House’s friend and oncologist, played by Robert Sean Leonard, is named James Wilson. Dr. Wilson serves as a compassionate counterpoint to Gregory House throughout the series.
Wilson is chairman of the Department of Oncology at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. His medical specialty places him close to patients facing serious illness, while his long friendship with House gives him unusual insight into House’s motives and destructive habits.
The character’s full name is James Evan Wilson, although the series usually calls him Wilson. Robert Sean Leonard played the role for all eight seasons. Leonard had already built a substantial acting career, including his role as Neil Perry in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society, before joining House, M.D.