In House M.D., which actress plays hospital dean Lisa Cuddy?

Lisa Edelstein plays Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the hospital dean and House’s boss, in House M.D. Cuddy supervises Princeton-Plainsboro’s medical operations and repeatedly tries to control House’s dangerous or unauthorized behavior.

Cuddy is an endocrinologist by training and holds a senior administrative position at the hospital. Her job requires her to consider budgets, patient safety, legal exposure, and the institution’s reputation, all of which conflict with House’s willingness to break rules for a diagnosis.

The character also has a complicated personal relationship with House. Their attraction and eventual romance develop over several seasons, but their professional disagreements remain a major part of the series. Lisa Edelstein’s performance made Cuddy both an authority figure and a fully developed character rather than a simple obstacle. Edelstein left the regular cast after the show’s seventh season, so Cuddy does not appear as a regular character in the eighth season.