Hugh Laurie Has Been Married For Over Three Decades—Inside 'House M.D.' Star's Private Life

Feb 05, 2021

Hugh Laurie is most well known for his role as the eccentric Dr. Gregory House on the medical drama series House M.D. But despite being in the spotlight for a few decades now, the British actor leads a relatively normal personal life that's been kept private.

Married to his wife Jo Green for over thirty years, the couple has three children named Charlie, Bill, and Rebecca. Let's take a look at Laurie's personal story and how he got to where he is.

James Hugh Calum Laurie was born on June 11, 1959, in Oxford, England, to parents of Scottish descent. Interestingly, Laurie's first encounter with the medical profession wasn't on his TV show, but it was with his father who was a doctor. Not only was he a doctor but he also happened to be an Olympic rowing champion and gold medallist! Laurie called his father "the sweetest man in the whole world," but his relationship with his mother was strained. 

Laurie began to follow in his father's footsteps as he went through school—but instead of following him into the medical profession, he took after his rowing abilities. By university, Laurie was training to become an Olympic standard rower, as he studied archeology and anthropology at the prestigious Cambridge University. However, after getting sick with glandular fever, his Olympic ambitions were put to an end.

After his rowing career was cut short, Laurie turned to act and joined the university's theater club. There he met Emma Thompson, and the two began a romantic relationship. She was the one to introduce him to Stephen Fry, who would later become his comedy partner. In their final year at university, the pair were mostly responsible for writing the theater club's annual revue, which they took to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it won a comedy award. Following this, the duo would work together throughout much of the '80s and '90s including on their own sketch comedy series A Bit of Fry & Laurie and the iconic British TV show Blackadder. 

By the late '90s and '00s, Laurie was taking on more serious roles, appearing in Sense & Sensibility, 101 Dalmatians, Stuart Little, and the show Fortysomething. Not long after was when he landed his star-turn as Dr. Gregory House in 2004. For eight years he would play the iconic role, which brought him multiple wins including two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since his time on House M.D., Laurie has played recurring roles on the shows Veep and The Night Manager, as well as appearing in movies including Tomorrowland, The Personal History of David Copperfield, and more.

Perhaps unknown to many, Laurie has a wife named Jo Green and three children, as he has managed to keep his personal life very private and unrelated to his work. The couple got married on June 16, 1989, and his best man at the wedding was none other than his close friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry. They have three children together: Charlie, who was born in 1988, Bill, who was born in 1991, and Rebecca, who arrived in 1992.

While his marriage has stood the test of time for over three decades, the actor has admitted it hasn't always been smooth sailing. While he moved to Los Angeles to work on House M.D., his wife and kids stayed behind in London, so as not to disrupt the children's schooling. When asked what it was like to spend more time on set and away from his family, he replied, as reported by the Daily Mail:

"I wouldn't say that doing the series has made my marriage easier. Better? I don't know about that either. Doing weekly TV is like joining the Navy and going on the other side of the world for ten months of the year. But the truth is that whatever challenging situation you're in, somebody somewhere has got a much more extreme version. So I think one ought to shut up and not moan about it."

At another point, he even admitted to having had an extramarital affair with a director he'd worked with, but his marriage still managed to make it through. Despite the pitfalls, the couple has managed to still make their relationship work. Once House M.D. finished filming, Laurie and Green were able to reunite in romantic Buenos Aires. They clearly understand that difficulties are a natural part of marriage, but they've put in the work to ensure they stay happy and together as a family.

The couple's three children were raised by their mother, who's a theater administrator, in London, while their father was filming for nine months of the year in Los Angeles. And once again, Laurie's frequent collaborator and friend Fry plays a pivotal role in his life—he's his children's godfather.

While none of Laurie's three kids appear to have caught the acting bug, they have all dipped their toes into the pond. Charlie, the eldest of his children, had a role while he was still an infant, appearing in A Bit of Fry and Laurie as baby William. Meanwhile, Bill, his second son, appeared in his father's sitcom Fortysomething. And lastly, Rebecca, the youngest, played the role of five-year-old Vivian Bearing in the movie Wit. 

Despite keeping his personal life very private, Laurie has opened up to the public about something he has battled for years—depression. After images of the star looking rundown became public, he opened up about the toll that filming House M.D. has had on him. As reported by the Daily Mail, Laurie explained:

"I wasn't prepared for this at all. But I don't really have a life outside of this bubble. We can finish filming between midnight and 4am. Then I'm straight back to bed. It's not really a life, actually."

Allegedly the producers of House M.D. even warned new actors that started on the series about Laurie's mood, which could be very low and sullen. But Laurie had a breakthrough moment when he realized what he was going through was depression and he decided to get help. He spoke openly about it in an interview with the Evening Standard, telling the publication:

"I diagnosed myself as being depressed and decided I would try and sort it out. I don't know enough about the illness to say whether it was clinical, but it was certainly more than feeling a bit sad. It went on for long periods of time and had all the other symptoms, like lethargy and not wanting to get out of bed in the morning."

After undergoing psychotherapy for two years, Laurie became a changed man and credited the treatment to rescuing his life. He elaborated on his experience in the same interview:

"It affected everything—my family and friends. I was a pain in the arse to have around. I was miserable and self-absorbed. It's actually selfish to be depressed and not try and do anything about it. I know a lot of people think therapy is about sitting around staring at your own navel—but it's staring at your own navel with a goal. And the goal is to one day to see the world in a better way and treat your loved ones with more kindness and have more to give."

To know that such a famous and well-liked actor could suffer from depression but manage to help themselves and get to a better place is truly inspiring, and Laurie is clearly adamant to share what worked for him so that others who might be in need can also get help. He added: "It's terrific, and I'm very lucky. I'm so much happier now and more accepting of things."

On top of his incredible acting and writing work and commitment to rowing in the earlier years of his life, Laurie is also a talented musician. Having learned the piano at age six, Laurie is a multi-instrumentalist who also plays the guitar, drums, harmonica, and saxophone, as well as being a singer. He's even incorporated his musical talents in his acting work, having played the piano on House M.D., as well as doing bits in various other movies and shows, as well as on Saturday Night Live when he hosted. He's even released a couple of jazz albums and has played live with his jazz band. 

The world really doesn't know that much about Hugh Laurie at all—he's so much more than Dr. Gregory House and has a lifetime of talent to prove it. On top of that, despite troubles in his life, he's managed to sustain a healthy marriage with three beautiful children. Laurie is just as surprising as the character he portrays on House M.D. and we're sure there is still so much more he'll achieve in his life.

Are you a fan of the show House M.D.? Did you know Hugh Laurie had such a rich and eventful life? Let us know in the comments, then be sure to pass this on to those you know!