James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, and musician. Laurie first gained professional recognition as a member of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. Fry and Laurie acted together in several projects during the 1980s and 1990s, including the BBC sketch comedy series A Bit of Fry & Laurie and the P. G. Wodehouse adaptation Jeeves and Wooster. From 1986 to 1989, Laurie appeared in three series of the period comedy Blackadder. From 2004 to 2012, Laurie starred as Dr. Gregory House in the Fox medical drama series House. He received two Golden Globe Awards and many other accolades for his work on House. He was listed in the 2011 Guinness World Records as the most-watched leading man on television and was one of the highest-paid actors in a television drama at the time. After House, Laurie won a Golden Globe for his starring role as arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper, the main antagonist in the TV series The Night Manager (2016–present). He received his 10th Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal of Senator Tom James in the HBO sitcom Veep (2015–2019). Laurie released the blues albums Let Them Talk (2011) and Didn't It Rain (2013), both to favourable reviews. Laurie also wrote the novel The Gun Seller (1996). He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours and CBE in the 2018 New Year Honours, both for services to drama.