Hugh Laurie biography

The decision would change Hugh Laurie's life forever.

After his successful audition for Footlights, Laurie met fellow student Emma Thompson, and the two became romantically involved. By 1980, Laurie was the president of Footlights, and Thompson was vice president. Through their relationship, Laurie met Footlights performer and playwright, Stephen Fry. Laurie had been so impressed by Fry's play Latin!

that he insisted Thompson introduce the two men. Together, the fast friends wrote the sketch "The Cellar Tapes" with Emma Thompson in 1981, which they entered in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Comedy Career

After their graduation in 1981, the comedy trio won the Perrier Comedy Award for their Fringe submission. The honor resulted in a tour across England and Australia, and a 1982 made-for-TV film of their work called Cambridge Footlights Review. Thompson, Fry, and Laurie also teamed up with Grenada television to create several sketch comedy shows throughout the early 80s, including There's Nothing to Worry About!, The Crystal Cube, and Alfresco. They also appeared as guests on the popular British comedy, The Young Ones.

In 1986, Fry and Laurie continued their partnership without Thompson. They wrote and starred in a string of comedy shows, including A Bit of Fry and Laurie (1987). Fry and Laurie showcased the duo's wide variety of talents, including Laurie's musical abilities on piano and guitar. The show ran for eight years, and made the pair household names in Britain.

In 1987, after several guest appearances on Blackadder, Laurie became a regular on the show for its entire third season. Laurie's portrayal of the simpering idiot George, the Prince Regent, caught the public's attention—and typecast him as an upper-class twit for years to come. During this time, Laurie also found love with theatre administrator Jo Green, who he married in 1989.

The following year, Laurie and Fry began the series Jeeves and Wooster, a comedy adapted from P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories about a brainless young man (played by Laurie) who is helped out of various tricky situations by his ingenious butler, Jeeves (Fry). The show ran for four seasons until its end in 1993.

On the Big Screen

During the mid 90s, Laurie branched out into films, music and writing. He appeared alongside friend and former girlfriend, Emma Thompson, in the film version of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1995). He also began a voice-acting career for children's films including The Snow Queen's Revenge (1995) and The Ugly Duckling (1997). In 1996, he played a clumsy villain in the Disney hit, 101 Dalmatians, and published his first novel, The Paper Soldier, which received critical acclaim. In 1997, Laurie appeared in the film The Borrowers and the Spice Girls vehicle, Spice World. The following year, Laurie presented audiences with another novel, The Gun Seller, and performed a small role in the blockbuster film, The Man in the Iron Mask.