He’s dreamy, he’s talented and he doesn’t give a crap about you. House is one of the many personalities that Hugh Laurie portrays in his colorful and delightful career. His enhanced blue eyes drag many women kicking and screaming through rude and bloody episodes of Fox’s House, M.D., and not too many of them are complaining. So where do you begin to research him? Or if you’re doing that now, what’s recommended? Or even, does he have other talents? This article will focus more on the professional aspect of Hugh Laurie and not so much of the biographical prospective.
So you research Hugh Laurie, usually first through www.IMDB.com and you find that he’s been in tons of films that you recognize, perhaps Man in the Iron Mask or 101 Dalmatians. And then you start to think, hey, he does a good British accent if you recall any of his popular American films. Or you already know where this paragraph is going. Yes, America, Hugh Laurie is British. You’re not to blame if this is news for you. It’s extremely rare for a talented British thespian to spend his time and talent trying to hold an American accent 16 or so hours a day next to someone carrying an Australian accent. It takes hard work to carry on 16 or so hours a day anyway without that stress. Even one of the producers for House was taken by the seamless American accent put on in a screen test that took place in a bathroom. Good places to start are Hugh Laurie fansites and forums and even BBC America listings. I’m sure with the third season of House going on, you’ll be seeing more of him there.
If you’re like me, you’re going to want to know where to go next with this actor. Do you leave him alone as a no name and go on watching House, M.D. or some other program? Not if you’re still reading this article. A good start if you’re any bit interested in British comedy would be to hunt down seasons of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster. These shows feature Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie. They also come up once in awhile on BBC America. If you like Hugh Laurie at all, after you watch those programs, you will love Stephen Fry; and somewhat like Rowan Atkinson. And will probably go back to where you started with Hugh Laurie and look them up online. Yes. There is more to British comedy than Monte Python. You may also want to see Flight of the Phoenix, Maybe Baby and some others from that long list on www.IMDB.com if you haven’t already. His talent matches if not exceeds Johnny Depp’s. Depends on your taste.
Some highly recommended programs/movies for the Hugh Laurie beginning fan:
*A Bit of Fry and Laurie (A Bit of Fry and Laurie): Comedic sketches done by Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. They were colleagues at Cambridge and met each other through Hugh Laurie’s girlfriend at Footlights. ABoFaL ran four seasons and is highly recommended.
*Blackadder: Rowan Atkinson stars in this four seasoned series where you have him portraying different “Blackadders” from four different time periods. Hugh Laurie shows up in the last two episodes of the second season and through the rest of the series. Stephen Fry has a head start with the second season and after one episode in the third, he’s there for the fourth. Very entertaining if you like Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie doesn’t disappoint.
*Flight of the Phoenix: One of the more powerful roles I’ve ever seen Hugh Laurie play and it’s such a small one. But there’s a good plot in this remake of 1965’s James Stewart film. I haven’t seen the original and I still highly recommend this film whether you saw the original or not. Trailer
*Maybe Baby: This is for the Hugh Laurie fan that doesn’t get into action or British comedy, but wants a “chick flick” to make her significant other “suffer” through. At least I would. This film is absolutely brilliant and House, M.D. fanatics will love how similar events are for at least one House, M.D. subplot. Trailer
Some people would ask, “Well typically British thespians are multi talented.” This is true. You look up the bio information on some of Britain’s brilliant singers and actors and you see that the list runs into each other. Stephen Fry, David Bowie and even Hugh Laurie are prime examples. Hugh Laurie composes some of the funniest pieces for the piano even if it means getting slugged by Stephen Fry. So the piano on House isn’t there for the aesthetics. As versatile as he his, the piano should be a breeze for him.
So there’s The Gun Seller. Not surprisingly it was a best seller in the UK when it was published in 1996. It’s a good start for those that want to see how Hugh Laurie really relates to House and you can see the influence Hugh Laurie has on the writing of House, M.D.. Though I do not suggest going to your library and offering to “lose” their copy of The Gun Seller just so that you can pay the fine and have a used copy. It’s worth it to go online and order it if need be and read it over and over.
He’s also extremely talented with the motorcycle. I haven’t heard any reports of him getting into a wreck since moving to L.A. with the change of lanes. But I pray every day for this man. But if he’s as talented with that bike as with acting, he’ll be safe. His bike on House is a 2005 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade Repsol Replica and the one that comes across as his personal preference is a Kawasaki ZZR1100. Looking for a bike for myself, I’ve found that the one on House, M.D. is a little pricey for my taste and a limited edition in Australia.
This should answer some of the questions you may have had about Hugh Laurie and given you an idea of where to look in the future for this brilliant and talented thespian. It should also give you a look at something different to look forward to during the World Series and tie you over until October 31 where the second part of the third season of House, M.D. comes back at 9pm or 8pm central on Fox.
Reference:
- What fans say and think about Hugh Laurie can be found at MySpace: www.myspace.com. A complete listing of Hugh Laurie’s work can be found at the Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com Related articles about The Gun Seller can be found on Associated Content. Find a forum dedicated to Hugh Laurie at Devoted to Hugh Laurie: www.hughlaurie.co.uk Find brilliant pictures of Hugh Laurie at www.hughlaurie.net For nice free stock photos go to stock.xchng: www.sxc.hu/index.phtml
