Hugh Laurie Bio - Hugh Laurie Biography

Hugh Laurie: Biography

James Hugh Calum Laurie was born on June 11, 1959, and was the youngest of four children of Dr. William George Ranald "Ran" Mundell and Patricia Laurie. He attended the Dragon School, a well-known prep school in Oxford, before going on to Eton and Selwyn College.

His first distinctions at Eton were in rowing. In 1977, he was half of the junior coxed pair that won the English national title. Representing England's Youth Team at the 1977 World Championships, he and his partner finished fourth. Later he also achieved a Blue by rowing for Cambridge in the 1980 University Boat Race. By this time, he was also pursuing a career in the Cambridge Footlights, of which he became president in 1981.

At Cambridge, Hugh first worked with Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry. Subsequently, all three launched successful careers in comedy and acting. As well as writing for television, Hugh published a novel, The Gun Seller, and has another novel (Paper Soldier) due out tentatively in 2009.

Hugh had a very successful comedy career on British television hosting A Bit of Fry and Laurie with popular comedian, Stephen Fry. The show consisted of comedy sketches and anecdotes. He also appeared alongside Rowan Atkinson in the British comedy hit series Blackadder as the Prince Regent and later as a less-than-intelligent soldier in World War I.

In his role as cantankerous and antisocial Dr. Gregory House in the FOX series House, Laurie has become a renowned award-winning actor in the United States. On May 23, 2007, Hugh Laurie was honored with the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Laurie has been married to Jo Green since 1989. The couple has three children, Charlie, Bill and Rebecca.

The Hollywood Reporter (September 12, 2008) published Hugh Laurie will receive a salary increase that will place him among the highest-paid actors on television. The reported contract, set at approximately $400,000 per show or $9 million per year, also extends his tenure on House through the 2011-2012 television season as well as awarding Mr. Laurie with a producing credit on the series.(edit)
According to ContactMusic.com (September 2, 2008), Laurie's dearest wish is to purchase a vintage motorcycle and make a cross-country trip across America before he turns 50 in 2009.(edit)
The announcement was made on July 17, 2008, that both Hugh Laurie and House were nominated for 2008 Emmy awards. Mr. Laurie will also be a presenter at the event.(edit)
According to E! News (March 11, 2008), House's Hugh Laurie has been signed to voice insect-headed Dr. Cockroach in DreamWorks Animation's next computer-generated cartoon Monsters vs. Aliens.(edit)
Hugh Laurie presented the "Best Original Screenplay Award" to Diablo Cody for Juno at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards on February 11, 2008.(edit)
Hugh Laurie attended the Orange British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Opera House on February 10, 2008.(edit)
Hugh Laurie made an appearance at Super Bowl XLII. When interviewed by Ryan Seacrest, he said this was his first football game and he was supporting the Giants.(edit)
According to the Harris poll (January 2008), Hugh Laurie remained in fourth place in his second year on the list as America's favorite television personality.(edit)
On December 20, 2007, Hugh Laurie was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series category for his performance on House.(edit)
On December 13, 2007, Hugh Laurie was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama category for his performance in House. House was also nominated in the Best Series, Drama category.(edit)
Hugh Laurie was chosen as one of People magazine's Sexiest Men Alive for 2007.(edit)
During Mr. Laurie's appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (September 21, 2007), he mentioned the Band From TV version of "Minnie the Moocher" was the most popular downloaded song on iTunes.(edit)
Hugh Laurie was the recipient of the Teen Choice TV Drama Actor Award for 2007 (August 26, 2007).(edit)
The announcement was made on July 19, 2007, that both Hugh Laurie and House were nominated for 2007 Emmy awards.(edit)
On June 5, 2007, Hugh Laurie was nominated by the Television Critics Association in the Individual Achievement in Drama category for his performance on House.(edit)
According to Variety (April 30, 2007), Hugh Laurie accepted a key supporting role in his first major project since House. He joined Keanu Reeves, Chris Evans and Forest Whitaker in Street Kings, a drama that centered around a veteran LAPD cop who turned to alcohol after the death of his wife. Laurie played Captain James Biggs, an internal affairs officer. The film was released in April 2008.(edit)
Hugh Laurie attended the gala Red Tie Affair event on March 24, 2007, that recognizes the 90 years of service the Santa Monica chapter of the American Red Cross has provided to the community. In the festive spirit of the affair, Mr. Laurie wore red socks.(edit)
In March 2007, Hugh Laurie autographed a 2005 CBR1000RR Repsol sports bike, a replica of the motorcycle he rides on House, to be auctioned online to raise money for the American Red Cross.(edit)
On March 13, 2007, it was announced that Hugh Laurie had been nominated for the 11th Annual PRISM Award - Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline for his performance on House.(edit)
On January 28, 2007, Hugh Laurie won his first Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for his performance on House.(edit)
According to the new Harris poll (January 2007), Hugh Laurie has debuted in fourth place as America's favorite television personality.(edit)
On January 15, 2007, Hugh Laurie won his second Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama (2006) for his performance on House.(edit)
The International Press Academy 11th Anniversary Satellite Awards announced Hugh Laurie as the winner of Actor in a Series, Drama award for House.(edit)
Hugh Laurie was featured in People Magazine (November 27, 2006) Sexiest Men Alive 2006 issue in the "Sexy at every age, Age 47" category.(edit)
On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (November 6, 2006), Hugh Laurie admitted to Jay that he has a tendency to sleep while standing up and has actually fallen asleep while riding his motorcycle. He also revealed he rarely feels as though he is having fun due to his Presbyterian upbringing.(edit)
When he was asked how life has changed since the show got so big (USA Today, July 26, 2006), Hugh lamented that if he had a life it would be very different. He said he goes to work at 6 in the morning and works until 10 at night. When he gets home, he watches watches a TiVo'd version of American Chopper while he eats cold spaghetti, then goes to bed. Regarding his off time, he told reporters when the show was on hiatus, he did basically nothing. He'd gone back to England, walked the dog, and played the piano.(edit)
Hugh Laurie was featured on yet another cover of TV Guide (April 17-22, 2006). When asked about his new status as a primetime hunk, he commented that he refuted and rebuffed the whole ridiculous notion.(edit)
In a 2005 phone interview, Matt Witten said whenever Hugh Laurie is on the set, and the whole day he is performing, he only speaks in his American accent, including at the office or at read-throughs. Witten recalled one night when Laurie took him and others out to dinner, Hugh began speaking in his natural accent and said everyone was stunned. Witten and the others teased him humorously, saying that's enough with the fake British accent.(edit)
Many Fox stars, including Hugh Laurie, turned out to help the network introduce its 2006 fall lineup to advertisers at New York City's Armory. After clips were shown from House, Hugh Laurie disarmed the crowd with his British humor, then told everyone he finds it very difficult to watch the show himself.(edit)
When interviewed at the FOX party at the Ritz-Carlton following the 2006 TCA summer tour, Hugh told reporters he doesn't want to know what is going to happen on House. He quipped jokingly that he didn't even want to know what's going to happen after lunch.(edit)
When discussing his family on Inside the Actors Studio (July 31, 2006), especially his mother during his childhood years, Mr. Laurie told host James Lipton that pleasure was something that was treated with great suspicion. Later in the show, he and Mr. Lipton both touched on the fact that the attitude still has a great impact on his life today.(edit)
When Ellen DeGeneres asked Hugh Laurie on her show (September 12, 2006) if he finds it easier to work with an American accent after two seasons on House, he told her it was the single most difficult thing he has to do everyday. He lamented that almost every other thing done in life, whether it's making omelettes or having sex, a person gets better at it the more it's done. But, for some reason, he finds putting on the accent is as hard today as it was on the first day.(edit)
In a 2006 interview, Hugh Laurie discussed various aspects of his new-found fame in America and his role on House with reporters.

He noted the one thing he has in common with his character is a ready wit, although his humor tends to be more self-deprecating than sarcastic. Mr. Laurie explained his thoughts regarding the before and after of his skyrocketing success by admitting he hadn't factored in the brilliance of the writers and the overwhelming generosity of Americans.(edit)
In an interview to Melanie McFarland, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Hugh was quoted as saying he was astonished and completely shocked when he first learned he'd been nominated for a Golden Globe award. He said his first thought was he needed to call his wife, Jo. He then realized he was speaking to his wife on the phone - she'd called him at 6 o'clock in the morning to give him the news. He then commented jokingly about her being 'connected.'(edit)
A significant part of Hugh's comedy career was his portrayal of Bertie Wooster alongside Stephen Fry's Reginald Jeeves in Jeeves and Wooster, adaptations of P.G. Wodehouse's stories about the English upperclass. The series was seen in the U.S. on various PBS stations.(edit)
Mr. Laurie's youngest child and only daughter, Rebecca (born in 1992), had a role in the film Wit (2001) as Vivian Bearing, age 5. The starring role of the adult Vivian was played by Emma Thompson, a close friend of Hugh's since their years at Cambridge.(edit)
In 2006, while filming an episode of House, Hugh was left temporarily deaf on one side for most of the day when a gun loaded with blanks was fired too close to his ears. Hugh insisted worst things had happened to him during sword-fighting scenes on stage in England.(edit)
Hugh Laurie made his second appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 12, 2006. After Ellen showered praise on him as well as House, he presented her with a Berlitz Spanish course.

Ellen showed a clip of Hugh's Polaroid commercial he'd made around 25 years ago and mentioned it was the most downloaded video on the AOL website.
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When Hugh Laurie, Jamie Denton, Greg Grunberg, Bob Guiney, and Bonnie Somerville performed at the TV Guide Emmy Party, they asked for, and received, $200,000 that was split equally and donated to charity. The band, called Band From TV, will now be making special appearances. Hugh will donate most of his share to the Save The Children organization. (edit)
At the 58th Annual Emmy Awards, Hugh Laurie and Helen Mirren presented the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a movie or miniseries.(edit)
According to Entertainment Weekly (August 25, 2006), the first thing Hugh Laurie did when he learned he'd won the lead role in House was go shopping for a cane. He looked all over London to find the perfect one, and found it in a little shop in London. It was made out of rare Malaysian wood and had beautiful ivory rings and a gorgeous horn handle. Although it was very politically incorrect, it called to him like Excalibur. The minute he saw it, he thought, 'This is the one. This is House's cane.'

Unfortunately, that cane was broken by a closing soundstage gate during filming the pilot and had to be replaced with a duplicate.(edit)
In his column, Tim Goodman (television critic for the San Francisco Chronicle) said of Hugh Laurie on his Television Critics Association win for Individual Achievement in Drama, "He's a funny man, seemed to appreciate his award and seemed to tolerate being talked to."(edit)
Hugh Laurie's name was on the first list of presenters for the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards to be held on August 27, 2006.
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After two months of negotiations, various media sources reported Hugh Laurie will now command nearly triple his previous salary. As part of the new agreement, he agreed to extend his current contract on House for another year. Also, he will receive a share of the profits when the show goes into syndication.
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Hugh Laurie appeared at the Indianapolis Convention Center on July 2, 2006, to help DaimlerChrysler announce its American cars with German engineering.(edit)
When USA Today reporters contacted David Shore to discuss the Emmy nomination for House, he brought up the snub for Hugh Laurie and said, "We've got to give Hugh a producer credit so he can get a trophy. He is House. Literally. A lot of the attention we've gotten over the couple years has been focused on him and rightfully so."(edit)
When FOX announced the Teen Choice 2006 nominations for the hottest celebrities in film, television, music, sports, and fashion, Hugh Laurie's name was on the TV Choice Actor list.
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Jenny Cooney Carillo of TV Week (Australia) asked the cast of House what they'd like to see their character do. Hugh responded, "I'd like to disappear so we could spend the whole episode with everybody asking 'Where's House?'"
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Australian magazine Who included Hugh Laurie in its "Sexiest People 2006" issue. (edit)
In his May 26, 2006, review of the season finales, Robert Bianco of USA Today gave his opinion of House. "It takes a great show to get something completely fresh and arresting out of the season's - if not TV's - most tired trick: shooting a regular character. Luckily, there's no better character on TV than House and no better actor than Hugh Laurie."
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Hugh Laurie attended the 2006 British Academy of Film and Television Awards held on May 7, 2006.
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Katie Shore gave her opinion to interviewer Maureen Ryan in a Chicago Tribune article (May 1, 2006) on why she thinks Hugh Laurie isn't a fan of being called a "hottie." ...I think it's just sort of foreign to him. The majority of roles that he's played up 'til now is sort of the clown. And I imagine that has been something he feels more comfortable playing. But in truth, he is a serious [actor]. And a sexy guy in real life. I think it comes really naturally to him, and obviously he doesn't feel that way. I think it's who he really is, I mean, he's a musician, he's incredibly funny, incredibly smart, incredibly masculine and those are all qualities he brings to the character. But he feels very separate from this identity as a sex symbol. But it's very easy to see how he is one."
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As part of the celebrity band 16:9 and wearing a tee shirt with "1-800-Autopsy" across the front, Hugh Laurie played keyboard with James Denton, Greg Grunberg, and Bob Guiney at the Guitar Center Music Foundation Benefit on March 14, 2006.
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Hugh Laurie was nominated for a 10th Annual 2006 Prism Award for his performance on House.
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On Late Night With David Letterman (February 24, 2006), Mr. Laurie spoke with pride about his father's accomplishment in the 1936 Olympics and winning a Gold Medal in Rowing. He also mentioned his father had witnessed Hitler storming out of the stadium when Jesse Owens won his medals.
When Letterman asked him to say something in his American accent, he declined and quipped, "I'm off the clock." He went on to say it was so difficult to say "New York" that he told everyone he was going to Chicago for the late show appearance.
Another humorous comment was his relating how someone on the internet had said "he laughed with an English accent."(edit)
Hugh Laurie reads. In the February 2006 issue, he told O, The Oprah Magazine the following books are among his favorites: The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck), Moby Dick (Herman Melville), The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (John Le Carré), Darwin's Dangerous Idea (Daniel C. Dennett), Catch-22 (Joseph Heller), and The Code of the Woosters (P.G. Wodehouse).(edit)
Hugh Laurie won the 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama. His wife, Jo, and best friend, Stephen Fry, were present at the event.(edit)
Hugh Laurie's father was a physician, and Hugh was quoted as saying he feels guilty for getting paid more for pretending to be a doctor than his father did for being one.(edit)
On January 5, 2006, Hugh Laurie was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series category for his performance on House. (edit)
Hugh told interviewers in the Canadian TV Guide (December 17, 2005) that he has two passions: riding his motorbike at the end of the day and the release of aggression he finds in hitting a punch bag (boxing) several times a week.
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In a phone interview for Back Stage magazine (December 15-28, 2005), Hugh Laurie discussed many topics with Jenelle Riley. One was how it horrified him to see the show House and his character ripped apart on various message boards on the internet so much that he stopped reading them. He also told Riley he was so pessimistic about the part that he believed filming the pilot would be two enjoyable weeks in Vancouver and that would be it. (edit)
The replica of the cane bought by Hugh Laurie in London to use in the House pilot was sold for $8,300 (GBP4,610) at an online auction. The original cane was accidentally broken when he left it under a hydraulic door.

The cane he used during the second season was auctioned off at the same online auction in May 2006, and was sold for $6,350. The cane included a note certified by Hugh Laurie on his personal stationary and an autographed photograph.(edit)
Hugh Laurie received a 2005 Golden Satellite Award for Actor in a Series, Drama.(edit)
Hugh Laurie is nearly as snarky as his character Dr. Gregory House. In an interview on The Tonight Show (November 16, 2005), he told Jay Leno he uses the cane on the wrong side only because physical therapists told him he was doing it wrong. He wanted to be ornery.

He also told Jay that he'd now flown his first plane, a Jaguar fighter bomber. After throwing up twice, the pilot told him to take the controls and fly the plane himself although he'd never flown before and didn't have a license.(edit)
Hugh Laurie has told interviewers he doesn't watch House and can talk about the show only in terms of the scripts he reads.
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The inspiration for Hugh's character on House came to series creator David Shore after a trip to the doctor. He'd made an appointment, but couldn't get in for two weeks. By then, his hip was fine, but four people examined his hip and he just knew they would be mocking him when they left the room. He thought it might be a lot of fun to have someone to mock the patients while they were still in the room. So the crabby, petulant Dr. Gregory House was born.
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When Hugh Laurie appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show during the November 2005 sweeps, they discussed his son, Charlie. Ellen then presented Hugh with a guitar for Charlie that had been autographed by Carmen Electra.
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In 2002, Hugh Laurie cowrote and starred with Liz Vassey in a pilot for CBS called The Dragans of New York, but the pilot didn't get picked up. The story was a comedy based on The Thin Man.(edit)
In an interview with Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show, Hugh Laurie mentioned his two sons were in a rock band. He also told Craig he'd returned to England to see his son portray Kent in his school play King Lear.(edit)
Not only did Hugh Laurie take up the sport of boxing to stay fit and because he enjoys it, he believes it is a good way to keep his ego in check.
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So he may stay in touch with his children in England while he is in California, Hugh Laurie uses the internet. He has a camera on his computer and can "see" them everyday.
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Hugh Laurie has always been an avid motorcycle enthusiast. When he got the role on House and moved to Los Angeles, he purchased a black Triumph Bonneville motorcycle.
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Hugh Laurie's mellifluous speaking voice has won him many voiceover roles. His most recent performance was the voice of "Gutsy" in Valiant in 2005, an animated comedy about a wood pigeon named Valiant who overcame his small size to become a hero in Great Britain's Royal Air Force Homing Pigeon Service during World War II.
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Hugh Laurie is an accomplished author as well as actor. In 1996, his book The Gun Seller, a humorous novel of suspense, was published in both the U.K. and U.S. He subsequently adapted the book into a screenplay, which will be produced by Russell Smith and John Malkovich's production company, Mr. Mudd, for United Artists.
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While at Cambridge in 1981, Hugh Laurie was part of a renowned troupe of actors who won The Perrier Comedy Award given to the best comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. The revue, called The Cellar Tapes, was written principally by Hugh and Stephen Fry, and was his first claim to performing fame.
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Hugh Laurie auditioned for his role in House M.D. via a video shoot in a hotel bathroom in Namibia, where he was shooting the film Flight of the Phoenix. At the time, the producers were completely unaware that Hugh was English.
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In its June 5, 2005 issue, TV Guide magazine named Hugh Laurie one of the sexiest men on TV.(edit)
Hugh Laurie had signed to portray Perry White in Bryan Singer's movie Superman Returns, but was forced to bow out due to his previous commitment to House M.D.
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In 1990, Hugh starred in Gasping, his one and only appearance in a play. He was quoted in interviews saying he didn't enjoy the experience, although he received excellent reviews. Gasping was written by his long-time friend Ben Elton.
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In 2005, Hugh Laurie won the Television Critics Association Award in Individual Achievement for Drama for his performance on House.(edit)
In 2005, Hugh Laurie was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama category for his outstanding portrayal of Dr. Gregory House in House M.D.(edit)
Hugh is an accomplished musician, and performed as a keyboardist with the rock band Poor White Trash prior to joining the Band From TV.
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Formerly repped by Gersh, Hugh Laurie has signed with Creative Artists Agency, one of the largest and most powerful talent and literary agencies in Hollywood. He will continue his long association with Christian Hodell of Hamilton Hodell.(edit)
Hugh's son Charlie calls him padre (father in Spanish).(edit)
Mr. Laurie appeared uncredited on an episode of Friends (The One With Ross's Wedding) speaking in his natural accent.(edit)
Hugh Laurie's favorite American television shows are American Chopper, The Office, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.(edit)
Hugh Laurie once dated Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson, who he met when they performed together in The Footlights Club at Cambridge.
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Hugh Laurie: I don't have a single complete show or movie or anything else that I could look at and say, "Nailed that one." But endless dissatisfaction is, I suppose, what gets us out of bed in the morning.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (when asked about being voted second sexiest TV doctor ever) Seriously? Oh, I can't think about things like that at all. I can agree that the character of House is sort of a sexy one, that there's even something of the Lord Byron about him, the wounded genius and all, yes, I can see that, but as for myself… .(edit)
Hugh Laurie: One of the principal goals in my life has been to avoid embarrassing my children by doing the job I do. I hope I've managed to do that, and I hope that, with the job I'm in now, they are, if not proud, at least unembarrassed by it. I must say, my three are most agreeable children, who do nothing but delight me.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (from his 2004 Golden Globe Awards acceptance speech) I am absolutely speechless. Seriously, I don't have a speech. People are falling all over themselves to send you free shoes and free cuff links and colonic irrigations for two. Nobody ever offers you a free acceptance speech. There just seems to be a gap in the market. I would love to be able to pull out a speech by Dolce & Gabbana.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (discussing Earth Week and environmental issues with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, April 25, 2008) I have been instrumental in banning bottled water on the set. It hasn't gone that well with the crew... so I replaced it with tequila.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (discussing his gun training sessions for Street Kings) I desperately wanted to go. But I'm sort of a desk-bound bureaucrat who feels that gunplay on the streets is beneath him. I was wearing a holster with a gun, but I never got to touch it.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (regarding his role in Street Kings, Reuters - April 9, 2008) I hate to shatter any illusions about my place in the pecking order but very few actors, apart from Denzel Washington, get to choose from a big supermarket shelf of possibilities. The rest of us are trying to find things we can do, and I hadn't set out to find a noirish police thriller.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (responding to any feelings of guilt on how much he is paid, Times Online - March 29, 2008) Yes. It's absolutely preposterous. Entertainment seems to be inflating. It used to be the punctuation to your life, a film or a novel or a play, a way of celebrating a good week or month. Now it feels as if it's all punctuation.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (when asked if he would consider living in America permanently, Times Online - March 29, 2008) I do feel very foreign there, as if I'm on safari, looking at the exotic animals and the way they behave. Then again, America is made up of people who don't feel American until they do, so I'm not alone in that.
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Hugh Laurie: (discussing House, People March 11, 2008) I don't watch regularly. I avert my eyes when my children have it on. I hate seeing myself, but it's even worse hearing my American accent. I had no idea I sound so retarded, a dull monotone, full of clunking mistakes.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (as presenter at the 2008 BAFTA Awards) I honestly rather enjoyed the placard joke. It's a very great honor to be presenting this award. Screenwriting is the most prized of all the cinematic arts. Actually, it isn't, but it should be. The point is that it should be. The original screenplay is the most precious commodity of all. In the original screenplay the writer creates the heart, the mind, the skeleton, the sinew, the epithelial membrane, if you will, of the show. So knowing how important epithelial membranes are, let's take a look at some of their work.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (when asked how he spent his free time during the WGA strike) I have been at home playing piano in my underpants.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (on why he enjoys playing Dr. Greg House) I didn't realize House would be the central character, more the bitter comic relief appearing occasionally. I relish his wounded nature - the lameness, the scarred Byronic hero. I'd love to say I supplied a lot of these things, but they were all there, perfectly described by the writers. I merely stand there and read it out. I was thrilled to play an intelligent character as I've made a living for quite some years being fools.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (on acting) To be able to pretend to be something that I'm frankly not is very liberating and exciting.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (discussing his character, Dr. House) To me, he's a hero. He's not polite. He's not someone you want to take home to meet your mother, necessarily. This is a guy in search of truth. Incidentally, that truth one day could save your life or the life of someone you love. That's a heroic thing.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (commenting on his third Golden Globe nomination for House) I'm extremely honored to be included in such company. But now, especially now, I have to emphasize how much I owe to David Shore and all the writers on House. Without them I wouldn't even know how to finish this sentence without... you know...(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (when asked about his Teen Choice Award, Los Angeles Times - September 23, 2007) Given that the ages of all the other nominees probably don't add up to mine, I felt that was a real triumph. It's a huge thrill for me and I can't deny it.
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Hugh Laurie: (TV Guide, September 2007) I run six-to-eight miles a day, plus weights and aerobics in the lunch hour. I also lie a lot, which keeps me thin.
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Hugh Laurie: (when asked by Red Carpet interviewer Mark Steines if somewhere in his breast pocket is an [Emmy] acceptance speech) No, it's a speech from Henry V.
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(when asked about the proliferation of English, Scottish and Australian actors currently involved with American projects at the 2007 TCA Summer Press Tour)
Hugh Laurie: I can only assume that we're cheap.
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Hugh Laurie: (discussing being overlooked for an Emmy nomination in 2006 at the 2007 TCA Summer Press Tour) You know, this is the natural ebb and flow of human affairs. No one has any right to ever feel slighted because one is never entitled to anything. I think all of us would agree that actors who have a job and, secondly, actors who have a job with other actors whose company they enjoy, while doing scripts they absolutely adore, have nothing to complain about. It's actually slightly unhealthy. Those blessings are so manifold. Our cup runneth over, so we have absolutely no business being crabby if we don’t get a particular cherry on top. We already have so many cherries on top of so many cherries that one more cherry is - I've exhausted the metaphor.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2007) I don't talk like House, or walk like him. I certainly don't think like him. I don't like to think for more than 15 minutes at a stretch actually; I am a fragile flower.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (discussing Dr. House with Los Angeles Times reporter Mary McNamara, June 6, 2007) As a real person, he wouldn't last a minute, would he? But drama is about imperfection. And we've moved away from the aspirational hero. We got tired of it, it was dull. If I was House's friend, I would hate it. How he so resolutely refuses to be happy or take the kind-hearted road. But we don't always like morally good people, do we?(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (when asked by Ray Richmond, The Hollywood Reporter, May 22, 2007, where he keeps his Golden Globe award and does it make an effective bookend) Forgive me for being pedantic here, but I actually now have two -- so your bookend idea works even better. Particularly since they weigh more than any earthly substance could in that volume. They are now installed in my son's bedroom, which I have converted into a Hall of Fame. He sleeps in the garden.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (TV Guide - May 7-13, 2007 issue) I'm finding it increasingly difficult to simply walk down the street. In New York, I dashed in to buy a big pair of sunglasses to conceal myself, but the guy behind the counter shouted 'Hey! It's Dr. House.'(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (in response to Rolling Stone reporter Neil Strauss - March 21, 2007 - when asked what actors or comedians he admired when he was young) Peter Cook, Peter Sellers and Michael Palin. I had a hankering to follow in Peter Ustinov's footsteps. He projected the aura of a gentleman amateur. He was fantastically accomplished. He could write a book or act or direct. He made them look like enjoyable pastimes instead of backbreaking work.(edit)
Hugh Laurie: (2007 SAG Awards acceptance speech) Seems to me that this business, for actors anyway, is not so much about whether or not you do good work. It's about whether or not you get the chance to do good work. (edit)
Hugh Laurie: (from his 2007 Golden Globe Awards acceptance speech) [I must thank] my fellow actors on House and the wonderful writers and producers and a truly wonderful crew. I know everyone says they have a wonderful crew, and logically that can't be the case. They can't all be wonderful. Somebody somewhere is working with a crew of drunken thieves. But it's not me. They are truly a wonderful collection of people, and I am privileged to spend my days in their company and the smell of newly mown grass. I would like to thank Robert Sean Leonard. I can't remember why; he did give me a reason. The two people I would most like to thank, the two people to whom I owe absolutely everything. The whole "kaboodle," if that is a word that you Yanks still use, are the two cleverest and funniest and kindest and, frankly, best bosses that a man could hope to have: David Shore and Katie Jacobs.(edit)
In a March 2006 USA Today article, Hugh Laurie explained how he feels when riding his Triumph Bonneville to the set each day:

Hugh Laurie: Driving a motorcycle is like flying. All your senses are alive. When I ride through Beverly Hills in the early morning, and all the sprinklers have turned off, the scents that wash over me are just heavenly.

Being House is like flying, too. You're free of the gravity of what people think. Not caring, paradoxically, is likable. You get to see how the hero's ends justify his means.(edit)
People magazine's Sexiest Man issue (November 2005) talking about having to mask his British accent in House:

Hugh Laurie: It's as if you're playing left-handed. Or like everyone else is playing with a tennis racket and you have a salmon. I moan about it a lot.(edit)
In his acceptance speech for his second consecutive TCA award (July 23, 2006) for individual achievement in drama, Hugh Laurie made a joking comment regarding TV critics:

Hugh Laurie: The wisest, kindest members of our community. With this award, you show the wisdom of Solomon. But I know some of you thought Solomon was a little two-dimensional.(edit)
In an expression of self-analysis, Hugh Laurie told USA Today (March 27, 2006) reporter Marco R. della Cava his feelings on happiness:

Hugh Laurie: I have my moments. Ever since I was a boy, I never was someone who was at ease with happiness. Too often I embrace introspection and self-doubt. I wish I could embrace the good things.(edit)
Hugh was interviewed for the January 2006 issue of Playboy. He discussed his unexpected success on House:

Hugh Laurie: I feel like a hostage to fortune. Not that I am complaining. I wanted to play the role. But in truth I didn't think the show would be such a success. OK, I thought it would fail. Not because it was bad. I was confident it was good, but plenty of good things just sort of wither on the vine.(edit)
Hugh commented on riding a motorcycle in a layout in the December 2005 issue of In Style magazine:

Hugh Laurie: My dad gave me my first bike at 16. I soon fell off and was in a wheelchair for weeks. I haven't fallen since.(edit)
Laurie commented on his character of House in the December 26, 2005 issue of TV Guide:

Hugh Laurie: I couldn't imagine what Fox thought they were doing, contemplating such a jagged protagonist for a prime-time drama. I only knew that I wanted the role very much.(edit)