At the centre of the critically acclaimed Fox drama House , British actor Hugh Laurie has become the focus of fans across North America, Britain, and Australia. Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series, honoured by the Queen with an Order of the British Empire, and one of People ’s Sexiest Men Alive, Laurie has become an icon. But who is the man behind the cane and acerbic wit? A musician? A motorcyclist? A comedian? Laurie is all these things and more. This biography aims to shed light on his childhood struggles to live up to his mother’s high demands and emulate his father’s accomplishments as a doctor and an Olympic gold medalist; his education at the prestigious academies of Eton and Cambridge; his comedic career with Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, and Rowan Atkinson; his own personal struggle with depression; and how he came to be the best-loved curmudgeon on television. Interviews with creator and executive producer David Shore will reveal the Canadian connection to this truly global show and how a Canuck from London, Ontario, made the move to Hollywood stardom. The House That Hugh Laurie Built will also serve as a magnifying glass, providing episode analysis, cast biographies, selections of Dr. House’s caustic wit, and production bloopers and medical mistakes that only a sleuth like Dr. House could expose. "An exhaustive guide for fans of the TV show House and its cast."  — The Record "Tells you everything you ever wanted to know about House and its star."  — The Tampa Tribune Paul Challen lives in Dundas, Ontario. He is the author of Inside the West Wing and Get Dutch! A Biography of Elmore Leonard , and writes regularly on pop culture and sports for magazines, newspapers, and radio in Canada and the U.S. The House that Hugh Laurie Built An Unauthorized Biography and Episode Guide By Paul Challen ECW PRESS Copyright © 2007 Paul Challen All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-55022-803-8 Contents CHAPTER ONE WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HUGH LAURIE, CHAPTER TWO BACK IN THE DAY, CHAPTER THREE BREAKING THROUGH, CHAPTER FOUR TO THE BRINK, CHAPTER FIVE BUILDING THE HOUSE, CHAPTER SIX IN THE RING, CHAPTER SEVEN ALL-ROUNDER, DEAN OF MEDICINE LISA EDELSTEIN, RELUCTANT HOUSE-MATE ROBERT SEAN LEONARD, FROM BROOKLYN TO FOREMAN OMAR EPPS, KID STAR MAKES GOOD JENNIFER MORRISON, AUSSIE SENSATION JESSE SPENCER, HOUSE BUILDER DAVID SHORE, EPISODE GUIDES SEASON ONE, SEASON TWO, SEASON THREE, SOURCES, CHAPTER 1 WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HUGH LAURIE So, how is it, exactly, that an American TV series about an abrasive, limping, pill-popping doctor with the bedside manner of Attila the Hun — played by a depressive, Cambridge-educated, English actor, doing a fake New Jersey accent — has emerged as one of the most popular primetime dramas in recent years, among fans and critics alike? And why do so many people love Fox's House, MD — the casual fans watching at home and the more rabid ones who build websites devoted to the show, the newspaper and magazine writers, and the folks who vote on the Golden Globe and Emmy awards? And, despite having been on the air only three seasons, why are many people already talking about House as a classic, a series that, despite its relative youth, is mentioned in the same breath as other great dramas like ER and Law & Order? Certainly, the quirky juxtaposition of a lead character who works in a profession devoted to helping people but who delights in insulting patients, residents, and humanity in general is part of the reason. Television — or, more broadly, drama — has always loved the idea of characters whose jobs or positions in society are just the opposite of their true personalities (such as the bumbling cop who always manages to catch the crook, the hooker with a heart of gold, etc.). But let's face it: That kind of contrast in a lead role isn't enough. Ted Danson tried the grouchy doctor shtick in Becker, the CBS offering that ran from 1998 to 2004 ("His bedside manner is no manners at all," ran the show's tagline) and although the show did have a pretty good run, with 128 primetime episodes in total, with all due respect to Danson, Becker was ... well, Becker — a show with lots of easy laughs and convenient plots, but not much depth. And there have surely been a sufficient number of grouchy MDS on shows like Ben Casey, ER, St. Elsewhere and even General Hospital to take enough shine off this type of role, such that the mere presence of a "sure I help people but I'm a jerk" character alone cannot explain the huge success of House. Taking the dramatic analysis one step further, could it be that the strength of the show comes from its brilliant writing and directing? Certainly, the lines delivered by the lead and supporting characters in House are among the snappiest — and at times, funniest — heard on the small screen in decades. And it's true that the show's Can