Laurie was actually born James Hugh Calum Laurie in Oxford, on June 11, 1959. After graduating with a third-class honors degree in anthropology and archaeology from the Selwyn College in Cambridge, England, Laurie was involved in rowing, following in his Olympic-winning father’s (William George Ranald Mundell "Ran" Laurie) footsteps, until he got sick and joined the British comedy group the Cambridge Footlights.

During his time with the Footlights, Laurie became friends with Emma Thompson with whom he shared a relationship and later starred in Sense and Sensibility. He also became friends with Stephen Fry, who later became his comedy partner. The three worked together early on and even won the first Perrier Award for comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with The Cellar Tapes, their annual revue, which also included casting by Tony Slattery, Paul Shearer, and Penny Dwyer.

Later Laurie went on to work principally with Fry. Besides A Bit of Fry and Laurie the pair also did British comedy in Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton and starring Rowan Atkinson, and Jeeves and Wooster in the 80s and 90s.

He went on to appear in notable films such as Sense and Sensibility in 1995, starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Grant; 101 Dalmatians in 1996, as Jasper, co-starring Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, and Joely Richardson; Maybe Baby in 2000, opposite Joely Richardson again and Matthew Macfadyen; Flight of the Phoenix in 2004, which starred Dennis Quaid; and all three Stuart Little films, as Mr. Frederick Little, with Geena Davis.

Even though his brilliant acting and comedic work had already spanned more than two decades, Laurie didn’t achieve international (and especially American) recognition and acclaim until he was cast as Dr. Gregory House in House. The medical drama debuted in 2004 and co-stars Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Lisa Edelstein, Jesse Spencer, and Jennifer Morrison.

For his well-received and critically acclaimed work in House, Laurie was nominated for an Emmy in 2005 and won the 2006 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama.

A published author, Laurie has released one novel, The Gun Seller (a thriller spoof) in 1996, and is reportedly working on another, titled The Paper Soldier.

Although relatively unknown to American audiences at the time, Laurie actually guest starred on a Friends episode in 1998 as Rachel’s (played by Jennifer Aniston) super snarky plane mate on the way to London.

Laurie has continued to stick to his British acting roots, appearing various British TV dramas since the early 2000s.

Laurie has been married to theater administrator Joe Green since June 1989, with whom he has three children: Rebecca, Bill, and Charlie. The family lives in London, but reportedly lives in an apartment in West Hollywood while filming episodes of House.

YUDDY