SOMETHING ABOUT... Hugh Laurie

Roots: Born on June 11, 1959, James Hugh Calum Laurie grew up to be an actor.

Woes with mom: The English actor, comedian, writer, musician and director had a strained relationship with his mother, Patricia. He notes that his mother “was Presbyterian by character, by mood” and that he was “a frustration to her... she didn’t like me.”

Lucky strike: From 2004 to 2012, Laurie 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 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor ever in a television drama, earning $409,000 per episode in House, and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Put a ring on it: Laurie married theatre administrator Jo Green in June 1989 in Camden, London.

Day off: Laurie is an avid motorbike enthusiast. He has two motorbikes, one at his London home and one at his Los Angeles home.

Strong feelings: Laurie has strong feeling about some things. He admires the writings of P.G. Wodehouse, explaining in a May 27, 1999 article in The Daily Telegraph how reading Wodehouse novels had saved his life. In a further interview in The Daily Telegraph Laurie confirmed his atheism.