Hugh Laurie is an English actor, comedian, writer and musician best known for playing the brilliant, misanthropic Dr. Gregory House in the acclaimed medical drama House, a role that made him one of the highest-paid actors on television and earned him two Golden Globe Awards. Before House, he was already a beloved comedy star in Britain, and his career is a story of a performer who succeeded completely in two very different worlds.
| Full Name | James Hugh Calum Laurie |
| Date of Birth | June 11, 1959 |
| Age | 67 years old (as of November 2026) |
| Birthplace | Oxford, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.89 m) |
| Profession | Actor, comedian, writer, musician |
| Known For | House, Jeeves and Wooster, Blackadder |
| Wife | Jo Green (married 1989) |
| Children | Three, Charlie, Bill and Rebecca |
| Net Worth | Approx. $45 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2025) |
Who Is Hugh Laurie?
Hugh Laurie is an actor, comedian and musician whose career has taken him from the Cambridge Footlights to the top of American television. In Britain, he is known as one half of the comedy duo Fry and Laurie, alongside Stephen Fry, and as a star of the sitcoms Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster. In America, he is known as Dr. Gregory House, the limping, Vicodin-addicted diagnostic genius whose brilliance and cruelty made House one of the most successful dramas of the 2000s.
Laurie won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama for House in 2006 and again in 2007, and he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award six times for the role. He is also a talented musician, a blues pianist and singer who has released two albums, and a novelist, whose book The Gun Seller was published in 1996 and became a bestseller.
Early Life & Background
James Hugh Calum Laurie was born on June 11, 1959, in Oxford, England, the son of Patricia Laidlaw and William George Ranald Mundell Laurie, a doctor who won a gold medal in rowing at the 1948 Olympic Games. Laurie attended Eton College and then Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he studied archaeology and anthropology and joined the Cambridge Footlights, the university’s famous comedy troupe, where he met Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson.
At Cambridge, Laurie was also a talented rower, competing in the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race in 1980, and he suffered from depression, which he has spoken about openly in later life. After graduating, he worked with Fry on the sketch show A Bit of Fry & Laurie, which ran from 1987 to 1995, and he played the Prince Regent in Blackadder the Third and Lieutenant George in Blackadder Goes Forth, two of the most beloved performances in British comedy.
He married Jo Green, a theatre administrator, in 1989, and they have three children, Charlie, Bill and Rebecca. He lives in London and in Los Angeles, and he has been open about his struggles with depression and about the therapy that helped him.
Career
Laurie’s early career was built on comedy, including the series Jeeves and Wooster from 1990 to 1993, in which he played Bertie Wooster opposite Stephen Fry’s Jeeves, and films including Peter’s Friends and Sense and Sensibility. He also wrote the novel The Gun Seller in 1996, a comic thriller that became a bestseller and was followed by a second novel, The Paper Soldier, in 2009.
Then came House in 2004, which ran for eight seasons and made Laurie a star in America. As Dr. Gregory House, he played a character who is brilliant, funny and deeply damaged, a role that earned him two Golden Globes and made him, at one point, the highest-paid actor on television, earning a reported $700,000 per episode. Like Bryan Cranston, Laurie is known for a career built on a single, defining television role, and for the skill with which he made a difficult character compelling.
After House ended in 2012, Laurie starred in the BBC adaptation of John le Carré’s The Night Manager in 2016, playing the arms dealer Richard Roper, a role that earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and in the HBO comedy Avenue 5 from 2020 to 2022. He has also appeared in films including Tomorrowland and The Personal History of David Copperfield, and he continues to perform music, touring with his band and releasing blues albums.
Facts About Hugh Laurie
- Hugh Laurie won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama for House in 2006 and 2007.
- He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award six times for his role as Dr. Gregory House.
- He is a talented blues pianist and singer, and he has released two albums.
- He has been married to Jo Green since 1989, and they have three children.
- He wrote the bestselling novel The Gun Seller, published in 1996.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Hugh Laurie?
Hugh Laurie was born on June 11, 1959, which makes him 67 years old as of November 2026.
How tall is Hugh Laurie?
Hugh Laurie is 6 feet 2 inches tall (1.89 metres).
Who is Hugh Laurie married to?
Hugh Laurie has been married to Jo Green since 1989. They have three children, Charlie, Bill and Rebecca.
What is Hugh Laurie’s net worth?
Hugh Laurie’s net worth is estimated at approximately $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth in 2025.
What is Hugh Laurie best known for?
Hugh Laurie is best known for playing Dr. Gregory House in House and for his comedy work in Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster.