Hugh Laurie's Biography

Hugh was born in Oxford England on June 11, 1959.  He has three sisters and two brothers.  Hugh Laurie is 6'2 1/2" tall.

His father, William George Ranald Mundell Laurie, nicknamed Ran, and mother, Patricia, are both of Scottish descent, I love the Scots!

The youngest of four children, Hugh went to Eton College where he became involved in rowing.

Son of an Olympic gold medalist in the sport, he rowed for the England youth team (1977) and for Cambridge (1980).

After Eton College he went on to Cambridge intent on studying archeology and anthropology, although deep down I think he wanted to row for the prestigious rowing team at Cambridge.  Just a little side note here.  My husband rowed for the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.  It was an exhausting sport and you have to give credit to Hugh for loving it so.

"I rowed for Cambridge. I was pretty good at that." - Hugh Laurie

While Hugh was at Cambridge, during his first year he became ill with   and had to withdraw from the rowing.  I bet that broke his heart but this is what happened next.

While recovering from , Hugh became interested in acting and he got in with the Footlights Club, a Cambridge comedy group. In his last year at Cambridge, Hugh became President of the club, along with his good friends, Emma Thompson.

The Footlights Club then went on to Edinburgh to compete in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1981.  They were awarded First prise and through Emma met a new up and coming playwright named Stephen Fry.  They went on tour with their play and the rest is history.

Hugh started acting

Hugh has a hard time with his acting, always thinking he is not good enough and someday he'll be fired.  I wish someone would convince him that he really is that good and now is the time to make the most of it.  From Hugh Laurie's bio, it seems as if he is taking advantage of that.

"He's absolutely brilliant but also painfully self-critical. He has athletic prowess, command of several musical instruments and 'laser-like' attention to logic and detail. I don't think I've ever heard him say that he's pleased with anything he's done, except things to him that really matter, like friendships, parenthood, love. He's just a remarkable man to have as a friend, the wisest I have ever known." - Stephen Fry

Hugh Laurie has also stared in Blackadder, Jeeves and Wooster with Stephen Fry, Fry and Laurie. Hugh has also starred in the movie Stuart Little Maybe Baby, The Girl from Rio and the Flight of the Phoenix.

Hugh Laurie also like to write.  He has one novel out, The Gun Seller and is due to publish a new book, The Paper Soldier  in 2009.  It was first thought that this book would be out in 2007 but someone keeps pushing back the release date.

He is married to Jo and has three children.  He currently lives in Los Angeles while his family lives in London and now Hollywood, where Hugh has bought a 4 million dollar mansion.  Good for you Hugh.  Hugh makes regular trips to England to "mow the lawn" as he tells it.  Now you can mow the lawn in two different continents!  I think he would take special pleasure in that just because he’s Hugh.