Who played the title character, Dr. Gregory House, in House M.D.?

Hugh Laurie played Dr. Gregory House in House M.D.

Laurie, an English actor, portrayed the brilliant but abrasive diagnostician throughout the series’ eight-season run. The role made him internationally famous for dramatic television, after earlier success in British comedy with Stephen Fry, including A Bit of Fry & Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster.

House was conceived as a medical detective inspired partly by Sherlock Holmes. Laurie’s performance emphasized House’s sarcasm, limp, drug dependence, and exceptional diagnostic reasoning. Although Laurie was British, he used an American accent for the role, a detail that surprised many viewers who first encountered him through the show.

Laurie received multiple Emmy nominations for playing House and won two Golden Globe Awards for the performance. The series premiered in 2004 and ended in 2012, making the character one of television’s most recognizable fictional physicians.