Hugh Laurie: from comedy to seriousness. Review of the best works of the actor

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The British actor, who has played over 170 roles in his career since 1975, has gained wide recognition for his starring role in the cult series House M. D. A slightly gloomy but witty diagnostician has abilities that distinguish him from his colleagues. He became a kind of prototype of how to work in medicine, using not quite traditional methods. The series has garnered millions of fans. And the actor himself hurried to change his role, so as not to remain in the same image. It remains to remember what other films he managed to star in.

First steps

It is unlikely that little Hugh could have imagined that medicine would go along throughout his life. His father, a doctor by profession, saw him as the successor of the family business, but Hugh was not going to become a doctor. At least not on TV. As a child, he was an obedient child - he had a calm character, studied well, attended church. He entered the University of Cambridge, from which he graduated with honors. A bachelor in archeology, he quickly realized that the chosen specializationwill not bring the desired satisfaction. Therefore, he began to get involved in acting: the amateur theater embodied his dreams for many years, and later made him its president. Numerous productions, scripted by Hugh Laurie himself, led to television - the first appearance in the series "Black Adder", where he got several roles, allowed him to start talking about a young promising actor.

Passing roles

The end of the 80s of the last century was marked by a series of diverse, but not memorable paintings. Prime-time series eagerly called on Hugh Laurie as episodic characters. The filmography of the actor of that time recalls the most famous shows: “The Younger Generation”, “Purely English Murder”, “Alfresco”. In addition, several television films are being released: the fantastic comedy Crystal Cube, where Hugh Laurie's partners are university theater colleagues Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry, the political drama Restless Heart, starring Meryl Streep, and the comedy The Laughing Prisoner..

“Jeeves and Wooster”

In the fate of many artists, sooner or later, a project appears that completely unfolds their future career. Hugh Laurie was no exception. The actor's filmography includes the popular comedy sitcom Jeeves and Wooster. These were screen adaptations of novels stuffed with ragtime music. It is noteworthy that the title compositions were performed by Laurie himself, and this made it possible to hear his good vocal abilities. After that, he took up music seriously. And playing the role of Bertie Wooster, a frivolous aristocrat,talked about Hugh's ability as a great comedian.

“House Doctor”

This was the second project that changed Hugh's career. In order to get into the series, the actor had to completely reincarnate, since he had not yet played such images. A misanthrope, a pedant, with an amazingly imitated American accent that even the producers did not recognize, he quickly and thoroughly won the hearts of the audience. The series has collected many different awards and allowed to gain recognition in the States, where before that the actor himself was little known.

The brightest films with Hugh Laurie

In the entire filmography of the actor there are several significant works: "Peter's Friends" in 1992, the famous films "Sense and Sensibility", "101 Dalmatians" and "The Man in the Iron Mask". He owes his episodic appearance to the series “Friends”, “Tracy Accepts a Challenge”, “All or Nothing”.

With the completion of House M. D. in 2012, the actor's career did not stop. Much to the delight of the fans. Back in 2008, he played one of the main roles in the crime thriller Street Kings. The picture was warmly received by critics and fully paid off the budget.

The actor's predilection for dubbing deserves special mention. Over the course of his career, Hugh Laurie has given voices to many characters, including cartoon characters: "Monsters vs. Aliens", "Eared Riot", "Santa's Secret Service", "Valiant: Feathered Special Forces", "The Adventures of a Piglet", "Ugly Duckling"”, “The Snow Queen”, “Family Guy”.

As an experienced actor, Hugh can skillfully combine genres. In 2012, the comedy “Love Binding” was released, where he played the main role. In the same year, he appears in the independent drama "Mr. Pip", a year later - in the documentary musical story "Bayu Maharaja". In 2015, the release of the fantastic film “Tomorrowland” is planned, where Laurie played along with eminent Hollywood stars George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Judy Greer, Catherine Hahn and others.