Who played Lisa Cuddy, the hospital dean in House, M.D.?

Lisa Edelstein played Lisa Cuddy, the hospital dean in House, M.D. Cuddy is the senior administrator responsible for managing Princeton-Plainsboro while trying to control House's behavior.

Cuddy's job requires balancing hospital finances, medical standards, staff relationships, and House's unusual value as a diagnostician. She frequently disciplines or negotiates with him, but she also recognizes that his abilities can save patients who have exhausted ordinary options.

The character develops a complicated personal relationship with House. Their professional clashes gradually become part of a broader story involving trust, attraction, responsibility, and the consequences of House's addiction and impulsiveness.

Lisa Edelstein remained a major cast member through the show's seventh season. Her performance made Cuddy more than an administrator: she became one of the few characters able to confront House as both an institutional authority and an emotional equal.