album, Didn't It Rain, was released in the UK on 6 May 2013.[55] In the same year he played at the together with his band. This concert was filmed and later released as Live on the Queen Mary on DVD and Blu-ray.

Writing

In 1996 Laurie's first novel, The Gun Seller, an intricate thriller laced with Wodehouseian humour, was published and became a best-seller.[7] He has since been working on the screenplay for a film version. His second novel, The Paper Soldier, was scheduled for September 2009 but has yet to appear.

Personal life

Laurie married theatre administrator Jo Green on 16 June 1989 in the Camden area of London.[56] They have three children, Charlie, Bill, and Rebecca.[57] Laurie's elder son Charlie played a small role as baby William in A Bit of Fry & Laurie, during a sketch titled "Special Squad". His daughter Rebecca had a role in the film Wit as five-year-old Vivian Bearing. Stephen Fry, Laurie's best friend and long-time comedy partner, was the best man at his wedding and is the godfather of his children.[58]

While appearing on Inside the Actors Studio in 2006 he discussed his struggles with severe clinical depression.[7] He told host James Lipton that he first concluded he had a problem while driving in a charity demolition derby, during which he realised that seeing two cars collide and explode made him feel bored rather than excited or frightened; he quipped that "boredom is not an appropriate response to exploding cars".[7] As of 2006 he was having regular sessions with a psychotherapist.[7] [11]

Laurie admires the writings of P. G. Wodehouse, explaining in a 27 May 1999 article in The Daily Telegraph how reading Wodehouse novels had saved his life.[59] In an interview also in The Daily Telegraph, he confirmed that he is an atheist.[60] He is an avid motorcycle enthusiast and has two motorbikes, one at his London home and one at his Los Angeles home. His bike in the U.S. is a Triumph Bonneville, his self-proclaimed "feeble attempt to fly the British flag".[61]

In June 2013 Laurie was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, where he chose tracks from Joe Cocker, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Randy Newman, Professor Longhair, Son House, Nina Simone, Lester Young–Buddy Rich Trio, and Van Morrison as his eight favourite discs.[62] This was his second appearance on the show, having previously been on a 1996 episode, where he chose tracks by Muddy Waters, Max Bruch, the Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra with Count Basie, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Van Morrison.[63]

Laurie is a supporter of Arsenal FC.[64]

Recognition

Laurie has won three Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and has been nominated for 10 Primetime Emmy Awards.[65] [66]

On 23 May 2007 Laurie was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama in the 2007 New Year Honours.[67] [68] [69] He was promoted to Commander of the same Order (CBE) for his services to drama in the 2018 New Year Honours.

In March 2012 Laurie was made an Honorary Fellow of his alma mater Selwyn College, Cambridge.[70] [71]

In October 2016 he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[72]

Filmography

style="background:#FFFFCC;"
Denotes works that have not yet been released

Live-action performances

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985PlentyMichael
1989StraplessColin
1992Peter's FriendsRoger Charleston
1994Uncle
1995Sense and SensibilityMr. Palmer
1996101 DalmatiansJasper Badun
1997Spice WorldHercule Poirot
Police Officer Steady
Steve Harris
1998Pierre
Cousin BetteBaron Hector Hulot
1999Viscount George Bufton-Tufton / Georgius
Stuart LittleMr. Frederick Little
2000Maybe BabySam Bell
2001Girl from RioRaymond Woods
2002Stuart Little 2Mr. Frederick Little
2003Lord Bernard Clark
2004Flight of the PhoenixIan
2005Doctor
2008Street KingsCaptain James Biggs
2011David Walling
2012Mr. PipMr. Watts[73]
2015TomorrowlandDavid Nix
2018Holmes & WatsonMycroft Holmes
2019The Personal History of David CopperfieldMr. Dick

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1981Various charactersWriter
1982
1983Alfresco
1984Lord MontyEpisode: "Bambi"
1985Letters from a Bomber PilotPilot Officer Bob Hodgson
Mrs. Capper's BirthdayBobby
Happy FamiliesJim
1986Blackadder IISimon PartridgeEpisode: "Beer"
Prince Ludwig the IndestructibleEpisode: "Chains"
1987Filthy Rich & CatflapN'Bend
Blackadder the ThirdGeorge, Prince of Wales, The Prince Regent
1988Blackadder's Christmas CarolPrince George
1989Blackadder Goes ForthLt. the Honourable George Colhurst St. Barleigh
The New StatesmanWaiter
1989–1995Various CharactersWriter
1990–1993Jeeves and WoosterBertie Wooster
1993All or Nothing at AllLeo Hopkins3 episodes
1996Tracey Takes On...Timothy Bugge3 episodes
1998FriendsGentleman on the PlaneEpisode: "The One with Ross's Wedding (Part 2)"
Defence CounselEpisode: "Good Faith: Part 1"
1999The Nearly Complete and Utter History of EverythingFrench AmbassadorSketch: Treaty of Westphalia
2000Randall & HopkirkDr. LawyerEpisode: "Mental Apparition Disorder"
2001Vincente Minnelli
2002Various Characters
SpooksJools Siviter
2003FortysomethingPaul SlipperyAlso directed three episodes
2004Fire Engine FredNarrator
2004–2012HouseDr. Gregory HouseLead role, also directed episodes "Lockdown" and "The C-Word"
2006, 2008Saturday Night LiveHostEpisodes: "Hugh Laurie/Beck" and
"Hugh Laurie/Kanye West"
2011Later... with Jools HollandHimselfGuest performance/interview
2015–2019Veep[74] Sen. Tom James20 episodes
2016The Night ManagerRichard Onslow RoperMiniseries
2016–2017Chance[75] Dr. Eldon Chance20 episodes
2019Catch-22Major de CoverleyMiniseries; 6 episodes
2020–2022Avenue 5Ryan ClarkMain cast
2020Roadkill[76] Peter Laurence[77] Miniseries; 4 episodes
2022Why Didn't They Ask Evans?[78] Dr. James NicholsonMain cast, also writer and director
2023All the Light We Cannot SeeEtienne LeBlancMiniseries; 4 episodes

Voice performances

YearTitleRoleNotes
1993–1995Squire Trelawney
1995The Snow QueenPeeps[79]
The World of Peter Rabbit and FriendsJohnny Town-MouseEpisode: "The Tale of Two Bad Mice and Johnny Town-Mouse"
1996The Snow Queen's RevengePeeps
1997Tarquin
2000Preston PigMr. Wolf
CarnivaleCenzo
2001Discovering the Real World of Harry PotterNarrator
Second Star to the LeftArchie
2001, 2010Family GuyBar Patron, Dr. Gregory House, HimselfEpisodes: "One If by Clam, Two If by Sea", "Business Guy"
2003Stuart LittleFrederick Little
2005ValiantWing Commander Gutsy
Frederick LittleDirect-to-video
2009Monsters vs. AliensDr. Herbert CockroachNominated – Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
B.O.B's Big BreakShort film
2010RogerEpisode: "Treehouse of Horror XXI"
2011HopMr. Bunny
Arthur ChristmasSteve
2022The Amazing Maurice Maurice
2023The Canterville GhostThe Grim Reaper
People Who Knew Me N/APodcast series[80]

Documentaries

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010Fry and Laurie ReunitedHimselfDocumentary
2011Down by the RiverHimselfDocumentary
2013Copper Bottom BluesHimselfDocumentary

Video games

Discography

Albums

Title!rowspan="2" style="width:225px;"
Album detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[82]
AUS
[83]
AUT
[84]
FRA
[85]
GER
[86]
IRE
[87]
NL
[88] [89]
NZ
[90]
SWI
[91]
US
Let Them Talk 2 37 1 2 8 14 25 26 4 16
Didn't It Rain
  • Released: 6 May 2013
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
  • Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download
3 35 10 3 41 21 32 22 3 21
  • BPI: Silver[94]
  • SNEP: Gold

Singles

Title!rowspan="2"
YearPeak chart
positions
Album
UK
[95]
AUT
BEL
(WA)

[96] [97]
"You Don't Know My Mind"20111644720Let Them Talk
"Winin' Boy Blues"
"Wild Honey"[98] 201336Didn't It Rain

Featured singles

Title!rowspan="2"
YearPeak chart
positions
Album
UK
NL Top 40
[99]
"Stick It Out" (Right Said Fred and Friends)[100] 1993448
"If I Can't Have You" (Meat Loaf, featuring Kara DioGuardi & Hugh Laurie)[101] 2010Hang Cool Teddy Bear

Other charting songs

Title!rowspan="2"
YearPeak chart positionsAlbum
CAN
[102]
FRA
US
[103]
"St James' Infirmary"201192Let Them Talk
"Police Dog Blues"3958
"Guess I'm a Fool"67
"Unchain My Heart"201386Didn't It Rain
"Louisiana Blues"96
"The St. Louis Blues"133

Music videos

List of music video appearances! Year! Artist! Song! Album
1986Kate BushVideo for "Experiment IV"The Whole Story
1992Annie LennoxVideo for "Walking on Broken Glass"Diva

DVDs/Blu-ray

List of DVD/Blu-ray releases! Year! DVD/Blu-ray! Notes
2013Live on the Queen MaryRecorded live 2013 on the RMS Queen Mary together with band

Awards and honours

See main article: List of awards and nominations received by Hugh Laurie.

Commonwealth honours

Commonwealth honours
DateAppointmentPost-nominal letters
2007–2018 OBE
2018–present CBE

Scholastic

University degrees
Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships
DateSchoolPosition
July 2018–present Honorary Member[104]
11 July 2020–present Honorary Fellow[105]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Guinness Book of Records: Hugh Laurie is most watched man on television . 15 September 2011 . The Daily Telegraph . 8 June 2023.
  2. Web site: Kaplan . Don . Ashton Kutcher tops Forbes' highest-paid TV actor list, followed by Hugh Laurie and Ray Romano . https://archive.today/20130130144936/http://m.nydailynews.com/1.1185868 . dead . 30 January 2013 . Daily News . New York . 13 June 2013 .
  3. Web site: Hugh Laurie bids farewell to 'House' (and $700K salary) in April . 9 February 2012 . TheStar.com.
  4. Encyclopedia: Hugh Laurie . . 14 September 2018.
  5. News: In pictures: Entertainment stars recognised in New Year Honours . Entertainment & Arts team . . 29 December 2017 . 30 December 2017.
  6. News: Hugh Laurie: Because he's worth it . . 9 July 2011.
  7. Hugh Laurie . Inside the Actors Studio . Inside the Actors Studio . Host: James Lipton . Bravo . 31 July 2006 . 12 . 18.
  8. Web site: Hugh Laurie Biography (1959–) . 13 May 2008 . Film Reference.
  9. Web site: House Star Hugh Laurie Supports 'Save the Children' . 4 June 2012 . Save the Children.
  10. Interview . . December 1992 . 105.
  11. News: Faces of the week . 13 May 2008 . BBC . 20 January 2006.
  12. Web site: Our History . St Columba's United Reformed Church, Oxford.
  13. Dr. Feelbad . Rolling Stone . Strauss, Neil . https://web.archive.org/web/20070401072046/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/13893076/dr_feelbad_hugh_laurie_became_the_dark_prince_of_prime_time_by_playing_the_best_vicodinaddicted_t . dead . 1 April 2007 . 5 April 2007 . 13 May 2008.
  14. News: Hugh Laurie interview . The Daily Telegraph . 11 December 2012 . 3 June 2009 . Husband . Stuart .
  15. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sunday-telegraph/man-about-the-house/story-e6frewt9-1111114738268 Man about the House
  16. Web site: Hugh Laurie: Wodehouse Saved my Life . 4 June 2012 . The Daily Telegraph . 25 May 1999.
  17. Book: Challen, Paul . The House That Hugh Laurie Built: An Unauthorized Biography and Episode Guide . ECW Press; TELE edition . 2008 . 9781550228038 . 10.
  18. Web site: Welcome back to Selwyn! . https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120712162327/http://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/alumni/Selwyn%20Honorary%20Fellows%20Announcement.pdf . dead . 12 July 2012 . Selwyn College . 13 June 2013 .
  19. Book: Challen, Paul . The House That Hugh Laurie Built: An Unauthorized Biography and Episode Guide . ECW Press; TELE edition . 2008 . 9781550228038 . 13.
  20. "Henley Royal Regatta Results of Final Races – 1946–2003 (1980). " RowingHistory.net.
  21. News: Hugh Laurie on House, fame and LA . Crampton, Robert . The Times . UK . 30 March 2008 . 29 March 2008 .
  22. News: Husband . Stuart . Hugh Laurie interview at . The Daily Telegraph . UK . 3 June 2009 . 12 August 2011.
  23. http://www.motleyhealth.com/celeb/hugh-laurie-the-super-fit-athlete-and-actor Hugh Laurie – the Super Fit Athlete and Actor
  24. Web site: The Tatler List . Tatler. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160205224814/http://www.tatler.com/the-tatler-list . 5 February 2016.
  25. Web site: The Young Ones – Bambi . 10 February 2007 . Transcription of the "Young Ones" episode "Bambi" as it aired on American MTV in the mid-'80s . https://web.archive.org/web/20070309155934/http://www.fortunecity.com/lavendar/hawkslane/231/yo21.html . 9 March 2007 . dead .
  26. Web site: "LETTERS FROM A BOMBER PILOT (1985)" at bfi.org . https://web.archive.org/web/20120517160335/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/410109 . dead . 17 May 2012 . Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk . 16 April 2009 . 12 August 2011.
  27. Book: Billboard . 7 December 2002 . 7 November 2011 . 26 .
  28. News: Hugh Laurie Gets Into 'House' . Bill, Keveney . 15 November 2004 . USA Today . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230429134259/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-11-15-hugh-laurie_x.htm . 2023-04-29.
  29. News: Tormented Doctor Turns to Directing . 16 June 2010 . Bill, Carter . 11 April 2010 . The New York Times.
  30. Web site: Hugh Laurie: Directing House episode for final series was huge responsibility . . 1 February 2013 . 3 May 2012.
  31. Web site: Hugh Laurie Emmy Nominated . Emmys.com . 30 April 2012.
  32. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20090422200515/http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/1416%2Cfeatures%2Cfans-fury-over-laurie8217s-emmy-snub . 22 April 2009 . Fans' fury over Laurie's Emmy snub . Anne . Bergman . . dead .
  33. Web site: Superman Returns: The New Lex Luthor – Movies Feature at IGN . https://web.archive.org/web/20120501015024/http://movies.ign.com/articles/701/701987p1.html . 1 May 2012 . 1 May 2012 . movies.ign.com.
  34. Web site: Hugh Laurie in The Simpsons 'Treehouse of Horror XXI': B-Roll . 27 October 2010 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/eOx5vZk_wtU . 29 October 2021 . YouTube . 18 September 2013.
  35. News: Hugh Laurie in talks to play villain in Robocop remake . The Guardian . 13 June 2012 . 6 February 2014.
  36. Web site: Hugh Laurie won't be in the RoboCop reboot . 28 August 2012.
  37. Web site: Whitty . Stephen . 'The Oranges' review: Lust and found in New Jersey . . 9 January 2013 . 5 October 2012.
  38. Web site: 'House's' Hugh Laurie Near Deal to Star in NBC Pirate Drama 'Crossbones' . . 20 November 2012 .
  39. Web site: Phelan . Paige . 'Veep' Creator Talks Selina's Political Competition and Hugh Laurie's "Big Hitter" . . 12 April 2015 .
  40. Web site: Leaked plot to Brad Bird's Tomorrowland sounds like Disney's Brave New World . Meredith . Woerner . 3 March 2013 . io9.com . 3 March 2013.
  41. News: 22 May 2015 . Hugh Laurie challenges Hollywood's 'scary' view of future . BBC News . 14 April 2022.
  42. Web site: Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston to Star in The Night Manager . BBC . 4 March 2015 . 12 January 2015.
  43. 'Chance' Drama Series Starring Hugh Laurie Lands 2-Season Order At Hulu . Deadline . 27 October 2016 . 6 January 2016.
  44. Web site: Goodman . Tim . 29 November 2017 . Critic's Notebook: No 'Chance' — How a Hulu Series Starring Hugh Laurie Disappeared Before Your Eyes . 14 April 2022 . The Hollywood Reporter .
  45. Web site: Otterson . Joe . Armando Iannucci Space Comedy 'Avenue 5' Ordered to Series at HBO . 28 April 2019 . 22 April 2019 .
  46. Web site: Hugh Laurie and Armando Iannucci on the Down-to-Earth Chaos in Season 2 of Outer-Space Comedy Avenue 5 . 23 October 2022 .
  47. News: Meiri . Gilad . 8 February 2023 . House star Hugh Laurie joins cast of Israeli hit show Tehran . ynet.news.com . 9 February 2023.
  48. News: Steinberg . Jessica . 9 February 2023 . Hugh Laurie joins 'Tehran' cast for season 3 of Israeli TV series . The Times of Israel . 10 February 2023.
  49. Web site: Hugh Laurie Filmography . . 11 May 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130820152834/http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/person/hugh-laurie/ . 20 August 2013.
  50. Web site: Hang Cool Teddy Bear by Meat Loaf . . 13 August 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100729145218/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/newreleases/release.aspx?releaseID=427 . 29 July 2010 .
  51. 'House' star Hugh Laurie to record blues album . Simon Vozick-Levinson . . 26 July 2010 . 13 August 2010.
  52. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/03/hugh-laurie-at-cheltenham-jazz-festival Hugh Laurie at Cheltenham Jazz Festival – Review
  53. "Down by the River" in Perspectives, broadcast on UK's ITV 15 May 2011.
  54. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/hugh-laurie-let-them-talk/about-the-concert/1172/ Hugh Laurie: Let Them Talk
  55. Web site: Didn't it Rain release date . Hugh Laurie . 26 March 2013.
  56. Web site: Hugh Laurie Biography. notablebiographies.com .
  57. Web site: A brighter life for Hugh Laurie . 13 June 2002 . Evening Standard . 27 October 2020.
  58. News: Smith . David . Doctor Hugh . 14 November 2011 . The Observer . 23 April 2005 . London.
  59. Web site: 13 May 2008 . Hugh Laurie Wodehouse Saved my Life . P. G. Wodehouse.
  60. Web site: Clune . Richard . Man about the House . The Daily Telegraph . Australia . 28 October 2007 . 30 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120820081425/https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/insider/man-about-the-house/story-e6frewt9-1111114738268#top . 20 August 2012.
  61. The Late Late Show, 5 May 2008.
  62. Web site: Hugh Laurie . BBC . 23 June 2013 . 28 June 2013.
  63. Web site: Desert Island Discs, Hugh Laurie . BBC Radio 4 . 19 January 1997 . 28 April 2016.
  64. News: Hugh Laurie: happy now?. . 13 November 2011 . 20 December 2022.
  65. News: Hugh Laurie . 4 September 2022 . Golden Globes.
  66. News: Emmy Awards . 4 September 2022 . Emmys.
  67. News: Rod and Zara top New Year Honours . BBC . 29 December 2006 . 13 May 2008.
  68. News: Queen hands OBE to actor Laurie . BBC . 23 May 2007 . 13 May 2008.
  69. News: 13 May 2008 . Hugh Laurie honoured by Queen Elizabeth II . USA Today . 23 May 2007.
  70. News: Selwyn honours alumnus Hugh Laurie . . 3 March 2012.
  71. News: Announcement . https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120712162327/http://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/alumni/Selwyn%20Honorary%20Fellows%20Announcement.pdf . dead . 12 July 2012 . . 2012 .
  72. Web site: 'Repulsively handsome' Hugh Laurie gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame . theguardian.com . 25 October 2016 . 27 October 2016.
  73. Web site: Hugh Laurie Starring In 'Mister Pip' For Andrew Adamson . The Film Stage . 13 April 2011 . 14 April 2012 . 12 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612163114/https://thefilmstage.com/news/hugh-laurie-starring-in-mister-pip-for-andrew-adamson/ . dead .
  74. Web site: Fowler . Matt . Hugh Laurie Joins Veep . IGN . 20 November 2014 . 24 December 2015.
  75. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . 'Chance' Drama Series Starring Hugh Laurie Lands 2-Season Order At Hulu . Deadline.com . 6 January 2016 . 28 April 2016.
  76. Web site: Hugh Laurie stars as a scandalous politician in first trailer for BBC One's Roadkill . Radio Times.
  77. Web site: BBC One releases first look image of Hugh Laurie in Roadkill – Media Centre . BBC.
  78. Web site: Agatha Christie adaptation filming in Surrey with director Hugh Laurie on set . getsurrey.co.uk . 15 June 2021 . 17 June 2021.
  79. Web site: Hugh Laurie (visual voices guide) . 1 October 2023 . Behind The Voice Actors. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  80. Web site: Rosamund Pike and Hugh Laurie star in poignant and heart-breaking audio drama People Who Knew Me coming to BBC Sounds . bbc.co.uk/mediacentre . 7 April 2023.
  81. Web site: 7 October 2014 . LittleBigPlanet 3: Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry in All-Star Cast . 3 February 2015 . Playstation Official Blog.
  82. Web site: Hugh Laurie full Official Chart History . . 13 May 2022.
  83. Web site: Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain . australian-charts.com . 31 July 2020.
  84. Web site: Discographie Hugh Laurie . austriancharts.at . 31 July 2020.
  85. Web site: Discographie Hugh Laurie . lescharts.com . 31 July 2020.
  86. Web site: Home . Offizielle Deutsche Charts . 31 July 2020.
  87. Web site: Discography Hugh Laurie . irish-charts.com . 31 July 2020.
  88. Web site: Discografie Hugh Laurie . dutchcharts.nl . 31 July 2020.
  89. Web site: Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain . dutchcharts.nl . 13 June 2013.
  90. Web site: Discography Hugh Laurie . charts.nz . 31 July 2020.
  91. Web site: Hugh Laurie . hitparade.ch . 31 July 2020.
  92. Web site: BPI Highest Certifications . British Phonographic Industry . 17 September 2011 . 13 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120313211501/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx . dead.
  93. Web site: Annee 2013 – Certifications AU 05/11/2013 . 19 April 2014.
  94. Web site: British Phonographic Industry Certified Awards Search . British Phonographic Industry . 17 June 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130124005813/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx . 24 January 2013 .
  95. Web site: Chart Log UK: New Entries Update . 30 April 2012.
  96. Web site: Hugh Laurie – You Don't Know My Mind . ultratop.be . 13 June 2013.
  97. Web site: Hugh Laurie – Wild Honey . ultratop.be . 13 June 2013.
  98. Web site: Hugh Laurie – Wild Honey . dutchcharts.nl . 13 June 2013.
  99. Web site: Top 40: Right Said Fred & Hugh & Peter & Alan & Jools & Steve & Clive & Linda & Pauline & Richard & Rob & Basil & Bernard – Stick It Out . Top40.nl . 13 June 2013.
  100. Web site: Stick It Out by Right Said Fred And Friends Search . 11 July 2013 . The Official Charts Company.
  101. Web site: If I Can't Have You – EP by Meat Loaf . iTunes Store . 25 October 2010 . 13 June 2013.
  102. Web site: Hugh Laurie – Police Dog Blues – Music Charts . Acharts.us . 30 April 2012.
  103. Billboard Updates 14 September 2011 . Billboard . 12 May 2007 . 13 June 2013.
  104. Web site: Hugh Laurie and Imelda Staunton awarded Honorary Membership . Royal Academy of Music . 11 July 2020 . 11 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200711213213/https://www.ram.ac.uk/about-us/news/royal-academy-of-music-awards-honorary-membership-to-hugh-laurie-and-imelda-staunton . dead .
  105. Web site: Hugh Laurie installed as honorary fellow of Selwyn . Varsity Online . 31 July 2020.