In House M.D., which actress portrayed Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the hospital’s dean of medicine?

Lisa Edelstein portrayed Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the hospital’s dean of medicine in House M.D.

Cuddy supervises Gregory House at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and frequently confronts him over his methods, expenses, and disregard for hospital rules. She recognizes his diagnostic value but must also manage the consequences of his behavior, creating an ongoing professional conflict.

Cuddy is a physician and administrator rather than a member of House’s diagnostic fellows. Her position gives her authority over staffing and hospital policy, while House’s medical successes repeatedly make it difficult to discipline him permanently. The show eventually develops a romantic relationship between Cuddy and House, adding personal stakes to their long-running arguments.

Edelstein joined the main cast from the beginning and remained a regular through the show’s seventh season. She left before the eighth season. Before and after House, she appeared in television series including Ally McBeal, The Good Wife, and Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.