The diagnostic medicine department head played by Hugh Laurie in House M.D. is Gregory House. He leads a small team that investigates patients whose symptoms do not fit ordinary diagnoses.
House is known for using differential diagnosis, a process in which doctors compare possible explanations for a patient’s symptoms and progressively eliminate them. The show turns this clinical process into its central mystery structure.
The character is physically disabled after an infarction in his right thigh, leaving him with chronic pain and a limp. He uses a cane and becomes dependent on Vicodin, details that strongly influence his behavior and relationships.
Gregory House is distinct from James Wilson, who is his oncologist friend, and Eric Foreman and Robert Chase, who are members of his diagnostic teams. Hugh Laurie’s portrayal made House the defining figure of the series.