Digging through the archives

Sometimes an actor can get stuck in a rut and the need arises for them to break out into something different. This is most often seen with comedic stars who want to undertake more dramatic roles. An excellent case in point is British comedy legend Hugh Laurie.

I’ve been a pretty big fan of Hugh Laurie for many years now, having first discovered him acting alongside Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry, and the equally legendary Rowan Atkinson in the last three incarnations of the Blackadder series. While I enjoy all of Mr. Atkinson’s performances, I found myself increasingly enjoying Hugh Laurie’s interpretations of a high-born twit. A role that seemed his lot in life throughout the third and fourth seasons. Even the much vaunted series “Jeeves and Wooster”, starring Laurie along with Stephen Fry, had yet another portrayal of a man who has everything but a brain. I don’t personally believe that Laurie was typecast but that could just be due to how much enjoyment I received from watching Laurie at his finest.

I started out as a big fan of “House” when it came out. Clearly Hugh Laurie had found his breakout role. The affected American accent and acerbic wit brought everything together and Laurie’s delivery is some of his finest work. In my opinion the show has fallen prey to the spectacularly terrible writing so common in North American television these days and I quickly grew tired of a number of original concepts that have been reused throughout the series. Much of it has been done to death. Hugh Laurie is an excellent actor, musician, and a published author. He deserves better in my opinion.

It was this very problem that led me to revisit some of Hugh Laurie’s classic roles. I dug through my DVD collection and spent many days luxuriating in Mr. Laurie’s pure comedic genius.

For those of you who haven’t previously discovered any of Hugh Laurie’s stellar performances here is a collection of images of some of his best work.