James Hugh Calum Laurie, known as Hugh Laurie /ˌhjuː ˈlɒri/, is an English actor, comedian, writer, musician, and director. He first became known as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Blackadder, and Jeeves and Wooster from 1985 to 1999.

From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards and six Emmy nominations. He has been listed in the 2011Guinness World Records as the most watched leading man on television and is one of the highest-paid actors in a television drama, earning £250,000 ($409,000) per episode in House