Hugh Laurie portrayed Gregory House throughout all eight seasons of House, M.D.
Laurie was an established British actor, comedian, musician, and writer before taking the lead role in the American medical drama. His performance combined House’s diagnostic brilliance, physical pain, sarcasm, and emotional isolation. The role required Laurie to perform in an American accent, a detail that surprised some viewers familiar with his earlier British work.
House, M.D. premiered in 2004 and ended in 2012 after 177 episodes. Laurie received multiple major award nominations for playing House, including Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The character was inspired partly by Sherlock Holmes, while Laurie’s performance made the physician one of television’s most recognizable antiheroes.
A common mix-up is confusing Laurie with Robert Sean Leonard, who played House’s best friend, James Wilson. Laurie also appeared in films and other television projects before and after House, M.D., but Gregory House remained his signature television role.