Which fictional physician is the central character of House M.D.?

Gregory House is the central fictional physician in House M.D.

House is a diagnostician at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and leads a team that handles unusually difficult cases. He is known for his exceptional reasoning, blunt speech, dependence on a cane, and frequent refusal to follow ordinary social or administrative expectations.

The character is played by Hugh Laurie. House’s name and personality were deliberately constructed with parallels to Sherlock Holmes: both characters rely on deduction, notice details others miss, and maintain a complicated friendship with a loyal companion. The medical setting replaces Holmes’s consulting detective work with diagnostic investigation.

House’s leg pain and use of Vicodin are recurring elements of the series, but the story is broader than those traits. His relationships with Wilson, Cuddy, and successive diagnostic teams drive many episodes. Gregory House is therefore the character’s full name, while “House” is the surname most often used by colleagues and patients.