Laurie makes serious progress from days of bumbling Brit roles
FROM bumbling British comedian to unlikely international heart-throb, the versatile Hugh Laurie has had a remarkable journey as an actor, comedian, writer and musician.
The multi-talented 58-year-old, known for his comedy partnership with Stephen Fry and for roles in sitcom Blackadder and US drama House, is being awarded the upgraded honour of a CBE in the New Year Honours for his services to drama.
Laurie, born in Oxford in 1959 to gold medal-winning rower and doctor Ran Laurie and Patricia Laidlaw, was educated at a top prep school before attending Eton and then Cambridge University.
It was there, as the president of the university’s renowned Footlights amateur drama club, that he met Fry and, shortly after, a professional partnership was born.
Fry and Laurie’s stage success led to their TV sketch show Alfresco, which featured the likes of their friend and Laurie’s one-time partner Emma Thompson, Ben Elton and Robbie Coltrane.
Among the duo’s many projects together was sketch show A Bit Of Fry And Laurie.
His comedy prowess was further bolstered by his role in Blackadder as the amiable idiot George in the third and fourth series of the hit sitcom in the late 80s.
On the big screen, Laurie has appeared in films such as Peter’s Friends, Maybe Baby, Sense And Sensibility, 101 Dalmatians, The Man In The Iron Mask and Stuart Little.
In 2004, Laurie’s star grew again when he landed the leading role in US medical series House. His portrayal of the unconventional and antisocial Dr Gregory House won him a litany of top industry prizes, including Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild awards and People’s Choice awards.
Despite his character’s grumpy demeanour, Laurie – who had entertained British audiences for years with his mainly gangly, twit-like characters – earned himself a new wave of admirers across the pond and, in 2006, he was dubbed “TV’s Sexiest Man” by a US magazine.
In the years that followed, he released two successful blues albums, both of which reached the top three in the UK charts.
In 2007, Laurie was appointed OBE for services to drama and in 2016 he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.