Hugh Laurie

Hugh got married to theatre personality Jo Green on June 16, 1989 and has three children. His sons, Charles and William, were born in 1988 and 1991 respectively. His daughter, Rebecca, was born in 1993.

Hugh Laurie was awarded with the OBE or the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2007 for his services toward drama.

The actor suffers from severe clinical depression and has been in therapy for years.

James Hugh Laurie was born on June 11, 1959 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England to parents of Scottish descent. His father, William George Ranald Mundell "Ran" Laurie, was a doctor and an Olympic gold medal winner in rowing at the 1984 London Games. He had a strained relationship with his mother, Patricia Laidlaw. Hugh has two older sisters, Susan and Janet, and an older brother, Charles Alexander Lyon Mundell Laurie.

His parents attended St. Columba's Presbyterian Church of England and the Presbyterian upbringing would have a lasting impact on Laurie’s life. He has always said that he doesn’t know how to handle pleasure and what exactly to do with it after having earned it. He lost his mother to motor neurone disease in 1989.

Laurie attended the Dragon School in Oxford until he was 13 years old. He would later admit hat he was not a good student. He then went to study at Eton College in Windsor. He also attended the Selwyn College under the University of Cambridge, as his father had also attended the same college.

He wanted to be like his father and studied archaeology and social anthropology. Laurie won the British National Title in 1977 in junior coxless rowing and went on to represent Great Britain at the 1977 Junior World Rowing Championships. He was a part of the Eton Vikings rowing club and won the Blue Award in 1980 at the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

Hugh Laurie came under the limelight after being a part of the comedy series, ‘A Bit of Fry & Laurie’. He acted alongside another British actor, Stephen Fry. The series, aired from 1987 to 1995, served as a launchpad for both the actors.

In 1982, the actor appeared in several minor roles in the TV series, ‘There’s Nothing to Worry About!’From 1983 to 1984, Laurie was seen in various series and TV films like ‘The Crystal Cube’, ‘Keep Off the Grass’ and ‘The Young Ones’. Around the same time, the actor was also seen playing several roles in the TV series, ‘Alfresco’.

While he played a minor role in the TV show ‘Happy Families’ in 1985, it was the BBC series ‘Blackadder II’ that made him a household name. Laurie’s performance in ‘Blackadder II’ made him a regular in the third season of the series in 1987. In ‘Blackadder the Third’ he played the prominent role of George, Prince of Wales.

In 1987, Laurie acted in the TV movie ‘Up Line’ and played the role of Prince George in the 1988 TV short, ‘Blackadder’s Christmas Carol’. He also had a role as Mr. Mott in the TV series ‘Les Girls’. The next year, he was seen in the romantic drama movie, ‘Strapless’.

1989 saw the British actor returning to the fourth installment of the BBC series ‘Blackadder’ and this time around the show was titled as ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’. The series was a huge hit and starred actors like Stephen Fry and Rowan Atkinson. Laurie portrayed the role of Lt. the Honourable George Colhurst St. Barleigh in episodes, ‘Corporal Punishment’, ‘Major Star’, ‘Private Plane’, ‘General Hospital’ and ‘Goodbyeee’.

Laurie is famous for portraying the iconic role of Dr. Gregory House in ‘House, M.D.’, for which he received nominations at Emmy Awards. Guinness World Records listed him as the most watched actor in 2011, and he was one of the highest paid actors, receiving up to US$409,000 for each episode that he was part of.