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{{infobox television |show name

House |image |caption |show_name_2 House, M.D. |format Medical dramaMysteryComedy-drama |creator David Shore |starring Hugh LaurieOmar EppsRobert Sean LeonardJesse SpencerPeter Jacobson (4–present)Olivia Wilde (4–present)Amber Tamblyn (7)Lisa Edelstein (1–7)Jennifer Morrison (1–6) Kal Penn (4–5) |opentheme "Teardrop" by Massive Attack |country United States |language English |num_seasons 7 |num_episodes 155 |list_episodes List of House episodes |executive_producer Paul AttanasioKatie JacobsDavid ShoreBryan SingerThomas L. MoranRussel FriendGarrett LernerGreg YaitanesHugh Laurie |runtime 42 minutes |company Heel & Toe FilmsShore Z ProductionsBad Hat Harry ProductionsNBC Universal Television Studios (2004–2007)Universal Media Studios (2007–present) |distributor Fox Network |network Fox |picture_format 480i (SDTV)720p (HDTV) |first_aired |last_aired present |status Returning series |website http://www.fox.com/house/ }}

House (also known as House, M.D.) is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton‑Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH) in New Jersey. The show's premise originated with Paul Attanasio, while David Shore, who is credited as creator, was primarily responsible for the conception of the title character. The show's executive producers include Shore, Attanasio, Attanasio's business partner Katie Jacobs, and film director Bryan Singer. It is largely filmed in Century City.

House often clashes with his fellow physicians, including his own diagnostic team, because many of his hypotheses about patients' illnesses are based on subtle or controversial insights. His flouting of hospital rules and procedures frequently runs him afoul of his boss, hospital administrator and Dean of Medicine Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). House's only true friend is Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), head of the Department of Oncology. During the first three seasons, House's diagnostic team consists of Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps). At the end of the third season, this team disbands. Rejoined by Foreman, House gradually selects three new team members: Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley (Olivia Wilde), Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson), and Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn). Kutner dies toward the end of season five. Chase and Cameron continue to appear in different roles at the hospital until early in season six. Cameron then departs the hospital, and Chase returns to the diagnostic team. Thirteen takes a leave of absence for most of season seven, and her position is filled by medical student Martha M. Masters (Amber Tamblyn).

Critically acclaimed for much of its run, House was among the top-ten rated shows in the United States from its second through its fourth season. Distributed to 66 countries, House was the most watched television program in the world in 2008. The show has received several awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Peabody Award, and nine People's Choice Awards. House seventh season premiered on September 20, 2010. On May 10, 2011, House was renewed by Fox for an eighth season, which will premiere October 3, 2011.

Production

Conception

In 2004, David Shore and Paul Attanasio, along with Attanasio's business partner Katie Jacobs, pitched the show (untitled at the time) to Fox as a CSI-style medical detective program, a hospital whodunit in which the doctors investigated symptoms and their causes. Attanasio was inspired to develop a medical procedural drama by The New York Times Magazine column "Diagnosis", written by physician Lisa Sanders. Fox bought the series, though the network's then-president, Gail Berman, told the creative team, "I want a medical show, but I don't want to see white coats going down the hallway". Jacobs has said that this stipulation was one of the many influences that led to the show's ultimate form. ("zebra" is medical slang for an unusual or obscure diagnosis, while "circling the drain" refers to terminal cases, patients in an irreversible decline). The original premise of the show was of a team of doctors working together trying to "diagnose the undiagnosable". Shore felt it was important to have an interesting central character, one who could examine patients' personal characteristics and diagnose their ailments by figuring out their secrets and lies. As Shore and the rest of the creative team explored the character's possibilities, the program concept became less of a procedural and more focused upon the lead role. The character was named "House", which was adopted as the show's title as well. Shore developed the characters further and wrote the script for the pilot episode. Bryan Singer, who directed the pilot episode and had a major role in casting the primary roles, has said that the "title of the pilot was 'Everybody Lies', and that's the premise of the show". Shore has said that the central storylines of several early episodes were based on the work of Berton Roueché, a staff writer for The New Yorker between 1944 and 1994, who specialized in features about unusual medical cases.

Shore traced the concept for the title character to his experience as a patient at a teaching hospital. Shore recalled: "I knew, as soon as I left the room, they would be mocking me relentlessly [for my cluelessness] and I thought that it would be interesting to see a character who actually did that before they left the room." A central part of the show's premise was that the main character would be disabled in some way. The original idea was for House to use a wheelchair, but Fox rejected this. Jacobs later expressed her gratitude for the network's insistence that the character be reimagined—putting him on his feet added a crucial physical dimension. The writers ultimately chose to give House a damaged leg arising from an incorrect diagnosis, which requires him to use a cane and causes him pain that leads to a narcotic dependency.

References to Sherlock Holmes

Similarities between Gregory House and the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle appear throughout the series. Shore explained that he was always a Holmes fan and found the character's indifference to his clients unique. The resemblance is evident in House's reliance on inductive reasoning and psychology, even where it might not seem obviously applicable, and his reluctance to accept cases he finds uninteresting. His investigatory method is to eliminate diagnoses logically as they are proved impossible; Holmes used a similar method. Both characters play instruments (House plays the piano, the guitar, and the harmonica; Holmes, the violin) and take drugs (House is addicted to Vicodin; Holmes uses cocaine and morphine recreationally). House's relationship with Dr. James Wilson echoes that between Holmes and his confidant, Dr. John Watson. Robert Sean Leonard, who portrays Wilson, said that House and his character—whose name is very similar to Watson's—were originally intended to work together much as Holmes and Watson do; in his view, House's diagnostic team has assumed that aspect of the Watson role. Shore said that House's name itself is meant as "a subtle homage" to Holmes. House's building number is 221B, a direct reference to Holmes's street address.

Individual episodes of the series contain additional references to the Sherlock Holmes tales. The main patient in the pilot episode is named Rebecca Adler after Irene Adler, a character in the first Holmes short story. In the season two finale, House is shot by a crazed gunman credited as "Moriarty," the name of Holmes's nemesis. In the season four episode "It's a Wonderful Lie," House receives a "second edition Conan Doyle" as a Christmas gift. In the season five episode "The Itch," House is seen picking up his keys and Vicodin from the top of a copy of Conan Doyle's The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. In another season five episode, "Joy to the World," House, in an attempt to fool his team, uses a book by Joseph Bell, Conan Doyle's inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. The volume had been given to him the previous Christmas by Wilson, who included the message "Greg, made me think of you." Before acknowledging that he gave the book to House, Wilson tells two of the team members that its source was a patient, Irene Adler.

Production team

House is a co-production of Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions, and Bad Hat Harry Productions in association with Universal Media Studios for Fox. Paul Attanasio and Katie Jacobs, the heads of Heel and Toe Films; David Shore, the head of Shore Z Productions; and Bryan Singer, the head of Bad Hat Harry Productions, have been executive producers of the program since its inception. Lawrence Kaplow, Peter Blake, and Thomas L. Moran joined the staff as writers at the beginning of the first season after the making of the pilot episode. Writers Doris Egan, Sara Hess, Russel Friend, and Garrett Lerner joined the team at the start of season two. Friend and Lerner, who are business partners, had been offered positions when the series launched, but turned the opportunity down. After observing the show's success, they accepted when Jacobs offered them jobs again the following year. Since the beginning of season four, Moran, Friend, and Lerner have been credited as executive producers on the series, joining Attanasio, Jacobs, Shore, and Singer. Hugh Laurie was credited as an executive producer for the second and third episodes of season five.

Shore is Houses showrunner. Through the end of the sixth season, more than two dozen writers have contributed to the program. The most prolific have been Kaplow (18 episodes), Blake (17), Shore (16), Friend (16), Lerner (16), Moran (14), and Egan (13). The show's most prolific directors through its first six seasons were Deran Sarafian (22 episodes), who was not involved in season six, and Greg Yaitanes (17). Of the more than three dozen other directors who have worked on the series, only David Straiton directed as many as 10 episodes through the sixth season. Laurie directed the seventeenth episode of season six, "Lockdown". Elan Soltes has been the visual effects supervisor since the show began. Lisa Sanders, an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, is a technical advisor to the series. She writes the "Diagnosis" column that inspired Houses premise. According to Shore, "three different doctors... check everything we do". Bobbin Bergstrom, a registered nurse, is the program's on-set medical adviser.

Casting

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At first, the producers were looking for a "quintessentially American person" to play the role of House. Bryan Singer in particular felt there was no way he was going to hire a non-American actor for the role. At the time of the casting session, actor Hugh Laurie was in Namibia filming the movie Flight of the Phoenix. He assembled an audition tape in a hotel bathroom, the only place with enough light, and apologized for its appearance (which Singer compared to a "bin Laden video"). Laurie improvised, using an umbrella for a cane. Singer was very impressed by his performance and commented on how well the "American actor" was able to grasp the character. Singer was not aware that Laurie was British, due to his convincing American accent. Laurie credits the accent to "a misspent youth [watching] too much TV and too many movies". Although locally better-known actors such as Denis Leary, Rob Morrow, and Patrick Dempsey were considered for the part, Shore, Jacobs, and Attanasio were as impressed as Singer and cast Laurie as House.

Laurie later revealed that he initially thought the show's central character was Dr. James Wilson. He assumed that House was a supporting part, due to the nature of the character, until he received the full script of the pilot episode. Laurie, the son of a doctor, Ran Laurie, said he felt guilty for "being paid more to become a fake version of [his] own father". From the start of season three, he was being paid $275,000 to $300,000 per episode, as much as three times what he had previously been making on the series. By the show's fifth season, Laurie was earning around $400,000 per episode, making him one of the highest paid actors on network television.

Robert Sean Leonard had received the script for the CBS show Numb3rs, as well as that for House. Leonard thought the Numb3rs script was "kind of cool" and planned to audition for the show. However, he decided that the character he was up for, Charlie Eppes, was in too many scenes; he later observed, "The less I work, the happier I am". He believed that his House audition was not particularly good, but that his lengthy friendship with Singer helped win him the part of Dr. Wilson. Singer had enjoyed Lisa Edelstein's portrayal of a prostitute on The West Wing, and sent her a copy of the pilot script. Edelstein was attracted to the quality of the writing and her character's "snappy dialogue" with House, and was cast as Dr. Lisa Cuddy.

Australian actor Jesse Spencer's agent suggested that he audition for the role of Dr. Robert Chase. Spencer believed the program would be similar in style to General Hospital, but changed his mind after reading the scripts. After he was cast, he persuaded the producers to turn the character into an Australian. Patrick Dempsey also auditioned for the part of Chase; he later became known for his portrayal of Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy. Omar Epps, who plays Dr. Eric Foreman, was inspired by his earlier portrayal of a troubled intern on the NBC medical drama ER. Jennifer Morrison felt that her audition for the part of Dr. Allison Cameron was a complete disaster. However, before her audition, Singer had watched some of her performances, including on Dawson's Creek, and already wanted to cast her in the role. Morrison left the show when her character was written out in the middle of season six.

At the end of season three, House dismisses Chase, while Foreman and Cameron resign. House must then recruit a new diagnostic team, for which he identifies seven finalists. The producers originally planned to recruit two new full-time actors, with Foreman, who returns in season four's fifth episode, bringing the team back up to three members; ultimately, the decision was made to add three new regular cast members. (Along with Epps, actors Morrison and Spencer remained in the cast, as their characters moved on to new assignments.) During production, the show's writers dismissed a single candidate per episode; as a result, said Jacobs, neither the producers nor the cast knew who was going to be hired until the last minute. In the season's ninth episode, House's new team is revealed: Foreman is joined by doctors Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn), Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson), and Remy "Thirteen" Hadley (Olivia Wilde). The candidates rejected by House have not returned to the show, with the exception of the last one cut: Amber Volakis (Anne Dudek), who appeared for the rest of season four as Wilson's girlfriend, and in season five as a hallucination of House's. While Penn and Wilde had higher profiles than the actors who played the other finalists, Jacobs said they went through an identical audition process and stayed with the show based on the writers' interest in their characters. Kutner was written out of the series near the end of season five after Penn took a position in the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.

The contracts of Edelstein, Epps, and Leonard expired at the end of season seven. As a cost-cutting measure, the three actors were asked to accept reduced salaries. Epps and Leonard came to terms with the producers, but Edelstein did not, and in May 2011 it was announced that she would not be returning for the show's eighth season.

Filming style and locations

House is often filmed using the "walk and talk" filming technique, popularized on television by series such as St. Elsewhere, ER, Sports Night, and The West Wing. The technique involves the use of tracking shots, showing two or more characters walking between locations while talking. Executive producer Katie Jacobs said that the show frequently uses the technique because "when you put a scene on the move, it's a... way of creating an urgency and an intensity". "Cameras and special effects travel not only down the throat" of one patient, another critic observed, "but up her nose and inside her brain and leg". Instead of relying primarily on computer-generated imagery, the interior body shots tend to involve miniature effects and motion control photography. Many of the sets are dressed with a variety of unscripted props that allow Laurie to physically improvise, revealing aspects of his character and the story. Bryan Singer chose the hospital near his hometown, West Windsor, New Jersey, as the show's fictional setting. Princeton University's Frist Campus Center is the source of the aerial views of Princeton‑Plainsboro Teaching Hospital seen in the series. Some filming took place at the University of Southern California for the season three episode "Half-Wit", which guest-starred Dave Matthews and Kurtwood Smith. Part of Houses sixth season was filmed at the abandoned Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, as the fictional Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital.

Opening sequence

The opening sequence begins with an MRI of a head with an image of the boxed "H" from the logo (the international symbol for hospital) in the foreground. This is then overlaid with an image of Dr. House's face taken from the pilot episode with the show's full title appearing across his face. House's head then fades and the show's title is underlined and has the "M.D." appear next to it, producing the entire logo of the show. This was the full extent of the title sequence in the pilot episode. All subsequent episodes contain a longer sequence including the names of the six featured cast members and creator David Shore. Laurie's name appears first, followed by the names of the five other featured cast members in alphabetical order (Edelstein, Epps, Leonard, Morrison, Spencer), with Shore coming last.

After the show's title fades, there is an aerial view of PPTH (actually various Princeton University buildings, primarily Frist Campus Center). This is followed by a series of images accompanying each cast member's name; most are shown next to, or superimposed upon, illustrations of the human anatomy. Laurie's name appears next to a model of a human head with the brain exposed; Edelstein's name appears next to a visual effects–produced graphic of nerve axons; Epps's name is superimposed upon a rib cage X-ray; Leonard's name appears on a drawing of the two hemispheres of the brain. The producers originally wanted to include an image of a cane and an image of a Vicodin bottle, but Fox objected. Morrison's title card was thus lacking an image; an aerial shot of rowers on Princeton University's Lake Carnegie was finally agreed upon to accompany her name. Spencer's name appears next to an old-fashioned anatomical drawing of a spine. Between the presentations of Spencer's and Shore's names is a scene of House and his three original team members walking down one of the hospital's hallways. Jacobs said that most of the backgrounds have no specific meaning; however, the final image—the text "created by David Shore" superimposed upon a human neck—connotes that Shore is "the brain of the show". The sequence was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Design in 2005. The title sequence continued to credit Spencer and Morrison, even when their characters were reduced to background roles during seasons four and five, and Morrison even after hers was written out. A new opening sequence was introduced in season seven to accommodate the changes in the cast, removing Morrison's name and including Jacobson and Wilde's.

The series' original opening theme, as heard in the United States, comprises instrumental portions of "Teardrop" by Massive Attack. An acoustic version of "Teardrop", with guitar and vocals by José González, is heard as background music during the season four finale.

Series overview

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Gregory House, M.D., is a misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. Most episodes revolve around the diagnosis of a primary patient and start with a pre-credit sequence set outside the hospital, showing events leading up to the onset of the patient's symptoms. The typical episode follows the team in their attempts to diagnose and treat the patient's illness, attempts that often fail until the patient's condition is critical. House's department usually only treats patients that have already been to other doctors but have failed to receive an accurate diagnosis yet. House habitually rejects cases that he does not find interesting. The storylines tend to focus on House's unconventional medical theories and practices, and the other characters' reactions to them, rather than on the intricate details of the treatments.

The team employs the differential diagnosis method, with House guiding the deliberations. Using a whiteboard, House writes down and eliminates possible etiologies with a marker. The patient is typically misdiagnosed during the episode and treated with medications accordingly. This usually causes further complications, but eventually helps House and his team diagnose the patient correctly, as the nature of the complications often provides valuable new evidence. House tends to arrive at the correct diagnosis seemingly out of the blue, often inspired by a passing remark made by another character. Diagnoses range from relatively common to very rare diseases.

Many ailments House and his team encounter cannot be easily diagnosed because patients have lied about their symptoms, circumstances, or personal histories. House frequently mutters, "Everybody lies", or proclaims during the team's deliberations, "The patient is lying"; this assumption guides House's decisions and diagnoses. Because many of his hypotheses are based on epiphanies or controversial insights, he often has trouble obtaining permission from his superior, hospital administrator Dr. Lisa Cuddy, to perform medical procedures he considers necessary. This is especially the case when the proposed procedures involve a high degree of risk or are ethically questionable. There are frequent disagreements between House and his team, especially Dr. Allison Cameron, whose standards of medical ethics are more conservative than those of the other characters.

House, like all of the hospital's doctors, is required to treat patients in the facility's walk-in clinic. His grudging fulfillment of this duty, or his creative methods of avoiding it, constitute a recurring subplot, which often serves as the series' comic relief. During clinic duty, House confounds patients with unwelcome observations into their personal lives, eccentric prescriptions, and unorthodox treatments. However, after seeming to be inattentive to their complaints, he regularly impresses them with rapid and accurate diagnoses. The insights that occur as he deals with some of the simple cases in the clinic often inspire him to solve the main case.

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A significant plot element is House's use of Vicodin to manage pain, caused by an infarction in his quadriceps muscle five years before the show's first season, which also forces him to use a cane. In the first season; eleventh episode "Detox", House admits he is addicted to Vicodin, but says he does not have a problem because the pills "let me do my job, and they take away my pain". His addiction has led his colleagues, Cuddy and Dr. James Wilson, to encourage him to go to drug rehabilitation several times. When he has no access to Vicodin or experiences unusually intense pain, he occasionally self-medicates with other narcotic analgesics such as morphine, oxycodone, and methadone. House also frequently drinks liquor when he is not on medical duty, and classifies himself as a "big drinker". Toward the end of season five, House begins to hallucinate; after eliminating other possible diagnoses, he and Wilson determine that his Vicodin addiction is the most likely cause. House goes into denial about this for a brief time, but at the close of the season finale, he commits himself to Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital. In the following season's debut episode, House leaves Mayfield with his addiction under control. However, about a year and a half later, in season seven's 15th episode, "Bombshells", House reacts to the news that Cuddy possibly has kidney cancer by taking Vicodin, and his addiction recurs.

Characters and story arcs

Main characters

Throughout Houses run, six of the main actors have received star billing. All of them play doctors who work at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH) in New Jersey. Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), the title character, heads the Department of Diagnostic Medicine. House describes himself as "a board-certified diagnostician with a double specialty of infectious disease and nephrology". Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), House's one true friend, is the head of the Department of Oncology. Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), an endocrinologist, is House's boss, as she is the hospital's dean of medicine and chief administrator. House has a complex relationship with Cuddy, and their interactions often involve a high degree of innuendo and sexual tension. In the sixth episode of season five, "Joy", they kiss for the first time. Their physical relationship does not progress any further during the fifth season; in the finale, House believes he and Cuddy had sex, but this is a hallucination brought on by House's Vicodin addiction. In the finale of season six, Cuddy tells House she loves him. They kiss and agree to try being a couple. Throughout season seven, House and Cuddy try to make their relationship work.

House's original team of diagnosticians consists of Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps), a neurologist; Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), an intensivist; and Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), an immunologist. In the season three episode "Family", Foreman announces his resignation, telling House, "I don't want to turn into you". During the season finale, House tells Chase that he has either learned everything he can, or nothing at all, and dismisses him from the team. Cameron, who has developed an affection for Chase, soon resigns. This leaves House without a team for the season four premiere.

Under orders from Cuddy to recruit a new team, House considers forty doctors. Season four's early episodes focus on his selection process, structured as a reality TV–style elimination contest (Jacobs referred to it as a "version of Survivor"). House assigns each applicant a number between 1 and 40, and pares them down to seven finalists. He assesses their performance in diagnostic cases, assisted by Foreman, who returns to the department after his dismissal from another hospital for House-like behavior. While Foreman's return means there are only two open slots, House tricks Cuddy into allowing him to hire three new assistants. He ultimately selects Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson), a former plastic surgeon; Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn), a sports medicine specialist; and Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley (Olivia Wilde), an internist (nicknamed for her number in the elimination contest). In the season finale, Thirteen discovers she has, as she had long dreaded, Huntington's disease, which is incurable.

In the eleventh episode of season five, "Joy to the World", Foreman and Thirteen engage in a passionate kiss. Thirteen is at first reluctant to start a relationship with Foreman, but the two eventually begin dating and are still together at the end of the season. They break up early in season six. In the twentieth episode of season 5, "Simple Explanation", Kutner is found dead in his apartment with a gunshot wound to the head. Because Kutner left no note, House suspects foul play, though the death is accepted by the other characters as a suicide.

In the seventh episode of season two, "Hunting", Cameron and Chase have a one-night stand. In the middle of season three, they initiate a sexual relationship that Cameron insists be casual; when Chase declares that he "wants more", Cameron ends the affair. By the end of the season, however, Cameron recognizes that she has romantic feelings for Chase and they begin a serious relationship. After leaving the diagnostic team, they assume different roles at the PPTH, Cameron as a senior attending physician in the emergency room and Chase as a surgeon. They become engaged in the season five episode "Saviors" (the episode immediately following Kutner's suicide) and are married in the season finale. When Chase rejoins House's team in season six, Cameron leaves her husband and the hospital in "Teamwork", the season's eighth episode. She returns as a guest character in "Lockdown", nine episodes later.

Early in season seven, Thirteen takes an unexplained leave of absence. Cuddy orders House to fill her position with another woman, but eventually makes the choice for him: medical student Martha M. Masters (Amber Tamblyn), who makes her first appearance in the season's sixth episode. Thirteen returns in the "The Dig"—the season's 18th episode and the show's 150th—in which the reason for her absence is revealed: she was in prison for six months for having helped kill her brother, who was suffering from advanced Huntington's. While Jacobson and Wilde play central characters (as did Penn), they did not receive star billing until season seven. They were credited as "Also Starring", with their names appearing after the opening sequence. In season seven, Jacobson and Wilde received star billing; new regular cast member Tamblyn did not.

Recurring characters

The first six seasons of House each included one or more recurring featured characters, who appear in multi-episode story arcs. In season one, Edward Vogler (Chi McBride), the billionaire owner of a pharmaceutical company, appears in five episodes. He donates US$100 million to the PPTH in return for chairing its board. Vogler represented an attempt to introduce a villain, a move urged by Fox. By the time the Vogler episodes began to air, the show had become a hit and the character was soon dropped. Shore said the concept of a villainous boss was not really viable for the series: "It's called House. The audience knows he'll never get fired."

Stacy Warner (Sela Ward), House's ex-girlfriend, appears in the final two episodes of the first season, and seven episodes of season two. She wants House to treat her husband, Mark Warner (Currie Graham), whom House diagnoses with acute intermittent porphyria in the season one finale. Stacy and House grow close again, but House eventually tells Stacy to go back to Mark, which devastates her.

Michael Tritter (David Morse), a police detective, appears in several season three episodes. He tries to extract an apology from House, who left Tritter in an examination room with a thermometer in his rectum. After House refuses to apologize, Tritter brings him up on charges of unprescribed narcotics possession and forces him to attend rehab. When the case reaches court, Cuddy lies for House and the case is dismissed. House, however, is sentenced to spend one night in jail for contempt of court and finishes his rehabilitation under the influence of Vicodin.

The candidates for House's new diagnostics team are season four's primary recurring characters. In addition to the three who are chosen, the other four finalists are Jeffrey Cole (Edi Gathegi); Travis Brennan (Andy Comeau), an epidemiologist; Henry Dobson (Carmen Argenziano), a former medical school admissions officer; and Amber "Cut-throat Bitch" Volakis (Anne Dudek), an interventional radiologist. Each of the four departs the show after elimination, except for Volakis, who appears throughout the season, having started a relationship with Wilson. In the two-part season finale, Volakis attempts to shepherd a drunken House home when Wilson is unavailable. They are involved in a bus crash, which leads to her death. She reappears late in season five among the hallucinations House suffers.

Private investigator Lucas Douglas (Michael Weston), a character inspired in part by Shore's love of The Rockford Files, appears in three episodes of season five. House initially hires Douglas to spy on Wilson, who has ended their friendship after Volakis's death (the friendship is subsequently rekindled). House later pays Douglas to look into the private lives of his team members and Cuddy. If the character was accepted by the audience, there were plans to feature him as the lead in a spin-off show. In September 2008, Shore spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his vision for the character: "I don't want to do just another medical show. What does excite me in terms of writing is the choices people make and the nature of right and wrong... and a private investigator can approach that question much more readily than a doctor can." There was no show featuring Douglas on the fall 2009 network television schedule. He returns to House in season six as Cuddy's boyfriend. They are briefly engaged until Cuddy breaks it off, realizing that she is in love with House.

Reception

Critical reception

House received largely positive reviews on its debut; the series was considered a bright spot amid Fox's schedule, largely filled with reality shows. Matt Roush of TV Guide said that the program was an "uncommon cure for the common medical drama". New York Daily News critic David Bianculli applauded the "high caliber of acting and script". The Onions "A.V. Club" approvingly described it as the "nastiest" black comedy from FOX since 1996's short-lived Profit. New York John Leonard called the series "medical TV at its most satisfying and basic", while The Boston Globes Matthew Gilbert appreciated that the show did not sugarcoat the flaws of the characters to assuage viewers' fears about "HMO factories". Varietys Brian Lowry, less impressed, wrote that the show relied on "by-the-numbers storytelling, albeit in a glossy package". Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle described it as "mediocre" and unoriginal. General critical reaction to the character of Gregory House was particularly favorable. Tom Shales of The Washington Post called him "the most electrifying new main character to hit television in years". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazettes Rob Owen found him "fascinatingly unsympathetic". Critics have compared House to fictional detectives Nero Wolfe, Hercule Poirot, and Adrian Monk, and to Perry Cox, a cantankerous doctor on the television show Scrubs. One book-length study of the series finds a powerful kinship between House and another famous TV doctor, Hawkeye Pierce of M*A*S*H. Laurie's performance in the role has been widely praised. The San Francisco Chronicles Goodman called him "a wonder to behold" and "about the only reason to watch House". Gabrielle Donnelly of the Daily Mail said that because of Laurie's complex personality, he was "perfectly cast" in the title role.

Critics have also reacted positively to the show's original supporting cast, which the Posts Shales called a "first-rate ensemble". Leonard's portrayal of Dr. Wilson has been considered Emmy Award worthy by critics with TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, and USA Today. Bianculli of the Daily News was happy to see Edelstein "finally given a deservedly meaty co-starring role". Freelance critic Daniel Fienberg was disappointed that Leonard and Edelstein have not received more recognition for their performances.

Reaction to the major shifts of season four was mixed. "With the new crew in place House takes on a slightly more energized feel", wrote Todd Douglass Jr. of DVD Talk. "[A]nd the set up for the fifth season is quite brilliant." The Star-Ledgers Alan Sepinwall wrote, "The extended, enormous job audition gave the writers a chance to reinvigorate the show and fully embrace Laurie's comic genius". Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times, on the other hand, took issue with the developments: "the cast just kept getting bigger, the stories more scattered and uneven until you had a bunch of great actors forced to stand around watching Hugh Laurie hold the show together by the sheer force of his will". USA Todays Robert Bianco cheered the season finale: "Talk about saving the best for last. With two fabulous, heartbreaking hours... the writers rescued a season that had seemed diffuse, overcrowded and perhaps too ambitious for its own good."

In contrast to the acclaim the series had earlier received, season five of House met with relatively poor notices. A. A. Gill of The Sunday Times felt that the show had "lost its sense of humour". The Chicago Tribunes Maureen Ryan wrote, "House used to be one of the best shows on TV, but it's gone seriously off the rails". Though McNamara of the Los Angeles Times found detective Lucas Douglas a "delightful addition" to the season's early episodes, Ryan saw him as an "unwelcome distraction... an irritating pipsqueak". The focus on Thirteen and her eventual involvement with Foreman came in for particular criticism.

Critics' top ten lists

Since its first season, House has been included in various top ten lists; these are listed below in order of rank.

U.S. television ratings

Since its premiere, House has been consistently popular. In its first season, when it ranked twenty-fourth among all television series, House was the ninth most popular primetime program among women. Aided by a lead-in from the widely popular American Idol, the following three seasons of the program each ranked in the top ten among all viewers. House reached its peak Nielsen ratings in its third season, attracting an average of 19.4 million viewers per episode. According to Jacobs, the production team was surprised that the show garnered such a large audience. In its fifth season, the show attracted 12.0 million viewers per episode and slipped to nineteenth place overall. It remained Fox's most popular show other than American Idol.

The most-watched episode of House is the season four episode "Frozen", which aired after Super Bowl XLII. It attracted slightly more than 29 million viewers. House ranked third for the week, equalling the rating of American Idol and surpassed only by the Super Bowl itself and the post-game show. Below is a table of Houses seasonal rankings in the U.S. television market, based on average total viewers per episode. Each U.S. network television season starts in September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

+ House season rankings in the U.S. television market
! Season	! Episodes	Eastern Time Zone>ET)	! Season premiere	! Season finale	! TV season	! Rank	! Viewers(millions)
	22	Tuesday 9:00 p.m.	November 16, 2004	May 24, 2005	2004–05	#24	13.3
	24	Tuesday 9:00 p.m.	September 13, 2005	May 23, 2006	2005–06	#10	17.3
	24	Tuesday 8:00 p.m. (2006)Tuesday 9:00 p.m. (2006–07)	September 5, 2006	May 29, 2007	2006–07	#7	19.4
	16	Tuesday 9:00 p.m. (2007–08)Monday 9:00 p.m. (2008)	September 25, 2007	May 19, 2008	2007–08	#8	16.2
	24	Tuesday 8:00 p.m. (2008)Monday 8:00 p.m. (2009)	September 16, 2008	May 11, 2009	2008–09	#19	12.0
	22	Monday 8:00 p.m.	September 21, 2009	May 17, 2010	2009–10	#22	12.8
	23	Monday 8:00 p.m.	September 20, 2010	May 23, 2011	2010–11	#42	10.3
	22	Monday 9:00 p.m. (2011) Monday 8:00 p.m. (2012)	October 3, 2011	TBD	2011-12	TBD	TBD

Awards and honors

House has received many awards and award nominations. In 2005, 2007, and 2008, Laurie was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The Emmy board also nominated House for Outstanding Drama Series in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, but the show has yet to win the award. For the season one episode "Three Stories", David Shore won a writing Emmy in 2005 and the Humanitas Prize in 2006. Director Greg Yaitanes received the 2008 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing - Drama Series, for directing "House's Head", the first part of season four's two-episode finale.

The show has been nominated for six Golden Globe Awards and received two. Hugh Laurie has been nominated four times for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama; he won in 2006 and again in 2007. In 2008 the series received its first nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Drama. House was nominated for best dramatic series again the following year, but has yet to win in the category.

The show received a 2005 Peabody Award for what the Peabody board called an "unorthodox lead character—a misanthropic diagnostician" and for "cases fit for a medical Sherlock Holmes", which helped make House "the most distinctive new doctor drama in a decade". The American Film Institute (AFI), included House in its 2005 list of 10 Television Programs of the Year.

In 2011, House won four People's Choice Awards: favorite TV drama; favorite dramatic actor and actress for Laurie and Edelstein; and favorite TV doctor.

Laurie won the Screen Actors Guild's award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series in both 2007 and 2009. Writer Lawrence Kaplow won a Writers Guild of America Award in 2006 for the season two episode "Autopsy". In 2007, the show won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for prosthetic makeup.

In 2005, Laurie appeared on the cover of TV Guide as "TV's Sexiest Man". In 2008, Gregory House was voted second sexiest television doctor ever, behind ERs Doug Ross (George Clooney).

Distribution

In 2008, House was distributed in a total of 66 countries. With an audience of over 81.8 million worldwide, it was the most watched television show on the globe and far surpassed the viewership figures of the leading TV dramas the previous two years (CSI and CSI: Miami). The following year, it placed second in the world after CSI.

House episodes premiere on Fox in the United States and GlobalTV in Canada, which have identical schedules. The show was the third most popular on Canadian television in 2008. That same year, House was the top-rated television program in Germany, the number 2 show in Italy, and number 3 in the Czech Republic. The series is also very popular in France, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands. In the United Kingdom, the first four seasons were broadcast on Five. Sky1 acquired first-run rights beginning with season five. The original, English-language version of the show also airs in Australia on Network Ten, in New Zealand on TV3, and in Ireland on 3e, TV3's cable channel.

Episodes of the show are also available online for download: Amazon Video on Demand, iTunes store and the Zune Marketplace offer episodes from all of seasons 1 through 6, with episodes from the current season (season 7) appearing one week after they air live on television. In 2007, NBC Universal (the show's distributor) and Apple Inc. (iTunes' owner) had a disagreement that temporarily kept the fourth season off iTunes. In a statement to the press, Apple claimed that NBC Universal wanted to drive up the per-episode price to $4.99. In September 2008, it was reported that the issue between Apple and NBC had been resolved. Episodes can now also be purchased in HD on iTunes for $2.99. Recent episodes are available in streaming video on Fox's official House webpage and on Hulu.com.

The first five seasons of the show were released on DVD encoded for regions 1, 2 and 4. A boxed set comprising seasons one through five has been issued, as well. Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced plans to rerelease the first season in region 1 in anamorphic widescreen (the original release is letterboxed). It is unclear if the DVDs will be re-released with anamorphic widescreen in regions 2 and 4, where they have been presented in 4:3 fullscreen.

Merchandise

For a charity auction, T-shirts bearing the phrase "Everybody Lies" were sold for a limited time starting on April 23, 2007, on Housecharitytees.com. Proceeds from sales of those shirts and others with the phrase "Normal's Overrated" went to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). House cast and crew members also regularly attend fundraisers for NAMI and have featured in ads for the organization that have appeared in Seventeen and Rolling Stone. The show's efforts have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the charity. Jacobs said that through their association with NAMI, they hope to take "some of the stigma off that illness".

Nettwerk released the House M.D. Original Television Soundtrack album on September 18, 2007. The soundtrack includes full length versions of songs featured in House and previously unreleased songs especially recorded for the series. In 2008, the Spanish game company Exelweiss designed a cellphone game for the show, which was released in both Spanish and English versions.

In June 2009, Legacy Interactive announced a licensing agreement with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group (UPDPG) to develop a video game based on the series, in which players step into the roles of House's diagnostic team to deal with five unusual medical cases. The game, released in May 2010, included a minigame calling upon the player to "navigat[e] a restaurant-placemat-style maze, in which a giant sandwich must avoid hungry physicians on its way to Dr. House's office." It received an F from The A.V. Club.

See also

Notes

Footnotes

McCosh Health Center, Princeton University's infirmary, is situated adjacent to Frist, and can be seen in some shots. The line is part of an exchange at the end of the episode between House and Wilson. They are discussing how House has changed since the infarction in his leg. Wilson asks, "And everything's the leg, nothing's the pills, they haven't done a thing to you?" House responds, "They let me do my job, and they take away my pain." Foreman further explains his resignation to House: "You'll save more people than I will, but I'll settle for killing less. Consider this my two weeks notice." According to the description in Fox's official House website, "Cameron heads up Emergency Medicine". The Chicago Tribune, 2008 Chicago Sun-Times, and 2009 New York Times lists are not ranked—they each consist of ten shows in alphabetical order.

Citations

References

Further reading

External links

at Fox.com

Official House Wiki at Fox.com

The House MD Project (explains the disease behind each episode)

Polite Dissent (explains the medicine and soap of each episode)

Category:2004 American television series debuts Category:2000s American television series Category:2010s American television series Category:American drama television series Category:English-language television series Category:Fox network shows Category:Medical television series Category:Network Ten shows Category:Peabody Award winning television programs Category:Serial drama television series Category:Television series by NBC Universal Television Category:Television shows set in New Jersey

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Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
Name	Hugh Laurie
Birth name	James Hugh Calum Laurie
Birth date	June 11, 1959
Birth place	Oxford, England, UK
Alma mater	Cambridge University
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, music
Notable work	BlackadderJeeves and WoosterHouse
Nationality	British
Active	Since 1981-present
Spouse	(2 sons, 1 daughter) }}

James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born 11 June 1959) better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director. He first became well known in the media as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster from 1987 until 1999. Since 2004, he has played Dr Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards and several Emmy nominations.

Laurie has also featured in films, including Sense and Sensibility (1995), adapted by and starring Emma Thompson, Disney's 101 Dalmatians (1996), The Borrowers (1997), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), and the three Stuart Little films.

As of August 2010, Laurie is the highest paid actor in a drama series on US television. He has been listed in the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor in a TV Drama—earning $700,000 per episode in House—and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Early life and education

Laurie was born in Oxford, England. The youngest of four children, Laurie has an older brother named Charles and two older sisters named Susan and Janet. He had a somewhat strained relationship with his mother, Patricia (née Laidlaw). His father, Ran Laurie, was a medical doctor who also won an Olympic gold medal in the coxless pairs (rowing) at the 1948 London Games.

Although Laurie was brought up in the Presbyterian church as a child, he has declared: "I don't believe in God, but I have this idea that if there were a God, or destiny of some kind looking down on us, that if he saw you taking anything for granted he'd take it away." He was brought up in Oxford and attended the Dragon School. He later went on to Eton and then to Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he studied for a degree in archeology and social anthropology. While at Cambridge he was a member of Footlights, the university dramatic club that has produced many well known actors and comedians, and he was club president in 1981. He was also a member of the Hermes Club and the Hawks' Club.

Like his father, Laurie was an oarsman at school and university; in 1977, he was a member of the junior coxed pair that won the British national title before representing Britain's Youth Team at the 1977 Junior World Rowing Championships. In 1980, Laurie and his rowing partner, J. S. Palmer, were runners-up in the Silver Goblets coxless pairs for Eton Vikings rowing club. Later, he also achieved a Blue while taking part in the 1980 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Cambridge lost that year by 5 feet. Laurie is a member of Leander Club, one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world.

Forced to abandon rowing during a bout of glandular fever (mononucleosis), he joined the Cambridge Footlights, which has been the starting point for many successful British comedians. There he met Emma Thompson, with whom he had a romantic relationship; the two remain good friends. She introduced him to his future comedy partner, Stephen Fry. Laurie, Fry and Thompson later parodied themselves as the University Challenge representatives of "Footlights College, Oxbridge" in "Bambi", an episode of The Young Ones, with the series' co-writer Ben Elton completing their team. In 1980–81, his final year at university, besides rowing, Laurie was also president of the Footlights, with Thompson as vice-president. They took their annual revue, The Cellar Tapes, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and won the first Perrier Comedy Award. The revue was written principally by Laurie and Fry, and the cast also included Thompson, Tony Slattery, Paul Shearer and Penny Dwyer.

Acting career

The Perrier Award led to a West End transfer for The Cellar Tapes and a television version of the revue, broadcast in May 1982. It resulted in Laurie, Fry and Thompson being selected, along with Ben Elton, Robbie Coltrane and Siobhan Redmond to write and appear in a new sketch comedy show for Granada Television, Alfresco, which ran for two series.

Fry and Laurie went on to work together on various projects throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Among them were the Blackadder series, written by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, starring Rowan Atkinson, with Laurie in various roles, but most notably Prince George and Lieutenant George. Other projects followed, of which one was their BBC sketch comedy series A Bit of Fry & Laurie; another project was Jeeves and Wooster, an adaptation of P. G. Wodehouse’s stories, in which Laurie played Jeeves’s employer, the amiable twit Bertie Wooster. He and Fry worked together at various charity stage events, such as Hysteria! 1, 2 & 3 and Amnesty International’s The Secret Policeman’s Third Ball, Comic Relief TV shows and the variety show Fry and Laurie Host a Christmas Night with the Stars. They collaborated again on the film Peter's Friends and came together for a retrospective show in 2010 titled Fry and Laurie Reunited.

Laurie starred in the Thames Television film "Letters from a Bomber Pilot" (1985) directed by David Hodgson. This was a serious acting role, the film being dramatised from the letters home of Pilot Officer J.R.A. "Bob" Hodgson, a pilot in RAF Bomber Command, who was killed in action in 1943.

Laurie appeared in the music videos for the 1986 single "Experiment IV" by Kate Bush, and the 1992 single "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox, in full Georgian-period costume, a toned-down version of his Prince George character from Blackadder the Third, opposite John Malkovich, similarly reprising his role of the Vicomte Valmont from Dangerous Liaisons.

Laurie’s later film appearances include Sense and Sensibility (1995), adapted by and starring Emma Thompson; the Disney live-action film 101 Dalmatians (1996), where he played Jasper, one of the bumbling criminals hired to kidnap the puppies; Elton’s adaptation of his novel Inconceivable, Maybe Baby (2000); Girl From Rio; the 2004 remake of The Flight of the Phoenix; and the three Stuart Little films.

In 1996, Laurie’s first novel, The Gun Seller, an intricate thriller laced with Wodehouseian humour, was published and became a best-seller. He has since been working on the screenplay for a movie version and on a second novel, The Paper Soldier. In 1998, Laurie had a brief guest-starring role on Friends in "The One with Ross's Wedding, Part Two".

Since 2002, Laurie has appeared in a range of British television dramas, guest-starring that year in two episodes of the first season of the spy thriller series Spooks on BBC One. In 2003, he starred in and also directed ITV's comedy-drama series fortysomething (in one episode of which Stephen Fry appears). In 2001, he voiced the character of a bar patron in the Family Guy episode "One If by Clam, Two If by Sea". Laurie voiced the character of Mr. Wolf in the cartoon Preston Pig. He was a panellist on the first episode of QI, alongside Fry as host. In 2004, Laurie guest-starred as a professor in charge of a space probe called Beagle, on The Lenny Henry Show.

Laurie's fame expanded to the American public in 2004, when he first starred as the acerbic physician specialising in diagnostic medicine, Dr Gregory House in the popular Fox medical drama House. For his portrayal, Laurie assumes an American accent. Laurie was in Namibia filming Flight of the Phoenix and recorded the audition tape for the show in the bathroom of the hotel, the only place he could get enough light. His US accent was so convincing that executive producer Bryan Singer, who was unaware at the time that Laurie is English, pointed to him as an example of just the kind of compelling American actor he had been looking for. Laurie also adopts the accent between takes on the set of House, as well as during script read-throughs, although he used his native accent when directing the House episode "Lockdown".

Laurie was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role in House in 2005. Although he did not win, he did receive a Golden Globe in both 2006 and 2007 for his work on the series and the Screen Actors Guild award in 2007 and 2009. Laurie was also awarded a large increase in salary, from what was rumoured to be a mid-range five-figure sum to $350,000 per episode. Laurie was not nominated for the 2006 Emmys, apparently to the outrage of Fox executives, but he still appeared in a scripted, pre-taped intro, where he parodied his House character by rapidly diagnosing host Conan O'Brien and then proceeded to grope him as the latter asked him for help to get to the Emmys on time. He would later go on to speak in French while presenting an Emmy with Dame Helen Mirren, and has since been nominated in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Laurie's success on the show extends to the financial: in August 2010, TV Guide identified him as the highest-paid actor in a drama, saying he's paid over $400,000 per episode.

Laurie was initially cast as Perry White, the editor of the Daily Planet, in Singer's film Superman Returns but had to bow out of the project because of his involvement in House. In July 2006, Laurie appeared on Bravo!'s Inside the Actors Studio, where he also performed one of his own comic songs, "Mystery", accompanying himself on the piano. He hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live, in which he appeared in drag in a sketch about a man (Kenan Thompson) with a broken leg who accuses his doctor of being dishonest. Laurie played the man’s wife.

In August 2007, Laurie appeared on BBC Four's documentary Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out, filmed in celebration of Fry’s 50th birthday.

In 2008, Laurie appeared as Captain James Biggs in Street Kings, opposite Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker, and then in 2009 as the eccentric Dr. Cockroach, PhD in DreamWorks' Monsters vs. Aliens. He also hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time on the Christmas show in which he sang a medley of three-second Christmas songs to close his monologue.

In 2009, Laurie returned to guest star in another Family Guy episode, "Business Guy", parodying Gregory House and himself assuming an American accent.

In 2010, Laurie filmed an independent feature called The Oranges and played piano on a track of Meat Loaf's CD Hang Cool Teddy Bear.

In 2010, Laurie guest starred in The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror XXI" as Roger, a castaway who is planning a murder scheme on a ship during Homer and Marge's second honeymoon.

Music career

Musical ability

From the age of six Laurie took piano lessons with a Mrs Hare. He plays the piano, guitar, drums, harmonica and saxophone. He has displayed his musical talents in episodes of several television series, most notably A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, House and when he hosted Saturday Night Live in October 2006. He is a vocalist and keyboard player for the Los Angeles charity rock group Band From TV. Additionally, following Meat Loaf's appearance in the House episode "Simple Explanation," Laurie played piano as a special guest on the song "If I Can't Have You" from Meat Loaf's 2010 album Hang Cool Teddy Bear.

On episodes of House he has played several classic rock 'n roll instruments including Gibson Flying V and Les Paul guitars. His character has a Hammond B-3 organ in his home and on one episode performed the introduction to Procol Harum's classic "Whiter Shade of Pale". Laurie appears as a scientist/doctor in the pop video to accompany Kate Bush's song Experiment IV. On 1 May 2011, Laurie and a jazz quintet closed the 2011 Cheltenham Jazz Festival to great acclaim.

On 15 May 2011 Laurie was the subject of the ITV series Perspectives, explaining his love for the music of New Orleans and playing music, from his album Let Them Talk, at studios and live venues in the city itself. He was the subject of PBS Great Performances Let them Talk, also about New Orleans jazz, first broadcast on September 30, 2011.

Personal life

Laurie's mother, Patricia (née Laidlaw), died from motor neurone disease in Oxfordshire at the age of 73 in 1989, when Laurie was 30. According to Laurie, it took her two years to die, and she suffered "painful, plodding paralysis" while being cared for by Laurie's father, whom he called "the sweetest man in the whole world".

Laurie married theatre administrator Jo Green in June 1989 in Camden, London. They live in Belsize Park, London with sons Charlie, Bill and daughter Rebecca. They had planned to move the whole family to Los Angeles in 2008 due to the strain of being mostly separated for 9 months each year, but ultimately decided against it. Charlie had a cameo in A Bit of Fry & Laurie in the last sketch of the episode entitled Special Squad, as baby William (whom Stephen and Hugh begin to "interrogate" about "what he's done with the stuff", calling him a scumbag and telling him that he's been a very naughty boy) during his infancy, while Rebecca had a role in the film Wit as five-year-old Vivian Bearing.

Laurie is good friends with his House co-star Robert Sean Leonard and continues his friendship with actress Emma Thompson. His best friend is long time comedy partner Stephen Fry.

On 23 May 2007 Laurie was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2007 New Year Honours List, for his services to drama, by Queen Elizabeth II.

Laurie has periodically struggled with severe clinical depression, and continues to receive regular treatment from a psychotherapist. He stated in an interview that he first concluded he had a problem while driving in a charity demolition derby in 1996, during which he realised that driving around explosive crashes caused him to be neither excited nor frightened, but instead bored. "Boredom," he commented in an interview on Inside the Actors Studio, "is not an appropriate response to exploding cars."

Laurie admires the writings of P.G. Wodehouse, explaining in a 27 May 1999 article in The Daily Telegraph how reading Wodehouse novels had saved his life.

Laurie is an avid motorcycle enthusiast. He has two motorcycles, one at his London home and one at his Los Angeles home. His bike in the United States is a Triumph Bonneville, his "feeble attempt to fly the British flag".

Discography

Albums

On 26 July 2010 it was announced that Laurie would be releasing a blues album, after signing a contract with Warner Bros. The album, called Let Them Talk, was released in France on 18 April 2011 and in Germany on 29 April. The album features collaborations from well known artists such as Tom Jones, Irma Thomas, and Dr. John

Year

Album details

Peak chart positions

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2011

[[Let Them Talk">Music recording sales certifications

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2011

[[Let Them Talk

* Released: 18 April 2011

* Label: Warner Bros.

Music download>digital download

Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers>ARG: Gold

British Phonographic Industry>UK: Gold

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chartpositions	Album
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		164	47
	-	-

Other charting songs

Year	Single	Charts	Album
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	style="text-align:left;"	92	—	—
	—	58	39
	67	—	—

Appearances

Year	Song	Album

Filmography

{|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1981 | | various characters | also writer |- | 1983 | Alfresco | various characters | also writer |- | 1983 | | Max Belhavenvarious characters | |- | 1984 | | Lord Monty | episode: "Bambi" |- | 1985 | | Pilot Officer Bob Hodgson | Thames Television film |- | 1985 | Plenty | Michael | |- | 1985 | Mrs. Capper's Birthday | Bobby | |- | 1985 | Happy Families | Jim | |- | 1986 | Blackadder II | Simon Partridge (also known as Mr Ostrich & Farters Parters)Prince Ludwig the Indestructible | |- | 1987 | Filthy Rich & Catflap | N'Bend | |- | 1987 | Blackadder the Third | George, Prince of Wales, The Prince Regent | |- | 1988 | Blackadder's Christmas Carol | Prince GeorgeLord Pigmot (future) | |- | 1989–1995 | | various characters | also writer |- | 1989 | Blackadder Goes Forth | Lt. the Honourable George Colhurst St. Barleigh | |- | 1989 | Strapless | Colin | |- | 1989 | | Waiter | |- | 1990–1993 | Jeeves and Wooster | Bertie Wooster | |- | 1992 | Peter's Friends | Roger Charleston | |- | 1993 | All or Nothing at All | Leo Hopkins | television film |- | 1993–1995 | | Squire Trelawney | voice |- | 1994 | | Uncle | television film |- | 1995 | Sense and Sensibility | Mr. Palmer | |- | 1996 | Tracey Takes On... | Timothy Bugge | season 1 |- | 1996 | 101 Dalmatians | Jasper | |- | 1997 | Spiceworld | Poirot | |- | 1997 | | Police Officer Oliver Steady | |- | 1997 | | Tarquin | voice |- | 1998 | Friends | Gentleman on the Plane | Episode: "The One with Ross's Wedding", season 4 episode 23 |- | 1998 | | Harrap, a Barrister | |- | 1998 | | Pierre, The King's Advisor | |- | 1998 | Cousin Bette | Baron Hector Hulot | |- | 1999 | Blackadder: Back & Forth | Viscount George Bufton-Tufton/Georgius | |- | 1999 | Stuart Little | Mr. Frederick Little | |- | 2000 | Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | Dr. Lawyer | episode: "Mental Apparition Disorder" |- | 2000 | Maybe Baby | Sam Bell | |- | 2001 | Chica de Río | Raymond Woods | alternate title: Girl from Rio |- | 2001 | Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows | Vincente Minnelli | |- | 2001 | Family Guy | Bar patron | voiceepisode: "One If by Clam, Two If by Sea" |- | 2001 | Discovering the Real World of Harry Potter | Narrator | voice |- |2001 | Second Star to the Left – A Christmas Tale |Archie | voicework |- | 2002 | Stuart Little 2 | Mr. Frederick Little | |- | 2002 | Spooks | Jools Siviter | |- | 2003 | The Young Visiters | Lord Bernard Clark | |- | 2003 | Fortysomething | Paul Slippery | |- | 2003 | ''Stuart Little: The Animated Series' | Mr. Frederick Little (Voice) | episode: "The Meatloaf Bandit" |- | 2004–present | House | Dr. Gregory House | lead actoralso directed episode: Lockdown |- | 2004 | Fire Engine Fred | | |- | 2004 | Flight of the Phoenix | Ian | |- | 2005 | Valiant | Wing Commander Gutsy | voice |- | 2005 | | Doctor No. 5 | |- | 2006 | Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild | Mr. Frederick Little | voice |- | 2006, 2008 | Saturday Night Live | Hostvarious characters | season 32, episode 4season 34, episode 11 |- | 2008 | Street Kings | Captain Biggs | |- | 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Dr. Cockroach, PhD | voice |- | 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space | Dr. Cockroach, PhD | voice |- | 2010 | Family Guy | Gregory House/himself | voiceepisode: "Business Guy" |- | 2010 | | Roger | voiceepisode: "Treehouse of Horror XXI" |- | 2010 | Fry and Laurie Reunited | himself | |- | 2011 | Hop | Mr Bunny | voice |- | 2011 | The Oranges | David Walling | |- | 2011 | Later... with Jools Holland | himself | Performed "You Don't Know My Mind" and "Swanee River" (both from his album Let Them Talk ) |- | 2011 | Arthur Christmas | Steve | voice post-production |}

Awards

All of the following are nominations or wins for Laurie's role on House:

;Emmy Awards

2005 – Nominated – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

2007 – Nominated – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

2008 – Nominated – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

2009 – Nominated – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

2010 – Nominated – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

2011 – Nominated – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

;Golden Globe Awards 2005 – Winner – Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

2006 – Winner – Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

2007 – Nominated – Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

2008 – Nominated – Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

2009 – Nominated – Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

2010 – Nominated – Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

;Satellite Awards

2005 – Winner – Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama

2006 – Winner – Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama

2007 – Nominated – Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama

;Screen Actors Guild Awards

2006 – Nominated – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

2007 – Winner – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

2008 – Nominated – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

2009 – Winner – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

2010 – Nominated – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

2011 – Nominated – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

;Television Critics Association

2005 – Winner – Individual Achievement in Drama

2006 – Winner – Individual Achievement in Drama

2007 – Nominated – Individual Achievement in Drama

;Teen Choice Award

2006 – Nominated – TV Actor: Drama

2007 – Winner – TV Actor: Drama

People's Choice Awards

2008 – Winner – Favorite Male TV Star

2009 – Winner – Favorite Male TV Star

2010 – Winner – Favorite TV Drama Actor

2011 – Winner – Favorite TV Drama Actor

2011 – Winner – Favorite TV Doctor

Other Awards

2011 - Winner – GQ Music Man Of The Year

Writing

Hugh Laurie has written one full-length novel, The Gun Seller, which has undergone multiple printings from several publishers. His second novel, Paper Soldiers (US: The Paper Soldier), was scheduled for September 2009, but has yet to appear.

The Gun Seller UK (HB) (William Heinemann Ltd (May 1996)) ISBN 0-434-00297-6 (PB) (William Heinemann Ltd (May 1996)) ISBN 0-434-00375-1

* (PB) (Arrow Books Ltd (November 2000); New Ed (October 2004)) ISBN 0-09-941927-0 & ISBN 0-09-946939-1

The Gun Seller US (HB) (Soho Press (May 1997)) ISBN 1-56947-087-1 (PB) (Mandarin (March 1997)) ISBN 0-7493-2385-X

* (PB) (Washington Square Press (November 1998)) ISBN 0-671-02082-X

Paper Soldiers UK (PB) (Michael Joseph (24 September 2009)) ISBN 0-7181-4391-4

The Paper Soldier US (HB) (Michael Joseph (27 September 2009)) ISBN 0-7181-4390-6

* (PB) (Penguin Books (28 September 2009)) ISBN 0-14-028210-6

References

External links

Hugh Laurie interview with the Guardian

Hugh Laurie Interview with the Daily Telegraph

Hugh Laurie interview with Time Out

Hugh "Laurie 'snubbed' after US success" – BBC News

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Anglo-Scots Category:English comedians Category:English film actors Category:English people of Scottish descent Category:English pianists Category:English atheists Category:English male singers Category:English blues singers Category:English blues musicians Category:English novelists Category:English screenwriters Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge Category:Cambridge University Boat Club rowers Category:Members of Leander Club Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Old Dragons Category:Old Etonians Category:Warner Bros. Records artists Category:People from Oxford Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:British atheists

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Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
name	Jimmy Kimmel
birth name	James Christian Kimmel
birth date	November 13, 1967
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
medium	Radio, Television, Film
nationality	American
active	1989–present
genre	Observational comedy, Current events, Insult comedy
subject	American culture, Everyday life, Celebrities
influences	David Letterman, Howard Stern
spouse	Gina Kimmel (1988–2003) (divorced) 2 children
domesticpartner	Sarah Silverman (2002–2007; 2008–2009) Molly McNearney (2009–present)
notable work	Creator and Host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) Creator and Co-Host of The Man Showco-host of Win Ben Stein's Money (Comedy Central)co-host of Crank Yankers

}}

James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money. Kimmel is also a television producer, having produced shows such as Crank Yankers, Sports Show with Norm Macdonald, and The Andy Milonakis Show.

Early life

Kimmel was born in the Mill Basin neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the eldest of three children of Joann (née Iacono), a homemaker, and James Kimmel, an IBM executive. He is Roman Catholic and, as a child, served as an altar boy. Kimmel is of German and Irish descent on his father’s side and Italian descent on his mother’s side. His real life uncle, Frank Potenza, would later appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a regular from 2003 until his death in 2011.

The family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, when he was nine years old. He graduated from Ed W. Clark High School and then attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas for one year before attending Arizona State University for two years without completing a degree.

Career

Radio career

Kimmel began working in the radio industry while in high school, hosting a Sunday night interview show on UNLV's college station KUNV. While attending Arizona State University, he became a popular caller to the KZZP-FM afternoon show hosted by radio personalities Mike Elliott and Kent Voss in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1989, Kimmel landed his first paying job alongside Voss as morning drive co-host of The Me and Him Show at KZOK-FM in Seattle, Washington. Ten months later, Kimmel and Voss were fired by KZOK (for reasons unknown) and were fired again a year later at WRBQ-FM in Tampa, Florida. Kimmel went from Tampa to host his own show at KCMJ in Palm Springs, California, where Kimmel convinced a young Carson Daly to drop out of college and become his intern. After a morning stint at KRQQ In Tucson, Arizona, Kimmel landed at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, California. He spent five years as "Jimmy The Sports Guy" for the Kevin and Bean morning show. During this time he met and befriended a struggling comedian named Adam Carolla.

Comedy Central

Kimmel began his television career as the comedic counterpart to Ben Stein on the game show Win Ben Stein's Money, which began airing on Comedy Central in 1997. His quick wit and loutish everyman personality were counterpoints to Stein's monotone performing style and patrician demeanor. The combination earned the pair an Emmy award for Best Game Show Host.

In 1999, during his time with Win Ben Stein's Money, Kimmel was also co-host with Adam Carolla and co-creator (with Daniel Kellison) of Comedy Central's The Man Show. Kimmel permanently left Win Ben Stein's Money in 2001, replaced by comedian Nancy Pimental, who was eventually replaced by Kimmel's cousin Sal Iacono. The Man Show's success allowed Kimmel, Carolla and Kellison to create and produce, under the banner Jackhole Industries, Crank Yankers for Comedy Central (on which Kimmel plays the characters "Elmer Higgins", "Terrence Catheter", "The Nudge", "Karl Malone" and himself), and later The Andy Milonakis Show for MTV2. Kimmel also produced and co-wrote the feature film Windy City Heat, which won the Comedia Award for Best Film at the Montreal Comedy Festival.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

In January 2003, Kimmel permanently left The Man Show to host his own late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC. Jimmy Kimmel Live was briefly also broadcast on Irish digital TV channel 3e. In the April 2007 issue of Stuffmagazine.com, Kimmel was named the "biggest badass on TV". Kimmel said it was an honor but clearly a mistake.

Since the show's second season, it has not actually been broadcast live. This is due to an incident during the 2004 NBA Finals in Detroit, when Kimmel appeared on ABC's halftime show to make an on-air plug for his show. He suggested that if the Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, "they're gonna burn the city of Detroit down ... and it's not worth it." Officials with Detroit's ABC affiliate, WXYZ-TV, immediately announced that night's show would not air on the station. Hours later, ABC officials pulled that night's show from the entire network. Kimmel later apologized. The incident led ABC officials to force Kimmel to tape his show an hour before it airs in most of the country to check for offending content.

Kimmel usually ends his show with, "My apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time." When Matt Damon did actually appear on the show to be interviewed, he walked in and sat down only to be told just a few seconds later by Kimmel, "Sorry, but once again we are completely out of time." Damon seemed to become angry.

In February 2008 Kimmel showed a mock music video with a panoply of stars called, "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck", as "revenge" after his then-girlfriend Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon recorded a similar video, "I'm Fucking Matt Damon". Silverman's video originally aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and became an "instant YouTube sensation." Kimmel's "revenge" video featured himself, Ben Affleck, and a large lineup of stars, particularly in scenes spoofing the 1985 "We Are the World" video: Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Harrison Ford, Dominic Monaghan, Benji Madden and Joel Madden from Good Charlotte, Lance Bass, Macy Gray, Josh Groban, Huey Lewis, Perry Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Pete Wentz, Meat Loaf, Rebecca Romijn, Christina Applegate, Dom Joly, Mike Shinoda, Lauren Conrad and Joan Jett, among others. After this Jimmy's sidekick, Guillermo, appeared in a spoof of The Bourne Ultimatum, which starred Damon. He was then chased down by Damon as Matt cursed about Kimmel being behind all this. Guillermo also stopped Damon on the red carpet one time and before he could finish the interview he said, "Sorry we are out of time." The most recent encounter was titled "The Handsome Men's Club" which featured Kimmel, along with other "Handsome Men" including Matthew McConaughey, Rob Lowe, Lenny Kravitz, and many more, speaking about being handsome and all the jobs that come with it. At the end of the skit Kimmel has a door slammed in his face by none other than Matt Damon, stating that they had run out of time and then Damon continues with a sinister laugh.

As a tradition, celebrities voted off Dancing with the Stars appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, causing Kimmel to describe himself as "the three-headed dog the stars must pass on their way to No-Dancing Hell". In the 2008 season of his show, Kimmel started another tradition of ceremonially burning the dancers' shoes after they were voted off DWTS.

Other television work

In Spring 1996, Kimmel appeared as "Jimmy the Fox Guy" in promos on the Fox network.

Kimmel's other television work included being the on-air football prognosticator for Fox NFL Sunday for four years. He has had numerous appearances on other talk shows including, but not limited to, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Howard Stern Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Late Show with David Letterman. Kimmel has appeared on The Late Show five times, most recently on April 21, 2008. Kimmel served as roastmaster for the New York Friars' Club Roast of Hugh Hefner and Comedy Central Roasts of Pamela Anderson. He has appeared on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, along with his parking lot security guard Guillermo.

In August 2006, ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel would be the host of their new game show Set for Life. The show debuted on July 20, 2007. On April 6, 2007, Kimmel filled in for Larry King on Larry King Live. That particular show was about the paparazzi and Kimmel reproached Emily Gould, an editor from Gawker.com, about the web site's alleged stalking of celebrities. On July 8, 2007, Kimmel managed the National League in the 2007 Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game in San Francisco. He played in the game in 2004 and 2006 (Houston and Pittsburgh). On July 11, 2007, Kimmel along with basketball player LeBron James, hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. The show aired on ESPN on July 15, 2007. Kimmel hosted the American Music Awards on ABC four times, in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Kimmel guest hosted Live with Regis and Kelly during the week of October 22, 2007 – October 26, 2007, commuting every day between New York and Los Angeles. In the process, he broke the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest distance () travelled in one work week.

Kimmel has performed in several animated films, often voicing dogs. His voice appeared in Garfield and Road Trip, and he portrayed Death's Dog in the Family Guy episode "Mr. Saturday Knight"; Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane later presented Kimmel with a figurine of his character on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Kimmel also did voice work for Robot Chicken. Kimmel's cousin "Sal" (Sal Iacono) has accepted and won a wrestling match with WWE superstar Santino Marella. On January 14, 2010, in the midst of the 2010 Tonight Show host and time slot conflict, Kimmel was the special guest of Jay Leno on The Jay Leno Show's "10 at 10" segment. Kimmel derided Leno in front of a live studio audience for taking back the 11:35 pm time slot from Conan O'Brien, and repeatedly insulted Leno. He ended the segment with a plea that Leno "leave our shows alone," as Kimmel and O'Brien had "kids" while Leno only had "cars".

Kimmel also made a brief appearance in the TV commercial "There's A Soldier In All Of Us" promoting the 2010 video game Call of Duty: Black Ops, along with Kobe Byrant. He is seen taking cover from bullets, then firing an RPG-7 with the words PROUD N00b on it, with the aftershock from the weapon sending him tumbling backwards.

Personal life

Kimmel and his then fiancée, Gina, married in June 1988. They have two children, Katie (born 1991) and Kevin (born 1993). Katie Kimmel is an art student in Chicago. The marriage ended in separation in early 2002. Kimmel then dated comedian Sarah Silverman for five years, splitting with her in March 2009. He started dating current girlfriend, Molly McNearney, in October 2009. McNearney is also a co-head writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Kimmel plays the bass clarinet. He got a chance to showcase his talent during a July 20, 2008, concert in Costa Mesa, California, featuring the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, when he took the stage and played bass clarinet on their hit song "The Impression That I Get."

Kimmel has spoken publicly of being a narcoleptic.

Kimmel co-founded the annual LA Feast of San Gennaro, which celebrates Italian culture through entertainment, music and cuisine. The festival also honors outstanding members of the Los Angeles community and raises funds to aid needy children and families in the city. He hosted Los Angeles' eighth annual feast of San Gennaro from September 28 to 30, 2009. Kimmel served as Master of Ceremonies for the National Italian American Foundation's 34th Anniversary Gala in Washington, D.C., on October 24, 2009. He resides across the street from actor John Krasinski (well known for his role as Jim Halpert on the show The Office) and his wife, actress Emily Blunt.

Awards

References

External links

ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live website

JimmyKimmel.Net

Jimmy Kimmel appears on Michael Eisner's talkshow on CNBC

Jimmy Kimmel interview

Appearance on HGTV's Designer's Challenge

Jimmy is Maxim's #2 Dudeliest Dude 2007

Category:1967 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American game show hosts Category:American radio personalities Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:American television writers Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Living people Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Radio personalities from the Las Vegas metropolitan area Category:University of Nevada, Las Vegas alumni

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Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
Name	Charlie Sheen
Birth name	Carlos Irwin Estévez
Birth date	September 03, 1965
Birth place	New York City
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–present
Spouse	Donna Peele (1995–1996)Denise Richards (2002–2006)Brooke Mueller (2008–2011)
Parents	Martin Sheen, Janet Templeton
Relatives	Emilio Estevez Ramon Estevez Renée Estevez
Website	}}

Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen.

His character roles in films have included Chris Taylor in the 1986 Vietnam War drama Platoon, Jake Kesey in the 1986 film The Wraith, and Bud Fox in the 1987 film Wall Street. His career has also included more comedic films such as Major League, the Hot Shots! films, and Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4. On television, Sheen is known for his roles on two sitcoms: as Charlie Crawford on Spin City and as Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men. In 2010, Sheen was the highest paid actor on television, earning US$1.8 million per episode of Two and a Half Men.

Early life

Sheen was born Carlos Irwin Estévez in New York City, the youngest son and third of four children of actor Martin Sheen and artist Janet Templeton. Martin Sheen's father was originally from Galicia, Spain. Sheen has two older brothers, Emilio Estévez and Ramon Estévez, and a younger sister, Renée Estévez, all actors. His parents moved to Malibu, California, after Martin's Broadway turn in The Subject Was Roses. His first movie appearance was at age nine in his father’s 1974 film The Execution of Private Slovik. Sheen attended Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California, where he was a star pitcher and shortstop for the baseball team.

During his days at Santa Monica High School he showed an early interest in acting, making amateur Super-8 films with his brother Emilio and school friends Rob Lowe and Sean Penn, at the time still using his birth name. A few weeks before graduation, Sheen was expelled from school for poor grades and attendance. Deciding to become an actor, he took the stage name Charlie Sheen. His father had adopted it in honor of the Catholic archbishop and theologian Fulton J. Sheen.

Acting career

Film

Sheen's film career began in 1984 with a role in the Cold War teen drama Red Dawn with Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey. Sheen and Grey reunited in a small scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). He also appeared in an episode of the anthology series Amazing Stories. Sheen had his first major role in the Vietnam War drama Platoon (1986). In 1987, he starred with his father in Wall Street. Both Wall Street and Platoon were directed by Oliver Stone. In 1988, Stone asked Sheen to star in his new film Born on the Fourth of July (1989), but later cast Tom Cruise instead. Sheen was never notified by Stone, and only found out when he heard the news from his brother Emilio. Sheen did not take a lead role in Stone's subsequent films, although he did have a cameo role in Money Never Sleeps.

In 1987, Sheen was cast to portray Ron in the unreleased Grizzly II: The Predator, the sequel to the 1976 low budget horror movie Grizzly. In 1988, he starred in the baseball film Eight Men Out as outfielder Happy Felsch. Also in 1988, he appeared opposite his brother Emilio in Young Guns and again in 1990 in Men at Work. In 1989, Sheen, John Fusco, Christopher Cain, Lou Diamond Phillips, Emilio Estévez and Kiefer Sutherland were honored with a Bronze Wrangler for their work on the film Young Guns.

In 1990, he starred alongside his father in Cadence as a rebellious inmate in a military stockade and with Clint Eastwood in the buddy cop action film The Rookie. The films were directed by Martin Sheen and Eastwood, respectively. In 1992, he starred in Beyond the Law with Linda Fiorentino and Michael Madsen. In 1994, Sheen was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1997, Sheen wrote his first movie, Discovery Mars, a direct-to-video documentary revolving around the question, "Is There Life on Mars?". The next year, Sheen wrote, produced and starred in the action movie No Code of Conduct.

Sheen appeared in several comedy roles, including the Major League films, Money Talks, and the spoof Hot Shots! films. In 1999, Sheen appeared in a pilot for A&E; Network, called Sugar Hill, which was not picked up. In 1999, Sheen played himself in Being John Malkovich. He also appeared in the spoof series Scary Movie 3 and follow up Scary Movie 4.

Sheen appears as Dex Dogtective in the unreleased Lionsgate animated comedy Foodfight. The series ended in 2002.

In 2003, Sheen was cast as Charlie Harper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, which followed the popular Monday night time slot of Everybody Loves Raymond. Sheen's role on Two and a Half Men was loosely based on Sheen's bad boy image. The role garnered him an ALMA Award and he gained three Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe award nominations.

Warner Bros. dismissal

In February 2010, Sheen announced he would take a break from Two and a Half Men to enter a rehab facility voluntarily. In March, Sheen's press representatives announced that he was preparing to leave rehab and return to work on the popular sitcom. On May 18, Sheen signed an agreement to return to the sitcom for another two years for a reported $1.8 million per episode.

On October 26, 2010, the police removed Sheen from his suite at the Plaza Hotel after he reportedly caused $7,000 in damage. According to the NYPD, Sheen admitted to drinking and using cocaine the night of the incident. He was taken to a hospital for observation and released.

On January 27, 2011, Sheen was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center by paramedics. Sheen's representative said the actor was suffering from "severe abdominal pains." On January 28, Sheen began undergoing a substance rehabilitation program in his home and CBS announced that Two and a Half Men would go on hiatus. The network subsequently announced that the current season, already under way and due to shoot its last four episodes, had been canceled after Sheen made derogatory comments about series creator Chuck Lorre on the February 24 edition of a radio broadcast hosted by Alex Jones. On February 28 it was reported that Warner Bros. officially banned Sheen from entering the Warner Bros. production lot.

Sheen was accused of anti-Semitism for referring to Lorre by his Hebrew name. In an interview with TMZ, Sheen denied being anti-Semitic, saying, "I wanted to address the man, not the bullshit TV persona. So you're telling me, anytime someone calls me Carlos Estévez, I can claim they are anti-Latino?" Later in March, Sheen went on Access Hollywood Live and said that because his mother is Jewish, he is also Jewish and therefore not anti-Semitic.

On February 28, 2011, during a national television interview in his home, Sheen publicly demanded a 50% raise for the show Two and a Half Men. Already the highest-paid actor on television, Sheen demanded $3 million per episode, claiming that in comparison to the amount that the series is making, he is "underpaid." He later retracted that demand. A March 3, 2011, telephone survey of 1,000 people found that 71% of them had an unfavorable impression of Sheen and 16% had a positive opinion of him.

On March 7, 2011, CBS and Warner Bros. fired Sheen from Two and a Half Men. The official statement read: “After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen's services on Two and a Half Men effective immediately.” In the aftermath of his dismissal, Sheen remained vocally critical of the show's creator, Chuck Lorre, and repeatedly attacked him in an eight minute Ustream video.

On May 13, 2011, it was announced that Ashton Kutcher would replace Sheen on Two and a Half Men.

Other ventures

In 2006, Sheen launched a clothing line for kids, called Sheen Kidz.

In 2011, Sheen set a new Guinness World Record for Twitter as the "Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million Followers" (adding an average of 129,000 new followers per day) as well as the Guinness record for "Highest Paid TV Actor Per Episode – Current" at $1.25 million while he was a part of the cast of Two and a Half Men sitcom. On March 3, 2011, Charlie Sheen signed with Ad.ly marketing agency specializing in Twitter and Facebook promotions.

On March 10, 2011, Sheen announced a nationwide tour, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option", which began in Detroit on April 2. The tour sold out in 18 minutes, a Ticketmaster record. However, on April 1, 2011 the Detroit Free Press featured an article that stated as of March 30 that there were over 1000 tickets available from a third-party reseller, some at 15% less than the cheapest seats sold at the Fox Theater. The Huffington Post reports Sheen will earn $1 million this year from Twitter endorsements and $7 million from the North American tour. Many of those attending the April 2 performance in Detroit found it disappointing; the subsequent performance in Chicago, which featured some adjustments, received a more positive reception.

Sheen has taken up a new business venture as a partner in a line of electronic cigarettes. The "NicoSheen" product will feature the actor's signature smirk on packages of disposable E-cigarettes and related products.

On August 13, 2011, Sheen appeared as a host at the 12th annual Gathering of the Juggalos. He received a mixed reaction from the audience. Some cheered him, and some booed and threw things at him.

Personal life

Family and relationships

Sheen has been married three times and has five children. His first daughter, Cassandra Jade Estevez (b. December 12, 1984) was born to his former high school girlfriend, Paula Profit.

In 1990, Sheen accidentally shot his fiancee, Kelly Preston, in the arm. Preston broke off the engagement soon after.

In the 1990s, Sheen dated a number of adult film actresses, including Ginger Lynn and Heather Hunter.

On September 3, 1995, Sheen married Donna Peele. That same year, Sheen was named as one of the clients of an escort agency operated by Heidi Fleiss. Sheen and Peele divorced in 1996.

On June 15, 2002, two years after they met on the set of the movie Good Advice, Sheen married actress Denise Richards. They have two daughters, Sam and Lola Sheen. In March 2005, Richards filed for divorce, accusing Sheen of alcohol and drug abuse and threats of violence. The divorce was finalized in November 2006 and preceded a custody dispute over their two daughters.

On May 30, 2008, Sheen married Brooke Mueller, who later gave birth to their twin sons, Bob and Max. In November 2010, Sheen filed for divorce. On March 1, 2011, police removed Bob and Max from Sheen's home. Sheen told NBC's Today, "I stayed very calm and focused." According to People, social services took the children after Mueller obtained a restraining order against Sheen. The document said, "I am very concerned that [Sheen] is currently insane." Asked if he would fight for the children, Sheen texted People, "Born ready. Winning." Sheen and Mueller's divorce became final on May 2, 2011.

On March 1, 2011, Sheen was concurrently living with pornographic actress Rachel Oberlin and model and graphic designer Natalie Kenly, whom he collectively nicknamed his "goddesses". Oberlin left Sheen in April 2011, and Kenly left in June 2011.

Substance abuse and legal issues

On May 20, 1998, Sheen overdosed while using cocaine and was hospitalized. On August 11, 1998, Sheen, already on probation for a previous drug offense, had his probation extended for an extra year and entered a rehab clinic. In a 2004 interview, Sheen admitted that the overdose was caused by his experimentation with injecting cocaine.

On December 25, 2009, Sheen was arrested for assaulting then wife, Brooke Mueller. He was released the same day from jail after posting an $8,500 bond. Sheen was charged with felony menacing, as well as third-degree assault and criminal mischief. On August 2, 2010, Sheen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault as part of a plea bargain that included dismissal of the other charges against him. Sheen was sentenced to 30 days in a drug rehab center, 30 days of probation, and 36 hours of anger management.

Political views and activities

Charitable activities

Sheen was the 2004 spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day breast cancer fundraiser that raised millions of dollars for research and education regarding the disease. Sheen stated that a friend of his died from breast cancer, and he wanted to try to help find a cure for the disease.

A major donor and supporter of Aid For AIDS since 2006, Sheen was honored with an AFA Angel Award, one of only a few ever given, at the nonprofit's 25th Silver Anniversary Reception in 2009. In addition to his financial support, he has volunteered to act as a celebrity judge for several years for their annual fundraiser, Best In Drag Show, which raises around a quarter of a million dollars each year in Los Angeles for AIDS assistance. He has brought other celebrities to support the event, including his father, actor Martin Sheen. Sheen's interest in AIDS was first reported in 1987 with his support of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who became a national spokesperson for AIDS awareness after being infected with AIDS through a blood transfusion for his hemophilia.

Sheen is donating one dollar from each ticket sold from his “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option Show” 2011 tour to the Red Cross Japanese Earthquake Relief Fund.

In 2011, Sheen took on a Twitter challenge by a grieving mother to help critically ill babies born with Congenital diaphragmatic hernia by supporting CHERUBS – The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support.

September 11 attacks

On March 20, 2006, Sheen stated that he questions the U.S. Government's account of the September 11 attacks. He said during the interview that the collapse of the World Trade Center towers looked like a controlled demolition.

Sheen has since become a prominent advocate of the 9/11 Truth movement. On September 8, 2009, he appealed to President Barack Obama to set up a new investigation into the attacks. Presenting his views as a transcript of a fictional encounter with Obama, he was characterized by the press as believing the 9/11 commission was a whitewash and that the administration of former President George W. Bush may have been responsible for the attacks.

Filmography

Films

Money TalksPostmortem (1998 film)Lisa Picard is Famous Rated X (film)Good Advice The Making of Bret Michaels Scary Movie 3 The Big Bounce (2004 film)Guilty Hearts Scary Movie 4 Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Film	Role	Notes
1974	The Execution of Private Slovik	Kid at Wedding
1979	Apocalypse Now	Extra
	Red Dawn	Matt Eckert
Silence of the Heart	Ken Cruze
	The Fourth Wise Man	Captain (Herod's Soldiers)	TV-movie
	Man Shaving	CBS TV-movie
	Bo Richards
		Cappie
Ferris Bueller's Day Off	Garth Volbeck-Boy in Police Station
	Private Chris Taylor
The Wraith	Jake Kesey
	Hamburger Restaurant Manager	Cameo
		Bud Fox
	Ted Varrick
Three for the Road	Paul
	Ron	Unreleasedfilmed in 1983
	Never on Tuesday	Thief	Uncredited Cameo
Eight Men Out
Young Guns		Bronze Wrangler Award
	Tale of Two Sisters	Narrator	Also writer (poems)
Catchfire	Bob	Cameo
		Pfc. Franklin Fairchild Bean
Courage Mountain	Peter
	Carl Taylor
	Lt. (j.g.) Dale Hawkins
	David Ackerman
1991	Hot Shots!	Lt. Sean Topper Harley
		William Patrick Steaner/Daniel "Dan" Saxon/Sid
Oliver Stone: Inside Out	Himself	Documentary
	National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1	Gern, Parking Valet
	Morgan "Fats" Gripp
Hot Shots! Part Deux	Lt. Sean Topper Harley
	Aramis
	Charlie Sheen's Stunt Spectacular	Himself	TV-movie
	Richard 'Ditch' Brodie
	Jackson Davis "Jack" Hammond	Also executive producer
Major League II	Ricky 'Wild Thing' Vaughn
		Barbie Loving Bartender	Cameo appearance
Frame by Frame
All Dogs Go to Heaven 2	Charles B. "Charlie" Barkin	Voice only
	Zane Zaminsky
rowspan="3"	1997	|	James Russell
Shadow Conspiracy	Bobby Bishop
Bad Day on the Block
rowspan="5"	1998	Postmortem ||	James McGregor
A Letter from Death Row (film)	A Letter from Death Row
No Code of Conduct	Jacob "Jake" Peterson
Free Money (film)	Free Money	Bud Dyerson
Junket Whore	Himself
rowspan="3"	1999	|	Himself
Five Aces	Chris Martin
Being John Malkovich	Himself
2000	Rated X ||	Artie Mitchell>Artie Jay "Art" Mitchell	Showtime (TV network)>Showtime TV-movie
rowspan="2"	2001	|	Ryan Edward Turner
Last Party 2000	Himself
2002	|	Himself	Documentary
2003	|	Tom Logan (character)>Tom Logan
rowspan="2"	2004	The Big Bounce ||	Bob Rogers Jr.
Pauly Shore Is Dead	Himself
2005	|	Charlie Sheen	Segment "Spelling Bee"
2006	|	Tom Logan (character)>Tom Logan	Uncredited Cameo
rowspan="2"	2010	|	Bud Fox	Uncredited Cameo
Due Date	Charlie Harper (Two and a Half Men)>Charlie Harper

Short films

ComicitsDeeper Than DeepSpelling Bee

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Film	Role	Notes
1986	A Life in the Day
1989	|	Himself	Also producer
2003	|	Chuck Traynor>Charles "Chuck" E. Traynor
2004	|	Himself	From Guilty Hearts

Television

FriendsSugar Hill (TV pilot)Spin City Two and a Half Men Overhaulin' The Big Bang Theory The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Lopez Tonight Family Guy Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza Comedy Central Roast

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	Amazing Stories (TV series)>Amazing Stories: Book Three
1996	|	Ryan	List of Friends episodes>"The One with the Chicken Pox"
1999	Sugar Hill ||	Matt	Unsold pilot
2000–2002	|	Charlie Crawford	Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2002) Nominated – ALMA Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Series (2001) Nominated – ALMA Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Series (2002)
2003–2011	|	Charlie Harper (Two and a Half Men)>Charlie Harper	ALMA Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Television Series (2008) Nominated – Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Television Actor (2002) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (2005) Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2005) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (2006) Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2006) Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actor: Comedy (2008) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (2008) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (2009)
2006	|	Himself	Episode: "LeMama's Boy"
2008	|	Himself	List of The Big Bang Theory episodes>"The Griffin Equivalency", cameo appearance
2009	|	Himself
2009	|	Himself
2010	|	Himself	Episode: "Brian Griffin's House of Payne"
2011	|	Himself	Episode 2 (in improv game "Fairy Tale")
2011	|	Himself (Roastee)	Airs on September 19, 2011

References

External links

Charlie Sheen: Life and Times – slideshow by Life magazine

Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from New York City Category:American activists Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American people convicted of assault Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:California Democrats Category:Estevez family Category:People from Santa Monica, California Category:People from Staten Island Category:Children of Entertainers

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